The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, establishes standards for all motor vehicles involved in the transportation of hazardous materials as well as passengers and cargo. Companies offering these services must be registered with agency and in most cases must receive a Department of Transportation (US DOT) number. Most registration processes can be done online. Unfortunately, according to the FMCSA, you cannot cancel a US DOT number online as of May 2010. Companies must cancel US DOT numbers by mail.

Things You Will Need

  • Form MCS-150

  • US DOT number

Download form MCS-150 to your computer. The FMCSA download forms site is listed in References. Print all nine pages of the form, which includes instructions. This is a multipurpose form used for registration as well as inactivating your US DOT number. Read these instructions well.

The form and the website strongly urge companies to submit this form for registration or acquiring a US DOT number online. This can be confusing because the website also states that there is no online form currently available for inactivating a US DOT number. Take time to read all three Web pages listed to understand more about the process.

Complete items 1 through 16 and 30. At the top of the form MCS-150, mark the reason for the report. Place a mark next to the selection that states "Out of business notification."

Read and follow the instructions for item 30 exactly. Print or type the name and title of the person authorized to sign documents on behalf of the company listed in item 1. This person must sign and date the form in the spaces provided in item 30. Follow the instructions to the letter because if the signature does not match the printed or typed name, the form will be rejected.

Make a copy of your completed form to keep in your records and then mail the original MCS-150 form to:

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Attention: USDOT Number Application 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590

This address can be found in the instructions for form MCS-150.

You should receive a response within four to six weeks.

Warning

The FMCSA website is moderately user-friendly but urges the user to submit information online in more than one section. Online submission is not possible for inactivating a US DOT number.