# Agency Information Collection Activities; Renewal of an Approved Information Collection Request: Designation of Agents, Motor Carriers, Brokers, and Freight Forwarders
**AGENCY:**
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department of Transportation (DOT).
**ACTION:**
Notice and request for comments.
**SUMMARY:**
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. FMCSA requests approval to renew the previously approved ICR titled, “Designation of Agents, Motor Carriers, Brokers and Freight Forwarders,” OMB Control No. 2126-0015. This is necessary to provide motor carriers, property brokers, and freight forwarders a means to designate process agents, as required by law.
**DATES:**
Comments on this notice must be received on or before May 1, 2026.
**ADDRESSES:**
Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of publication of this notice to *www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.* Find this information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Mr. Jeffrey Secrist, Office of Registration, Chief, Registration Division, DOT, FMCSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001; (202) 385-2367; *[email protected].*
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
*Title:* Designation of Agents, Motor Carriers, Brokers and Freight Forwarders. OMB Control Number: 2126-0015.
*Type of Request:* Renewal of a currently approved information collection.
*Respondents:* Motor carriers, freight forwarders and brokers.
*Estimated Number of Respondents:* 110,799.
*Estimated Time per Response:* 10 minutes, or 0.167 hours.
*Expiration Date:* April 30, 2026.
*Frequency of Response:* On occasion. Form BOC-3 must be filed by all motor carriers, freight forwarders, and brokers when the transportation entity first registers with FMCSA. All brokers must make a designation for each State in which it has an office or in which contracts are written. Subsequent filings are made only if the motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder changes process agents or begins operating in a new State.
*Estimated Total Annual Burden:* 18,503.
**Background**
The Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) is authorized to register motor carriers under the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 13902; freight forwarders under the provisions of 49 U.S.C. 13903; and property brokers under provisions of 49 U.S.C. 13904. These persons may conduct transportation services only if they are registered pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 13901. The Secretary delegated authority pertaining to these registration requirements to FMCSA in 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1.87(a)(5).
Registered motor carriers, brokers and freight forwarders must designate an agent on whom service of notices in proceedings before the Secretary may be made (49 U.S.C. 13303). Registered motor carriers must also designate an agent for every State in which they operate and traverse in the United States during such operations, on whom process issued by a court may be served in actions brought against the registered motor carrier (49 U.S.C. 13304, 49 CFR 366.4T). Every broker shall make a designation for each State in which its offices are located or in which contracts are written (49 U.S.C. 13304, § 366.4T). Regulations governing the designation of process agents are found at 49 CFR part 366. This designation is filed with FMCSA on Form BOC-3, “Designation of Agents for Service of Process.” For this renewal, the program's annual burden hours increased from 3,448 to 18,503. This is due to an updated estimate of the number of respondents and responses.
On November 18, 2025, FMCSA published a *Federal Register* notice allowing for a 60-day comment period on this ICR (90 FR 51806). The comment period closed on January 20, 2026. There were no comments submitted in response to that notice.
*Public Comments Invited:* You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information collection, including: (1) whether the proposed collection is necessary for the performance of FMCSA's functions; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways for FMCSA to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of the collected information.
Issued under the authority of 49 CFR 1.87.
David M. Sutula,
Acting Associate Administrator, Office of Research and Registration.