One blanket filing. Process agents in all 50 states.
A BOC-3 designates a legal representative in every state your authority touches — the address where lawsuits and court papers can be served on your company. FMCSA won't issue or reinstate operating authority without one on file. We file it within hours, then keep our agents on duty for the life of your authority.
You can't file BOC-3 yourself. Only a registered process agent can.
FMCSA requires for-hire motor carriers operating CMVs to designate process agents through a registered third party — that's us. Once we file, your authority can be issued or reinstated. Without a current BOC-3 on file, FMCSA will not grant operating authority and any lapsed authority stays revoked.
Who needs a BOC-3.
The rule sweeps in for-hire interstate operators. Private and intrastate-only carriers are outside it. Here's the quick read.
For-hire motor carriers.
Anyone hauling property or passengers across state lines for compensation. New authority applicants and reinstatements both. The form must be on file before the MC number is issued.
Brokers & freight forwarders.
Property brokers and freight forwarders need agents in every state where they have an office or write contracts. Brokers without CMVs may self-file in narrow cases — most don't bother.
Private & intrastate carriers.
If you only haul your own goods, or you only operate within a single state, BOC-3 doesn't apply. The URS-era expansion to private carriers was suspended and remains so under § 366.1T.
One agent. Every state. On the public ledger.
When we file your BOC-3, our office is named as the designated process agent in every state your authority touches. The FMCSA registry shows our address as the place to serve papers — wherever you operate.
Why blanket coverage matters. Filing a separate agent in every state means juggling 51 different inboxes when papers arrive. With a blanket designation, every state's service flows to one office — ours — and we forward to you the same day, certified.
What happens when papers actually arrive.
Most BOC-3 filings sit dormant for years — but when they activate, the process matters. Here's the flow from a process server walking into our office to the document landing in your hands.
Papers served on us.
A process server, attorney, or court clerk delivers physical documents to our designated office. We're the legal address of record in every state.
Day 0 · physical receiptLogged within the hour.
The packet is scanned, time-stamped, and matched to your account. Caption, court, and case number captured for the certified mail packet.
<1 hr · same business dayForwarded to you.
Email notification with PDFs goes out immediately. Originals follow by USPS certified mail with signature required, addressed to your principal place of business.
Same day · email + certifiedArchived in your portal.
The document plus our affidavit of service are filed in your portal. You have a clean record of what was served, when, and how — for the next seven years.
Auto-filed · 7-year retentionThe rule, in one paragraph.
49 CFR Part 366 says you have to designate process agents in every state where you operate or transit. Only a registered process agent can file the form on your behalf. The address can't be a P.O. box. And there's no expiration — but four trigger events make a refile mandatory.
- ! Change of legal name.An LLC re-registration, conversion, or rename requires a fresh BOC-3.
- ! Change of physical address.Move your principal place of business and the existing filing expires immediately.
- ! Change of process agent.Switching providers requires a new filing — only one BOC-3 may be on file at a time.
- ! Authority reinstatement.If your MC number lapses or is revoked, you have 30 days to file a new BOC-3 on reinstatement.
"Every motor carrier (of property or passengers) shall make a designation for each State in which it is authorized to operate and for each State traversed during such operations… Designations may be made individually or by the filing of a group designation by an agent on behalf of two or more carriers."
"A designation may be made by the carrier or its agent. An agent may file a single designation for any number of carriers under § 366.4(b) — known in industry as a 'blanket of coverage.'"
"A post office box is not acceptable as an agent's address. The designated person must be physically present in the state for which they are designated, or the agent must employ or contract with a person who is."
$59 a year. Flat. Forever.
No filing fees on top, no service-of-process surcharges if your day finally comes. We charge once a year to keep the designation current — same price whether you operate in one state or all fifty.
Initial BOC-3
For new authority applicants. Filed with FMCSA the same business day, blanket coverage in all 50 states + DC. Includes your first 12 months of agent service.
- ✓ Filed within 2 business hours
- ✓ Blanket coverage · 50 + DC
- ✓ Filed copy + agent list to your portal
- ✓ No charge if FMCSA rejects (we re-file)
- ✓ Service of process forwarding included
BOC-3 + MC Authority
The full new-authority package — BOC-3, MC application, UCR registration, and the first year of process-agent service. Most carriers' fastest path from "I want to be a carrier" to "I have an active MC number."
- ✓ MC authority application + tracking
- ✓ BOC-3 filed with FMCSA
- ✓ UCR + MCS-150 registration
- ✓ 12 months of process-agent service
- ✓ Insurance liaison & CA-number support
- ✓ Single point of contact through activation
Renewal. Year 2 onwards is a flat $59 — invoiced 30 days before expiration, payable online, no service charge if you're served process during the term.
Things carriers ask us first.
What does "BOC-3" actually mean?
Why can't I file my own BOC-3?
§ 366.4, a motor carrier operating commercial vehicles cannot self-file. Only a registered process agent — a third party with a federally-listed presence in each state — can submit Form BOC-3 on your behalf. The exception: a broker or freight forwarder who doesn't operate CMVs may file in narrow cases, but the workflow is identical so most use a process agent anyway.How fast will my BOC-3 actually be filed?
Does a BOC-3 expire?
What happens if I'm actually served with papers?
Do I need a BOC-3 if I only operate in one state?
What if my BOC-3 provider goes out of business?
Is a P.O. box address okay for the agent?
§ 366.5 explicitly prohibits a P.O. box as an agent's address — the designated party must have a physical presence in the state, or the agent must contract with someone who does. Every address we file is a real street address staffed during business hours.BOC-3 filed in two hours. Authority unblocked.
$59 flat, blanket coverage in all 50 states + DC, filed copies and agent list delivered to your portal the same day. No surcharges, no per-state fees, no service-of-process bills.