FMCSA to End Paper Payments
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced a change that will affect all trucking companies, owner-operators, and other stakeholders. Beginning September 30, 2025, the agency will no longer accept paper payments such as checks or money orders for any transactions.
What This Means for Trucking Businesses
Starting on that date, all payments to FMCSA must be made electronically using a debit or credit card. This applies to:
- Initial applications for operating authority
- Name changes
- Reinstatements
- Civil penalty payments
- Other fee-based transactions
For insurance-related filing fees, carriers will still need to follow the instructions provided on their monthly invoices.
This move is part of a larger federal effort to modernize payments, making the process faster, more secure, and less prone to delays.
What Happens if You Send a Paper Check?
Any check or money order mailed to FMCSA after September 30, 2025, will not be processed. Instead, it will be returned, which could cause serious delays in services like reinstating your authority or processing an application.
The only exception will be for paper applications, which must include completed credit card information at the bottom of the form before submission.
How to Stay Prepared
If you need help with:
FCCR can guide you through the process and make sure your applications and payments are handled correctly under the new system.
Need Help Transitioning?
FMCSA has been reaching out to prepare carriers for this change. If you have questions, you can also reach out to FCCR’s compliance team for direct assistance.
About FCCR
Federal Carrier Compliance Registration (FCCR) is not the FMCSA. We are a private compliance agency that works with truckers and carriers to help them stay on top of federal requirements. However, we are an officially registered FMCSA Process Agent, and our name appears on the FMCSA’s public list of process agents. This means we are directly associated with the FMCSA in that role, but we do not set or enforce FMCSA policies.
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