{
  "schema_version": "citation-answer/v1",
  "answer_key": "how-to-update-usdot-registration",
  "artifact_slug": "how-to-update-usdot-registration",
  "query": "update dot number",
  "citation_slots": 3,
  "canonical_path": "/guides/how-to-update-usdot-registration",
  "title": "How do you update a DOT number?",
  "description": "The FMCSA biennial registration update and separate authority path.",
  "answer_capsule": "Update a USDOT registration through the current FMCSA path for the entity and action, using the MCS-150 series when directed. FMCSA's Updating Your Registration page, accessed 2026-07-21, says carriers must update registration every 2 years even when details are unchanged. Operating-authority changes can require a separate process.",
  "scope": "This guide describes the biennial registration duty and official handoff. The correct form and path depend on the entity and requested change.",
  "methodology_version": "citation-answer/v1",
  "reproducibility_note": "Re-derive this answer from the named source and dated scope; no Fonteum account is required.",
  "limitations": [
    "The current action-specific form and workflow must be re-checked on FMCSA.",
    "This aggregate public-record answer is not a consumer report, person-level dossier, eligibility decision, or risk score."
  ],
  "related_links": [
    {
      "label": "How to obtain a USDOT number",
      "href": "/guides/how-to-get-a-usdot-number"
    }
  ],
  "data_as_of": "2026-07-21",
  "source_artifacts": [
    {
      "source_key": "fmcsa-usdot-update",
      "kind": "upstream",
      "file_name": "Updating Your Registration",
      "file_url": "https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/updating-your-registration",
      "publisher": "Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration",
      "published_date": null,
      "retrieved_date": "2026-07-21",
      "data_as_of": "2026-07-21",
      "sha256": null
    }
  ],
  "published_date": "2026-07-21",
  "modified_date": "2026-07-21",
  "sources": [
    {
      "source_key": "fmcsa-usdot-update",
      "name": "Updating Your Registration",
      "publisher": "Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration",
      "official_url": "https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/updating-your-registration",
      "source_date_kind": "accessed",
      "source_date": "2026-07-21",
      "limitation": "The required path and form depend on the entity and requested action. Operating-authority changes can require a separate process.",
      "retrieved_date": "2026-07-21"
    }
  ],
  "facts": [
    {
      "fact_key": "cadence",
      "label": "Registration update cadence",
      "value": "Every 2 years",
      "source": {
        "source_key": "fmcsa-usdot-update",
        "name": "Updating Your Registration",
        "publisher": "Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration",
        "official_url": "https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/updating-your-registration",
        "source_date_kind": "accessed",
        "source_date": "2026-07-21",
        "limitation": "The required path and form depend on the entity and requested action. Operating-authority changes can require a separate process.",
        "retrieved_date": "2026-07-21"
      }
    },
    {
      "fact_key": "form-family",
      "label": "Form family when directed",
      "value": "MCS-150 series",
      "source": {
        "source_key": "fmcsa-usdot-update",
        "name": "Updating Your Registration",
        "publisher": "Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration",
        "official_url": "https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/updating-your-registration",
        "source_date_kind": "accessed",
        "source_date": "2026-07-21",
        "limitation": "The required path and form depend on the entity and requested action. Operating-authority changes can require a separate process.",
        "retrieved_date": "2026-07-21"
      }
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Must a carrier update when nothing changed?",
      "answer": "FMCSA says the biennial update is still required."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does the same update change operating authority?",
      "answer": "Not necessarily. Authority actions can require separate forms and supporting material."
    }
  ]
}