Compliance glossary · Trucking
Trucking compliance glossary — every acronym, plain English.
IFTA, MCS-150, BOC-3, UCR, BMC-84, HM-181, IRP, W-9 on file, and the rest of the alphabet soup — each defined in one short paragraph for the owner-operator who has to pay the filing, not the regulator who reads it. Cross-link to the matching Mileafi track where it exists.
Federal · 11 terms
Federal-level FMCSA filings and identifiers.
FMCSA-side filings and identifiers. These are the federal-level forms and docket states every interstate carrier carries, on cycles from biennial (MCS-150, UCR) to per-load (W-9 on file).
MCS-150 biennial update
The FMCSA motor carrier identification report every interstate carrier files every two years to refresh mileage, equipment count, and cargo class on the docket. The biennial cycle is what most small fleets miss because it is every other year, not every year.
BOC-3 (process agent designation)
A federal filing that names a process agent in every state a carrier operates through. The agent accepts legal service on your behalf. A BOC-3 left out of date is what roadside inspection catches first — typically as an out-of-service order at the scale.
UCR (Unified Carrier Registration)
A biennial registration paid through the national UCR clearinghouse on December 31 of every even-numbered year. The fee scales with fleet size and the states operated in. Missing the UCR window is what layers a non-payment assessment on top of the registration fee itself.
MC number / MC authority
The interstate operating authority issued by FMCSA that lets a carrier broker or transport regulated loads for hire across state lines. Distinct from the USDOT safety number — many small fleets carry only a USDOT until their first cross-state for-hire load, at which point the MC, the surety bond, and the BOC-3 all become required.
USDOT number
The FMCSA safety-tracking identifier assigned to every motor carrier. It is the number roadside inspection uses, the number insurance binders reference, and the number behind every MCS-150 filing. The USDOT alone does not authorize for-hire interstate operation — that requires an MC number.
W-9 on file (broker / shipper)
The IRS Form W-9 a broker or shipper keeps on file from every carrier they pay, so year-end 1099-NEC filings can be issued correctly. It is paperwork the broker side asks for, not a filing the carrier files — but without it the broker cannot pay the carrier without withholding backup tax.
CDL (Commercial Driver’s License)
The state-issued license that authorizes a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle. The CDL carries its own medical certificate (often called the DOT medical card), plus optional endorsements — H, N, T, X — that authorize hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples, or a combination.
Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse (DACH)
The FMCSA-administered database that records every CDL driver’s failed drug or alcohol test and the return-to-duty process. A driver in "prohibited" status on the Clearinghouse cannot operate a CMV — and the employer is the surface that has to query the Clearinghouse before putting a driver on the road.
Biennial MCS-150 / UCR cycle
The combined every-other-year filing cadence of the biennial MCS-150 update and the biennial UCR registration. They are not the same filing — MCS-150 is the carrier identification report and UCR is the registration payment — but both run on the same two-year clock and are missed for the same off-year reason.
FMCSA CSA scores
The Compliance, Safety, Accountability scoring system FMCSA uses to rank motor carriers across seven BASICs (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) — unsafe driving, hours-of-service compliance, vehicle maintenance, and four others. CSA scores are public — shippers and brokers see them on a load inquiry.
Form OP-1 (operating authority application)
The FMCSA application form that registers a new motor carrier for operating authority — the form that produces an MC number once granted. Property carriers cross-file the biennial MCS-150 afterward; household goods and passenger carriers start here on OP-1 and then follow their own renewal track.
State · 2 terms
State-level intrastate authority and apportiated plates.
State-level intrastate authority and apportioned registration. The PSC permit is what lets a for-hire fleet run inside a single state; IRP is the apportioned plate that lets the same trailer cross state lines on a single registration.
IRP (International Registration Plan)
A vehicle registration reciprocity agreement among U.S. states and Canadian provinces that lets a carrier register a fleet in the home state and operate in every other member jurisdiction on a single apportioned plate. Mileafi’s starter tracks surface IRP alongside the IFTA clipboard when the fleet profile carries a home state.
