FMCSA’s Elison: ‘weeks’ away from fixing Motus user experience

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) administrator Jesse Elison has stated that fixing the user front-end experience for the Motus system, a federal registration system, will be completed within "weeks." The rollout of Motus has been criticized as "bordering on disastrous," and Elison acknowledged that behind the scenes, significant attention is being given to timelines and schedules.

However, he added that the back end of Motus, which will require ongoing efforts to become fully operational, is expected to take "some time." Despite early confidence in the launch on May 14, Elison admitted that the following weeks were challenging as the system was not functioning as intended. He further highlighted that FMCSA, under the direction of Administrator Derek Barrs, has taken a more aggressive approach in addressing the Motus issue compared to previous administrations.

Motus's user experience needs to be seamless and reliable for industry users, and Elison asserted that FMCSA will achieve this goal. The recent policy change includes a temporary suspension of enforcing biennial registration updates and deactivating Department of Transportation numbers for carriers that failed to meet the requirement after June 1.

Elison emphasized that addressing Motus's registration system is crucial to combatting freight fraud, as it serves as a vital entry point for those engaged in such activities.