Designation of Agents for Service of Process is a federal filing that requires a process agent for a trucking company to obtain authority to operate from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the department responsible for regulating the trucking industry in the United State The designated agent helps the company file Form BOC-3 with the FMCSA.

They also represent the company on all legal issues and accept legal documents on behalf of the trucking company in each state they are authorized to operate. When applying for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration certification, trucking companies are also required to get a Service Of Process agent without a BOC-3 filing, trucking companies will not be granted the authority to operate.

BOC-3 FILING

Motor carrier owners are not allowed to file for BOC-3. Only the process agent can file the request on their behalf and filing must be done online. However, if you are a freight forwarder or broker without a commercial vehicle you can file for BOC-3 as a paper copy.

BOC-3 FILING REQUIREMENTS

To get your BOC-3, you have to provide all the information related to your trucking company to the FMCSA and all the information must be accurate. Your application will not be approved if the information is incorrect. Here are some of the information required by FMCSA

• Complete l business’s name
• Full name and address of your carrier, broker, or freight forwarder
• Name of the person who will sign the documents and the person’s title
• The designation of the signing authority
• Complete name of the SOP agent
• Street address of the SOP in each state

BOC-3 AGENT FEE

The fee of a registered and professional BOC-3 agent can be as low as $20 and more than $100 depending on the services they want to offer you. You just need to adjust the price base on the services you need. While some professional SOPs charge an annual fee and additional fee for each document they handle, others charge a one-time fee for a BOC-3 filing.

Once you complete the BOC-3 form and file it electronically to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, you can get it within three to four working days. FMCSA will issue an operating authority and mail the document to you once it is ready. If you change your company’s name or details, you will have to file for a new BOC-3.