If someone sues a trucking company in a state where it has no office, they need someone in that state to hand the papers to. The BOC-3 names that person for every state where the company operates or passes through. Most carriers use a blanket company that already has agents in every state rather than lining up dozens of individuals. It isn’t insurance, but together with the insurance filing it is one of the two filings that stand between an application and active authority.
What the form does
Federal law requires registered motor carriers and brokers to name agents for service of process. Under 49 CFR Part 366, the designation is made on Form BOC-3, and only one completed, current form may be on file at a time. It has to cover every state where an agent is required, and the company keeps a copy at its principal place of business.
A process agent is the person court papers can be served on in a lawsuit against the company. FMCSA uses the BOC-3 agent too: it generally sends demands, notices of claim, orders to show cause, out-of-service orders and suspension or revocation orders both to the company’s mailing address and to its BOC-3 agent.
Which states need an agent?
- Motor carriers designate an agent for each state they are authorized to operate in and each state they pass through. Because for-hire authority is nationwide, FMCSA treats that as all 48 contiguous states for carriers running in the lower 48.
- Brokers designate an agent for each state where they have an office or write contracts.
- Agents have to be local. Each one must live in or keep an office in the state it is named for, and a post office box is not an acceptable agent address.
- You can be your own agent in the state where you live. FMCSA also notes that even when a blanket company is listed, a carrier or broker may serve as its own agent in any state where it resides or keeps an office.
Blanket companies vs. naming individuals
Lining up an individual agent in every state is allowed but rare. Most carriers use a blanket company instead: an association or corporation that has filed a list of process agents with FMCSA covering each state. The carrier designates the people on that list, and registered blanket companies file the BOC-3 for the carrier, identifying it by USDOT or docket number.
Blanket companies are private businesses that arrange agents for a fee, so the arrangement is a contract. If it ends, the designation on file may no longer be valid, and that becomes your problem, not the agent’s.
When it’s due and what happens if it lapses
For a new applicant, the regulations call for the BOC-3 within 20 days after notice of the application is published in the FMCSA Register, the same window that applies to the insurance filing. Authority is not granted until it is on file.
After that, a designation can only be changed or cancelled by filing a new BOC-3, and FMCSA expects a valid one on file at all times. When a process agent stops representing a carrier, FMCSA can issue an order to show cause. The carrier then has 30 days to file a new BOC-3 with a valid agent, or show the existing one is valid, before its authority can be suspended.
The exception: a carrier or broker that has stopped being subject to the requirement for a year can cancel its designation without filing a replacement.
The BOC-3 and FMCSA’s new registration system
FMCSA moved registration to its new online system, Motus, in 2026. The agency said that opening Motus to all users would not change the BOC-3 filing process, and blanket companies use Motus to submit and remove filings. Any later change to the BOC-3 is to come through a proposed rule open for public comment.
The BOC-3 is not insurance and doesn’t show you are insured; proof of liability coverage is a separate filing your insurer makes. The full sequence for getting MC authority and what the MCS-90 endorsement is.
Common questions
Is a BOC-3 the same as insurance?
No. It names agents to accept legal papers. Proof of liability insurance is a separate filing your insurance company makes with FMCSA.
Can I be my own process agent?
In the state where you live or keep an office, yes. You still need agents in every other required state, which is why most carriers use a blanket company.
Do brokers need a BOC-3?
Yes. Brokers designate process agents in each state where they have an office or write contracts.
What happens if my blanket company drops me?
FMCSA can issue an order to show cause. You then have 30 days to file a new BOC-3 with a valid agent, or your operating authority can be suspended.
How do I change my BOC-3?
By filing a new one. A designation can only be changed or cancelled through a new BOC-3, and only one current form can be on file.
Sources
- 49 CFR Part 366 (eCFR): designation of process agents
- 49 CFR Part 365 (eCFR): rules governing applications for operating authority
- FMCSA policy: suspension of operating authority for invalid BOC-3 filings
- FMCSA Licensing & Insurance: BOC-3 filing help
- FMCSA Licensing & Insurance: BOC-3 clarification
- FMCSA Form BOC-3 and instructions
- Federal Register, April 29, 2026: Availability of Motus, FMCSA’s new registration system
- FMCSA: About FMCSA registration modernization
General information about FMCSA process agent (BOC-3) filings as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice; 49 CFR Part 366 and FMCSA’s current procedures control. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.