FMCSA responds 2X to ongoing problems with Motus rollout

(An email sent by FreightWaves to FMCSA had not been responded to by publication time).

One of the memos obtained by FreightWaves is a more standard sort of explanation and subtle apology that might be expected from a government agency.

“FMCSA is aware of issues affecting registrants and industry stakeholders following the launch of the Motus registration system,” the memo said. “We recognize that these issues have created challenges for members of the commercial motor vehicle industry who rely on our registration systems.”

It went on to say that “resolving these issues is an absolute priority for the agency.”

FMCSA also said it is setting priorities. The most immediate goals, according to the memo, have “focused resources on addressing issues affecting insurance filings and operating authority status.”

“Customers should begin to see improvements in these areas soon as system updates and corrective actions are implemented,” the memo said. “Changes have already been made to correct the identity verification and first-time login processes.”

Praise from Barrs

A note sent to various trucking “stakeholders” by FMCSA administrator Derek Barrs had a notably different approach.

The Barrs memo doesn’t even make reference to the difficulties being encountered by Motus users until the fourth paragraph.

Before that, Barrs hails the Motus rollout as a “major agency milestone.”

“This is a vital tool for accountability,” Barrs writes. “For too long, bad actors, scammers, and fraudulent brokers have exploited loopholes in our systems, undercutting honest American truckers and compromising safety on our highways.”

Launching Motus was “an extraordinary feat of heavy lifting that involved transferring more than three decades of data across multiple legacy systems to process millions of motor carriers into one unified powerhouse platform,” Barrs writes. “In the first week alone, the system successfully received 120,000 new user applications, processed over 10,000 regulated entity applications, and helped more than 13,000 motor carriers claim their USDOT numbers.”

‘Minor issues’

After that review of the Motus launch, Barrs addresses the industry complaints, which he describes as “minor technical issues.”

“The unprecedented, massive wave of engagement we’ve seen over the last few days proves we are winning this fight, and our engineering teams are on the ground right now, working around the clock,” Barrs said.  FMCSA personnel  are working to “crush” the minor issues,” Barrs said. 

Barrs’ note links to a web page where users can submit a ticket to request help. It appears to be the page that was online prior to Motus. There also is a link to the Motus Resources Hub, which also dates back to before the rollout and its subsequent problems.

“We are incredibly proud of this historic modernization effort and confident that Motus is delivering the secure, efficient, and powerhouse registration experience our industry has earned,” Barrs says.

P. Sean Garney, co-director at Scopelitis Transportation Consulting who has worked with clients navigating the Motus system, said FMCSA had communicated well prior to the launch in instructing users on the main steps to get into the system, such as checking a users’ login.gov credentials and updating their MCS-150 form, also known as the  Motor Carrier Identification Report.

“But there’s a second part, which is about linking your DOT number, and I just thought that communication around that was challenging,” Garney said in an interview with FreighWaves. 

“We had a lot of carriers just trying to get into a system that wouldn’t let them in, or trying to link their DOT number though the system couldn’t identify their email address as being the correct one,” Garney added. “So yeah, we’ve been trying to work with a lot of carriers to help them out. There is just not a lot that we can do.”

An end may not be coming soon

Garney did not express optimism that an end to the problems is near. “I don’t have a good sense that they’re getting any closer to fixing this,” he said. 

He added that he was concerned a break in the normal upcoming schedule for posting Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) scores could mean FMCSA is shifting technical resources over to fixing the issues with Motus, impacting other FMCSA offerings. That could be a sign of the magnitude of the problems Motus is facing.

The early messaging from FMCSA, according to Garney, was “if you absolutely don’t have to interact with this system, meaning you don’t have insurance that’s expiring or you don’t have to update your MCS 150, then wait.”

Stay off it if you don’t need to be on it

But Garney said that message did not continue, which may have driven traffic to the Motus site that didn’t need to be on the system. 

Garney said some of Scopelitils’ clients have told him they’d been on the phone for hours with FMCSA. When he asks what they are trying to do in their interaction with the agency, the response is often some task that does not need to be accomplished now.

“I ask them, is there a reason you need to do that today?” Garney said. “My advice is just that if you don’t have a need to interact with it right now, I would wait. You have to  believe they’re working to fix it.”

Barrs, in his note, said something similar. “If your account is already in good standing and you don’t need to make immediate administrative changes, you can beat the rush by waiting to log in over the coming weeks as the initial excitement levels out,” he said.

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