BOC-3 filing: what it is and who files it

A BOC-3 is the form that names a legal process agent in each state: a person who can accept legal papers for you there. FMCSA requires one on file for motor carriers with operating authority, and for brokers and freight forwarders. If you haul your own goods or only exempt freight, you may not have an MC number and may not need one.

You don't file it yourself

Process agents are companies that file the BOC-3 for you, usually for all states at once, which is what a blanket filing means. You choose one, pay their fee, and they file it electronically with FMCSA. Fees vary by company, so ask what they charge both to file and to renew.

Under 49 CFR 366.4 most carriers must name agents for the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Carriers that operate only in Alaska or Hawaii, and carriers with limited authority, have narrower rules.

How to confirm yours is on file

FMCSA does not put BOC-3 status in the open data we read, so Haul10 cannot check it for you. Look your docket number up in FMCSA's Licensing and Insurance search, and note the date you confirmed. In your Haul10 record you can log that date; we say plainly that it is your note, not our check.

When it matters

• When you first get authority. It has to be filed before authority is granted.
• When you change process agents. The new one files a fresh BOC-3.
• When something goes wrong with your authority. A missing BOC-3 is one of the things FMCSA checks.

Haul10 does not file BOC-3s. Our Pro plan covers the UCR and the MCS-150 update. We track the BOC-3 as a checklist item.