BOC-3 Filing: Process Agents for Trucking Companies

BOC-3 is one of those acronyms that sounds complicated and means something simple. You need a legal representative in every state so that if someone sues you, they can serve papers locally. A company files this for you. It costs $30-$50. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes.

This is not a page you will bookmark and revisit. It is a page you read once, file the thing, and move on. That is the appropriate level of attention for this requirement.

A BOC-3 designates someone to accept legal papers on your behalf in every state

Here is the problem the BOC-3 solves.

You are a trucking company based in Idaho. Your truck runs freight through Oregon, Utah, Nevada, California, and Washington. One day, your driver is involved in an accident in Oregon. The Oregon plaintiff needs to file a lawsuit against your company. But your company is in Idaho. The plaintiff cannot practically track you down in another state, and the Constitution says they must properly notify you before proceeding.

The BOC-3 fixes this. By designating a process agent in every state, you are telling the legal system: “If anyone needs to serve me papers in Oregon, contact this person. They will accept the documents and forward them to me.” The agent receives the papers by certified mail and sends them to your company address.

Think of it as: “We trust you to operate on roads in all 50 states, but in exchange, you must be reachable for legal proceedings in all 50 states.”

A “process agent” is a person or company authorized to receive legal documents — lawsuits, subpoenas, government notices — on your behalf in a specific state. A “blanket agent” covers all states through a single filing. You use a blanket agent so you have one filing that covers every state, whether you operate there regularly or just pass through once.

Form BOC-3, formally titled “Designation of Agents for Service of Process,” tells FMCSA: “Here is who can be served legal papers for my company in every state where I operate.”

Every interstate motor carrier, broker, and freight forwarder needs one. No exceptions for fleet size. One truck or a thousand — same requirement. Governed by 49 CFR Part 366.

You do not file this yourself. A blanket process agent company files it for you. You pick a provider, pay their fee, and they handle the FMCSA submission. The provider maintains a network of registered agents in every state and lists them on the form.

It costs $30-$50 and takes 10 minutes — don’t let anyone charge you $200

The $30-$50 range is the right price. Some compliance service companies bundle BOC-3 into $199-$500 “authority activation packages” that include filings you can do yourself for free. The BOC-3 itself is a commodity. Pay commodity prices.

One warning: some one-time-fee providers charge additional fees if they actually receive and forward legal documents on your behalf. Read the fine print. For most carriers, this never comes up — but know it exists.

If you are already an OOIDA member ($45/year), BOC-3 filing is included free. If you are not a member, the standalone providers are cheaper than joining just for the BOC-3.

How to file: pick a provider, pay, done

Step 1. Choose a provider from the table above. A+ Agents or 1A BOC-3 are the most commonly recommended on trucker forums.

Step 2. Visit their website. Enter your company’s legal name, USDOT number, MC number (if assigned), and contact information.

Step 3. Pay the fee. Credit card, usually.

Step 4. The blanket agent files Form BOC-3 electronically with FMCSA. You receive a confirmation.

Step 5. Within 1-5 business days, the filing appears on your FMCSA record. Verify at li-public.fmcsa.dot.gov by searching your USDOT or MC number.

That is the entire process. The provider does the work. You provide information and a credit card.

What information you will need:

• Your company’s exact legal name (must match your FMCSA registration)
• USDOT number
• MC number (or docket number, if assigned)
• Physical business address
• Contact email and phone

If your MC number has not been assigned yet, some providers let you submit with just your USDOT number and update the MC number later. Others require the MC number. Check with your chosen provider.

File your BOC-3 during the first few days of your 21-day waiting period. There is no reason to wait, and having it on file early means one fewer item blocking your authority activation.

The BOC-3 is the one filing scammers love to overcharge for

The moment your authority application publishes, companies start contacting you about “required compliance filings.” Many of them lead with the BOC-3 because the acronym sounds intimidating and most new carriers do not know what it costs.

Here is how the overcharge works. A compliance service company sends you an official-looking letter or email — sometimes designed to mimic a government notice — stating that your BOC-3 filing is “required within 90 days” (true) and offering to handle it as part of a $299-$500 “authority activation package.” The package includes the BOC-3 plus other filings (UCR, sometimes Clearinghouse registration) that you can do yourself for a fraction of the price.

The BOC-3 itself is a $30-$50 commodity. UCR is $76 at plan.ucr.gov. Clearinghouse registration is free. The “package” marks up $106-$126 worth of filings to $300-$500.

This is not illegal. It is a business model built on new carriers not knowing the actual prices. Now you know them.

If a company contacts you about BOC-3 filing and the price is over $75, they have bundled other services or marked up the filing. Ask for an itemized breakdown. Compare each line item to the actual government or direct-provider cost. Then decide if the convenience premium is worth it to you.

Your BOC-3 is a gate to authority activation

Your operating authority cannot activate until three things are on file with FMCSA:

1. 21-day protest period has elapsed
2. BOC-3 is on file (process agent designated)
3. BMC-91 is on file (insurance filing from your insurer)

If the protest period ends and your insurance is filed but your BOC-3 is missing, your authority stays in NOT AUTHORIZED status. This is entirely avoidable. File it in week one.

You have 90 days from the date your authority application publishes in the FMCSA Register to get your BOC-3 and BMC-91 on file. Miss that deadline and your application is dismissed. You forfeit the $300 filing fee and start over.

The BOC-3 is the easiest of the three requirements to complete. It takes minutes, costs $30-$50, and has no dependencies. Do it first.

You probably never think about it again

Once filed, your BOC-3 sits quietly in the background. You do not renew it annually (unless you chose a provider with an annual fee model). You do not update it when you add trucks or change routes. It stays valid as long as your provider remains in business and registered with FMCSA.

The two scenarios where it comes back up:

Your process agent goes out of business. Rare, but it happens. If FMCSA notifies you that your agent is no longer valid, file a new BOC-3 with a different provider immediately. Same 10-minute process.

You change your legal business name. If your company name changes (not a DBA, but the actual legal name on your authority), you need a new BOC-3 filing to match.

Otherwise, this is the definition of a set-and-forget requirement. File it, confirm it appears on your FMCSA record, and move on to the items that actually take time.

How the BOC-3 fits into the bigger registration picture

The BOC-3 is one piece of a five-part federal registration process. Here is where it sits:

1. USDOT number — free, immediate (our guide)
2. MC authority application — $300, starts the 21-day clock
3. BOC-3 process agent filing — $30-$50, you are here
4. Insurance + BMC-91 filing — your insurer files this
5. Authority activation — happens automatically once 1-4 are complete

The BOC-3 is the simplest and cheapest step. It has no dependencies on the others — you can file it the same day you apply for your MC number. The sooner it is on file, the fewer things stand between you and AUTHORIZED status.

For the complete week-by-week sequence of how all five pieces fit together — including the optimal day to bind insurance and how to use the 21-day wait productively — see our federal registration timeline.