State PSC permit / intrastate authority
A state-issued Public Service Commission permit that authorizes intrastate for-hire operation in states that regulate it (TX, LA, GA, NC among others). It is the state-level companion to the federal MC number — a fleet can hold a PSC permit without an MC, but cannot run interstate for-hire without one.
Tax / IFTA · 2 terms
Fuel-tax reporting under the IFTA agreement.
Fuel-tax reporting. The IFTA quarterly return and its supporting decals are the surface most small fleets miss — not because the filing is hard, but because the deadline is the last day of each calendar quarter.
IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement)
A fuel-tax agreement between the lower 48 states and most Canadian provinces that lets a carrier buy fuel in one jurisdiction and report the taxes owed in every other jurisdiction on a single quarterly return. Mileafi carries the IFTA track — quarterly returns, decals, and per-jurisdiction credits — on the same deadline calendar as the rest of the fleet filings.
IFTA quarterly return
The quarterly fuel-tax return filed in the carrier’s IFTA base state reporting per-jurisdiction miles and fuel purchases. Due dates land at the end of each calendar quarter — March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31. Missing the return window is what triggers the per-jurisdiction penalty stack.
Hazmat · 6 terms
Hazmat obligations: registration, security, papers, placards.
PHMSA-side hazmat obligations. Each of these has its own cycle — the four-year HM-181 cert renewal, the annual §172.800 security plan review, the per-load shipping paper set, and the per-mile placarding rules a roadside inspector reads first.
Hazmat registration (HM-181)
A per-carrier registration with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on Form DOT F 5800.1, triggered the moment a carrier offers or accepts hazardous materials in commerce. Registration runs on a four-year renewal cycle — miss it and offering hazmat for hire becomes unauthorized.
Hazmat endorsement (HME, TSA background check)
A per-driver TSA background-checked annotation on a Commercial Driver’s License that authorizes the driver to transport hazardous materials. The HME is renewed every five years on its own cycle — separate from the carrier-side HM-181 registration, and separate from the FMCSA docket.
Hazmat security plan (49 CFR §172.800)
A written plan any HM-181-registered carrier must develop and implement covering personnel security, unauthorized access, and en-route security. The plan must be retained for as long as it remains in effect and reviewed annually — a plan that has not been reviewed in the past twelve months is the most common audit citation.
Shipping papers (49 CFR §§172.101–172.604)
A description of the hazmat on every shipment — material, hazard class, UN/NA identification number, packing group, and total quantity — carried on the bill of lading or a separate document retained by the driver. The framework spans §172.101 (hazmat table) through §172.604 (emergency response information).
Marking & placarding (§172.504)
UN/NA identification number markings on packages per §172.301 and hazmat placards on each side and the rear of the vehicle per §172.504. Placarding is what the scale reads first — a placard left up on an empty return leg, a wrong UN/NA number, or a missing subsidiary placard is each enforceable as an out-of-service order.
Hazmat Safety Permit (HSP)
A separate PHMSA permit required to transport certain high-hazard materials — Division 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 explosives, certain radioactive shipments, and certain materials transported by air. Renews on a five-year PHMSA cycle, fully separate from the HM-181 four-year cycle and the FMCSA biennial UCR.
Insurance / Bonds · 2 terms
Surety bonds on file with FMCSA.
Surety bonds on file with FMCSA. The BMC-84 and BMC-85 are the two broker-bond variants; both run on the surety provider’s renewal cycle, not FMCSA’s, which is the gap that flips an MC authority out from under a small fleet.
BMC-84 surety bond ($75K broker)
The $75,000 surety bond a property broker posts with FMCSA. Sourced through a surety provider, the bond must be active for the full life of the MC authority. A lapsed bond flips the MC to inactive on the docket within days, without a separate reminder to the carrier.
