Glossary
BOC-3 (process agent filing)
Form BOC-3, the Designation of Process Agents, names a person or company in each state who can accept legal documents (a lawsuit, for instance) on the company's behalf. FMCSA will not grant operating authority until a BOC-3 is on file, and carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders all need one.
How it works in practice
Almost nobody appoints fifty individual agents. The filing is almost always made through a "blanket agent" company that maintains process agents in every state and files the form electronically as a single designation. It is a one-time filing that stays in effect until replaced.
What it means for vetting
A BOC-3 on file is table stakes, not a quality signal; every authorized entity has one. Its relevance to a broker is mostly indirect: it is part of why "active operating authority" is meaningful shorthand, since authority cannot have been granted without the insurance and process-agent filings behind it. fleetfax reads the authority status that those filings feed rather than re-displaying the form itself.
Related terms
Operating authority
FMCSA's grant of legal permission to operate for hire: common, contract, or broker. Active, inactive, pending, revoked, and the gaps in between.
USDOT number
The federal registration number every interstate carrier must hold. The primary key of the federal carrier record.
fleetfax reads public FMCSA data and is not affiliated with FMCSA or the U.S. Department of Transportation. This page explains terminology; it is not legal advice.