Motor Passenger Carrier Authority – 8 Things To Know About It In 2022
Before you understand motor passenger carrier authority, you must know what a motor passenger carrier is. It is a car or a road motor vehicle that is not a motorcycle or a moped. It is intended for the carriage of passengers. It is designed to seat at least 9 passengers and that includes the driver as well. You must also know what a passenger motor vehicle is. This is a motor vehicle that is designed to carry 12 individuals and it is not a motorcycle or a truck that is not designed to carry the operator or passengers.
What Is A Motor Passenger Carrier Authority?
If you are a motor carrier company or an individual working in the transport and logistics sector, and if you operate any commercial motor vehicles that are designed or constructed for the purpose of transporting 9 passengers or more and that should include the driver for interstate commerce and related activities, it should be registered with the federal motor carrier safety administration. It must also have a USDOT number.
The FMCSA is going to issue you a motor carrier passenger authority that will enable you to perform all your business-related functions across interstate borders. You must fulfill certain requirements to obtain your authority.
Who Needs Motor Passenger Carrier Authority?
If you own and drive a vehicle that is designed or being used to transport 16 passengers or more and if that includes the driver, you will be required to obtain a motor passenger carrier authority.
Why Is It Required?
The federal motor carrier safety administration has certain safety regulatory norms and practices. These are the most basic requirements that every vehicle operator must fulfill. Whether you are a commercial van or for-hire operator of any small passenger vehicles, and if you engage in interstate commerce, you will be subject to these regulatory requirements throughout the year. Whenever your vehicles are on the highways and involved in interstate commerce and transporting passengers for compensation, the specific safety regulations that are applicable to your vehicle will kick in. You will have to obtain your authority if you want to keep on performing your daily business activities without any hindrances or interruptions.
How Much Does Motor Passenger Carrier Authority Cost?
The cost for any individual operating authority that you require depends upon the functions that you perform during the course of your normal business activities. Yes, for each operating authority that you require you will have to pay a fee. For example, if you request for a passenger authority and in addition to that household goods authority, you will have to pay a double fees.
How To Apply For Motor Passenger Carrier Authority?
Applying for your motor passenger carrier authority is very simple but it can be simplified even further if you have associated with a trustworthy and experienced third-party administrator. These third-party administrators or service agents as a lot of people call them are very efficient in what they do. They know what it takes to keep you compliant with the rules and regulations laid down by the federal motor carrier safety administration and the department of transportation.
Other than this, you can follow the manual procedure which is a little more complicated and may take up a lot of your time. You can fill up the form OP-1 (P) and follow the instructions given on it for the application of your motor passenger carrier authority.
Remember that these OP series forms are now used for additional authorities only. You cannot use them for any initial registration with the FMCSA. If you are a first-time applicant, you must use the unified registration system.
Can I Operate Without Motor Passenger Carrier Authority?
Before you begin your interstate operations in the US, you must obtain your operating authority. If you are authorized to perform for hire duties and if you are a carrier of non-exempt property and passengers, in addition to being a broker or freight forwarder and are based in the US or Canada, you have to obtain operating authority. You will be required to submit the appropriate forms in the OP-1 series for this purpose. If you are a carrier and if you operate only within the state of Hawaii, then you are not required to obtain any operating authority. If you are a Mexico-based motor carrier, there are different forms and requirements for you which you must go through on the FMCSA website. In addition to your operating authority as a motor passenger carrier, you must obtain a USDOT number as well. Without that, you will not be able to begin your interstate operations.
What Are The Steps To Getting Your Motor Passenger Carrier Authority?
The most common way to apply for the motor passenger carrier authority is through the internet. You must have a valid credit card such as American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa. If you do not wish to submit your credit card information on the internet, you can complete the application and also make the payment by mail. You can go to the FMCSA website and follow the registration process step by step. You will have to go through the registration guide to understand the entire procedure and then perform every step according to the instructions. You can contact dotservice.com for hassle free Motor Passenger Carrier Authority.
There will be a series of questions that you will have to answer and based upon those answers, the registration guide will recommend you the required registration forms that you should fill out. It is going to take a considerable amount of time and effort on your part. This is why it is highly recommended to associate with a third-party administrator or a service agent. This way, you don’t have to do anything at all which means you end up saving a lot of your time. If you have decided to apply through the mail for your motor passenger carrier authority, it is going to take an additional processing time of about 2 to 3 weeks.
What Is An OP-1 Form?
In simple words, you are going to require the OP-1 form to apply for your motor passenger carrier authority.
Conclusion
It is highly recommended that you get in touch with a dependable and proficient third-party administrator or a service agent you can rely on. It is in your best interest because they will be able to keep you compliant throughout the year without you having to spend any time or resources on these legalities, formalities, paperwork, and complicated documentation. It just makes a lot of sense and your life a lot easier.