A Department of Transportation (DOT) number is a unique identifier assigned to commercial motor carriers operating in interstate commerce. This number serves as a tracking mechanism for safety compliance reviews, inspections, and crash investigations. The process to discontinue or remove this identifier typically involves notifying the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) under specific conditions, such as ceasing operations that require a DOT number.
The decision to discontinue a DOT number registration often stems from a carrier going out of business, changing the nature of its operations such that they no longer fall under FMCSA jurisdiction, or merging with another entity. Removing an inactive DOT number helps maintain the accuracy of FMCSA’s database, ensuring that resources are not expended on monitoring operations that are no longer active. Historically, this process was more cumbersome, but advancements in online systems have streamlined the notification process.