BMC-85 surety bond ($10K passenger)
The $10,000 surety bond a passenger-carrying broker (buses, motor coaches) posts with FMCSA. Like the BMC-84, the bond is required for the life of the MC authority and a lapse silently inactivates the MC. Household goods brokers carry the same $75K BMC-84 the property broker carries.
A through Z
Look it up by first letter.
Same definitions as the category grid above — alphabetical jump view for anyone who searches the acronym first.
B
- BOC-3 (process agent designation)Federal
A federal filing that names a process agent in every state a carrier operates through. The agent accepts legal service on your behalf. A BOC-3 left out of date is what roadside inspection catches first — typically as an out-of-service order at the scale.
- BMC-84 surety bond ($75K broker)Insurance / Bonds
The $75,000 surety bond a property broker posts with FMCSA. Sourced through a surety provider, the bond must be active for the full life of the MC authority. A lapsed bond flips the MC to inactive on the docket within days, without a separate reminder to the carrier.
- BMC-85 surety bond ($10K passenger)Insurance / Bonds
The $10,000 surety bond a passenger-carrying broker (buses, motor coaches) posts with FMCSA. Like the BMC-84, the bond is required for the life of the MC authority and a lapse silently inactivates the MC. Household goods brokers carry the same $75K BMC-84 the property broker carries.
- Biennial MCS-150 / UCR cycleFederal
The combined every-other-year filing cadence of the biennial MCS-150 update and the biennial UCR registration. They are not the same filing — MCS-150 is the carrier identification report and UCR is the registration payment — but both run on the same two-year clock and are missed for the same off-year reason.
- BOC-3 (process agent designation)Federal
C
- CDL (Commercial Driver’s License)Federal
The state-issued license that authorizes a driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle. The CDL carries its own medical certificate (often called the DOT medical card), plus optional endorsements — H, N, T, X — that authorize hazmat, tanker, doubles/triples, or a combination.
- CDL (Commercial Driver’s License)Federal
D
- Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse (DACH)Federal
The FMCSA-administered database that records every CDL driver’s failed drug or alcohol test and the return-to-duty process. A driver in "prohibited" status on the Clearinghouse cannot operate a CMV — and the employer is the surface that has to query the Clearinghouse before putting a driver on the road.
- Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse (DACH)Federal
F
- FMCSA CSA scoresFederal
The Compliance, Safety, Accountability scoring system FMCSA uses to rank motor carriers across seven BASICs (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories) — unsafe driving, hours-of-service compliance, vehicle maintenance, and four others. CSA scores are public — shippers and brokers see them on a load inquiry.
- Form OP-1 (operating authority application)Federal
The FMCSA application form that registers a new motor carrier for operating authority — the form that produces an MC number once granted. Property carriers cross-file the biennial MCS-150 afterward; household goods and passenger carriers start here on OP-1 and then follow their own renewal track.
- FMCSA CSA scoresFederal
H
- Hazmat registration (HM-181)Hazmat
A per-carrier registration with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on Form DOT F 5800.1, triggered the moment a carrier offers or accepts hazardous materials in commerce. Registration runs on a four-year renewal cycle — miss it and offering hazmat for hire becomes unauthorized.
- Hazmat endorsement (HME, TSA background check)Hazmat
A per-driver TSA background-checked annotation on a Commercial Driver’s License that authorizes the driver to transport hazardous materials. The HME is renewed every five years on its own cycle — separate from the carrier-side HM-181 registration, and separate from the FMCSA docket.
- Hazmat security plan (49 CFR §172.800)Hazmat
A written plan any HM-181-registered carrier must develop and implement covering personnel security, unauthorized access, and en-route security. The plan must be retained for as long as it remains in effect and reviewed annually — a plan that has not been reviewed in the past twelve months is the most common audit citation.
- Hazmat Safety Permit (HSP)Hazmat
A separate PHMSA permit required to transport certain high-hazard materials — Division 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 explosives, certain radioactive shipments, and certain materials transported by air. Renews on a five-year PHMSA cycle, fully separate from the HM-181 four-year cycle and the FMCSA biennial UCR.
