MCS-150 due date: find yours in 30 seconds

Nobody sends you a reminder for your MCS-150 due date. It is not on your insurance, your plates or your invoice. It hangs on two numbers at the end of your USDOT number, and you can work it out in half a minute. Here is the method, six worked examples, and the odd cases that make people second-guess themselves.

The 30-second method

Write down your USDOT number. Look at the last two digits.

1. Take the last digit. 1 to 9 means January to September. 0 means October.
2. Take the digit before it. Odd means you update in odd-numbered years (2027, 2029). Even means even-numbered years (2026, 2028).
3. Put them together. That is your month and your year.
4. Add the day. The deadline is the last day of that month.

The regulation sets this out in 49 CFR 390.19(b). On the year, it says:

If the next-to-last digit of its USDOT Number is odd, the motor carrier shall file its update in every odd-numbered calendar year.

Six examples

Here are the sums done for six made-up numbers. The "next deadline" column is the first deadline on or after 4 November 2026.

Spot the catch in the second row. The month is February and the year is even, so 2028. And 2028 is a leap year, which makes the last day 29 February, not 28. Check your deadline against a calendar, not against memory.

What month is MCS-150 due for a USDOT number ending in 5?

May. A number ending in 5 is due in May of either odd or even years, depending on the digit before the 5. Ending 35 means odd years, so 31 May 2027. Ending 45 means even years, so 31 May 2028.

When is my MCS-150 due based on my USDOT number?

Take the examples above and swap in yours. If you would rather let a tool do it, type the number into the MCS-150 lookup. It uses the same rule and shows its inputs.

Why do some numbers look "overdue" when they are not?

An update filed in the 24 months before your deadline counts for it. If you updated in February because you changed address, you may not need another in your due month. FMCSA's own record shows the date of your latest update, and so does the free check. Look at the date, not at your memory of it.

This is also where the pause comes in. FMCSA has paused USDOT deactivation for missed updates due on or after 1 June 2026. The deadline has not moved. The story is in our news post on the biennial update pause.

Small numbers and old numbers

The MCS-150 due date works the same for a short number as for a long one. Not every USDOT number has seven digits. A number can be as short as one digit. If there is no second-to-last digit, treat it as zero, which is even. So a number ending in just "4" is due in April of even years. Older carriers with short numbers are rare, but they exist.

A quick story

Imagine a three-truck carrier, Marsh & Daughters. The owner remembered "something in the autumn" for the update, and assumed that meant the end of the year. His number ends in 70. That is October, and 7 is odd, so odd years: 31 October 2027. Two months earlier than he thought. With the sum done, he put a note in his phone for 15 October 2027 and moved on.

What to do with your MCS-150 due date

1. Put it in your calendar twice: once for 30 days before, once for the day.
2. Do the update early. Our MCS-150 form walkthrough goes through each section.
3. Keep a copy of the confirmation.

If you want reminders handled for you, a free Haul10 account sends them at 60, 30 and 7 days. You do not need one to use the sum above.

Check your answer against FMCSA's record

The sum tells you when the update is due. It does not tell you if you are already up to date. For that, look at the date of your last update on FMCSA's record. The free check shows it. If that date is within the last 24 months, you are probably fine until your next due month. If it is older than that, you are overdue.

Two readings are possible, so be careful. An update filed in the 24 months before your deadline counts towards it. But an update filed far too early, say 30 months before, does not make the next one go away.

Mistakes people make in the sum

• Swapping the digits. The last digit is the month. The one before is the year parity. People read them the other way round.
• Using the MC number. The rule is about the USDOT number. The MC number has nothing to do with it.
• Forgetting zero. A last digit of 0 is October, not "month zero".
• Counting from the wrong year. Odd digit means odd years: 2027, 2029. Even means 2026, 2028.

Here are three quick checks. A number ending in 30 is October, and 3 is odd, so odd years. Ending in 18 is August, and 1 is odd, so odd years. Ending in 99 is September, and 9 is odd, so odd years. Notice how many odd digits there are; roughly half of all carriers file in odd years, and half in even years.

If you manage more than one number

A holding company, a lease-on arrangement or a shop looking after friends' carriers can end up with several USDOT numbers. The sum is the same for each, but the dates fall all over the calendar. Make a list with one row per number: the number, the month, the years, and the date of the last update. Sort it by month. A free Haul10 account tracks up to five carriers and sends reminders at 60, 30 and 7 days before each date.