A Sugar Land, Texas, courier company spent weeks locked out of interstate freight after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration new Motus registration platform erased a compliance record that had sat untouched since at least 2008.
River Oaks Couriers President Kevin Clark told Commercial Carrier Journal that Motus deleted the company Form BOC-3 process agent designation on August 20 without notice. The deletion automatically deactivated the carrier US Department of Transportation number and its motor carrier dockets. A driver moving through an Oklahoma weigh station late last month was stopped when state inspectors found the federal operating authority listed as inactive, stranding loaded freight in transit.
"This can put us out of business. Period. End of story," Clark said.
The trouble started earlier. On July 7, during an insurance renewal, Clark found that Motus had overwritten the carrier legal name with Preferred Logistics, the name of his separately registered brokerage. A Department of Transportation representative attempting a fix instead renamed the brokerage arm, leaving both accounts entangled.
River Oaks is one of many. Central Analysis Bureau counted 143 authority records listed as inactive for a missing BOC-3 despite having one on file. CAB Senior Product Manager Jay Weinberg said the older Licensing and Insurance system shows those filings were already in place when Motus went live.
FMCSA launched Motus in May to curb fraud, double brokering, and identity theft by consolidating legacy databases. The agency reactivated River Oaks on September 11, less than a day after the story published. FMCSA did not respond to a request for comment.
Source: Commercial Carrier Journal - https://www.ccjdigital.com/regulations/safety-compliance/article/15834528/fmcsa-motus-glitches-freeze-carrier-authority-at-roadside-inspections