Why was my MC number revoked?
The most common revocation reasons are: failure of the §385 new-entrant safety audit, lapsed BMC-91 insurance, voluntary deactivation followed by extended inactivity, FMCSA enforcement action for serious safety or operational violations, and §385.13 unsatisfactory safety rating after an FMCSA compliance review.
Lapsed insurance is the dominant revocation trigger. When the carrier's BMC-91 insurance is canceled or non-renewed, the insurer notifies FMCSA, and FMCSA suspends the authority within hours. If the carrier doesn't replace the insurance within the suspension window, the suspension becomes a revocation. Most lapsed-insurance revocations are corrected within a week by reinstating coverage.
New-entrant audit failure is the second-most-common reason. A carrier that fails the audit and doesn't complete the 60-day corrective action plan under §385.319 has their authority revoked. The fix is typically more painful — the carrier has to demonstrate substantive fixes to the §391, §382, §395, and §396 program, not just paperwork updates.
Voluntary deactivation followed by extended inactivity converts to a soft revocation under FMCSA's aging-record cleanup. A carrier that voluntarily deactivates and then waits 24+ months to reactivate often finds the original MC has been retired and a new application is required.
Serious enforcement action — repeat HOS violations, hazmat-incident citations, fraudulent registration — can trigger FMCSA enforcement-driven revocation. These are rarer and typically come with formal notice and an opportunity to be heard before revocation.