Your MC Is Already Active. Here’s What a Name Change Costs.

Q: How much is a name change if my MC is already active?

If the application is not pending, checkout is $30 without MCSA-5889, or $44 when that form is in the packet. That is $25 filing help plus a $5 records-change add-on, plus $14 when MCSA-5889 is needed.

Q: When is MCSA-5889 needed?

When the packet has to update an MC, MX, or FF operating-authority record — not just the USDOT. If that form is generated, the $14 government line is added and the total is $44.

Q: Is motorcarrier.ai the FMCSA?

No. motorcarrier.ai is a private filing and compliance help service. Motus at motus.dot.gov is the government registration system.

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Key Takeaway

If the motor carrier application is not pending, name-change checkout is $30 without MCSA-5889, or $44 when that form is in the packet. That is $25 filing help + $5 add-on, plus $14 FMCSA when 5889 is needed. motorcarrier.ai is a private filing and compliance help service — not the FMCSA.

Active name change

See which total applies, then file

Confirm you are not pending. Then start the change. The review screen shows $30 or $44 before you pay.

Start the name change Confirm you are not pending

The two totals

Paid name change is never a single made-up number. It is one of these two.

No MCSA-5889

$30

$25 filing help
$5 records-change add-on
USDOT record only (MCS-150)

MCSA-5889 needed

$44

$25 filing help
$5 records-change add-on
$14 FMCSA form fee for MCSA-5889

When is 5889 in the packet?

When there is an MC, MX, or FF operating-authority record to update — not just the USDOT. An already-active MC almost always needs that form, so most readers of this post will see $44.

Still pending?

Then this bill does not apply. Pending name changes are free. No checkout.

Confirm you are not pending

Check the public record first. Pending means the free path.

Authority status checker

USDOT or MC number. Look for pending vs active on common, contract, or broker.

August 2026 Motus update

Why the change goes through Motus now, not the retired Portal or URS.

⚠️

Revoked or inactive is a different job

If the MC is revoked or inactive, this is not your name-change bill. That is a separate reinstatement filing — not this post.

File the change

Confirm you are not pending

Open /tools/authority-status.

Look up the USDOT

Go to /services/business-name-change. We pull the public record and build MCS-150, plus MCSA-5889 when a docket is present.

Select name change

New legal name and/or DBA. The packet includes MCS-150. MCSA-5889 is added when an MC, MX, or FF docket is present.

Read the total before you pay

$30 without 5889. $44 with it. If the screen says no checkout, you are still pending — do not force a charge.

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What you pay

Filing help

$25 — our preparation and filing help.

Records-change add-on

$5 — on paid name-change checkout only.

MCSA-5889

$14 FMCSA fee, only when that form is generated.

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Pro Tip

Still waiting on insurance or BOC-3? Recheck authority status. If it still says pending, you should not see a $30 or $44 charge.

FAQ

How much is a name change if my MC is already active?

$30 without MCSA-5889, or $44 when that form is needed. Start at /services/business-name-change after you confirm you are not pending.

When is MCSA-5889 needed?

When the packet updates an MC, MX, or FF authority record, not just the USDOT. Then the total is $44.

Is motorcarrier.ai the FMCSA?

No. We are a private filing and compliance help service. Motus is the government system.

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motorcarrier.ai Team

We help new trucking companies get set up and stay compliant — from MC authority to insurance to ongoing DOT requirements. No jargon, no overcharging, just straight answers.

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