- Hazmat registration (HM-181)Hazmat
I
- IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement)Tax / IFTA
A fuel-tax agreement between the lower 48 states and most Canadian provinces that lets a carrier buy fuel in one jurisdiction and report the taxes owed in every other jurisdiction on a single quarterly return. Mileafi carries the IFTA track — quarterly returns, decals, and per-jurisdiction credits — on the same deadline calendar as the rest of the fleet filings.
- IRP (International Registration Plan)State
A vehicle registration reciprocity agreement among U.S. states and Canadian provinces that lets a carrier register a fleet in the home state and operate in every other member jurisdiction on a single apportioned plate. Mileafi’s starter tracks surface IRP alongside the IFTA clipboard when the fleet profile carries a home state.
- IFTA quarterly returnTax / IFTA
The quarterly fuel-tax return filed in the carrier’s IFTA base state reporting per-jurisdiction miles and fuel purchases. Due dates land at the end of each calendar quarter — March 31, June 30, September 30, December 31. Missing the return window is what triggers the per-jurisdiction penalty stack.
- IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement)Tax / IFTA
M
- MCS-150 biennial updateFederal
The FMCSA motor carrier identification report every interstate carrier files every two years to refresh mileage, equipment count, and cargo class on the docket. The biennial cycle is what most small fleets miss because it is every other year, not every year.
- MC number / MC authorityFederal
The interstate operating authority issued by FMCSA that lets a carrier broker or transport regulated loads for hire across state lines. Distinct from the USDOT safety number — many small fleets carry only a USDOT until their first cross-state for-hire load, at which point the MC, the surety bond, and the BOC-3 all become required.
- Marking & placarding (§172.504)Hazmat
UN/NA identification number markings on packages per §172.301 and hazmat placards on each side and the rear of the vehicle per §172.504. Placarding is what the scale reads first — a placard left up on an empty return leg, a wrong UN/NA number, or a missing subsidiary placard is each enforceable as an out-of-service order.
- MCS-150 biennial updateFederal
S
- Shipping papers (49 CFR §§172.101–172.604)Hazmat
A description of the hazmat on every shipment — material, hazard class, UN/NA identification number, packing group, and total quantity — carried on the bill of lading or a separate document retained by the driver. The framework spans §172.101 (hazmat table) through §172.604 (emergency response information).
- State PSC permit / intrastate authorityState
A state-issued Public Service Commission permit that authorizes intrastate for-hire operation in states that regulate it (TX, LA, GA, NC among others). It is the state-level companion to the federal MC number — a fleet can hold a PSC permit without an MC, but cannot run interstate for-hire without one.
- Shipping papers (49 CFR §§172.101–172.604)Hazmat
U
- UCR (Unified Carrier Registration)Federal
A biennial registration paid through the national UCR clearinghouse on December 31 of every even-numbered year. The fee scales with fleet size and the states operated in. Missing the UCR window is what layers a non-payment assessment on top of the registration fee itself.
- USDOT numberFederal
The FMCSA safety-tracking identifier assigned to every motor carrier. It is the number roadside inspection uses, the number insurance binders reference, and the number behind every MCS-150 filing. The USDOT alone does not authorize for-hire interstate operation — that requires an MC number.
- UCR (Unified Carrier Registration)Federal
W
- W-9 on file (broker / shipper)Federal
The IRS Form W-9 a broker or shipper keeps on file from every carrier they pay, so year-end 1099-NEC filings can be issued correctly. It is paperwork the broker side asks for, not a filing the carrier files — but without it the broker cannot pay the carrier without withholding backup tax.
- W-9 on file (broker / shipper)Federal
Ready when you are
Push the deadlines onto a single calendar.
The glossary defines what each filing means — Mileafi tracks when each one is due. Sign up, drop in your MC and USDOT numbers, and the filings above light up on one deadline board with a 30-day, 14-day, and 72-hour alert on each.