Freight broker bond (BMC-84) renewal deadlines
Required of property brokers and freight forwarders operating under FMCSA authority. The bond guarantees payment to motor carriers and shippers when the broker does not pay. Carriers file against the bond directly, which is why a broker with claims on file loses load coverage fast even before the surety acts.
Check your renewal window
Enter the expiry date on the bond and get the whole timeline back — free.
How the renewal runs
This is the one bond in this list that is federal and uniform. Brokers and freight forwarders must keep $75,000 of financial security on file with FMCSA under 49 U.S.C. 13906 — filed either as a BMC-84 surety bond or a BMC-85 trust fund agreement — a level set by MAP-21. The bond is continuous: it stays on file until it is cancelled, so there is no expiry date on the form to key a reminder to. The renewal that matters is the premium invoice.
| Stage | When | What is actually happening |
|---|---|---|
| Re-underwriting | ~90 days before term end | The surety pulls credit and financials again and prices the renewal. A changed credit picture, a new judgment or a bad year shows up here — which is the whole argument for finding out 90 days out rather than 9. |
| Renewal premium due | ~45 days before term end | A continuous bond stays in force on payment. Non-payment is the single most common cause of a cancellation filing, and it is almost always an invoice sent to a stale address rather than a decision. |
| Cancellation notice period | 30 days — federal and uniform for BMC-84: FMCSA revokes the authority 30 days after a surety files cancellation. | A surety cannot simply walk away. It cancels by written notice to FMCSA, and the obligee acts on that notice — the clock is running at the regulator before it is running with you. |
| Term end | The date on the bond | Past this the licence or authority behind the bond is exposed. |
| Reinstatement | After lapse | Generally not a late renewal but a new filing: new bond, new application, penalties, and a rate that reflects the lapse. Budget weeks, not days. |
What a lapse costs
If the surety files a cancellation, FMCSA notifies the broker and revokes the operating authority 30 days later if no replacement security is on file. A revoked MC number means load boards de-list you, carriers stop hauling, and the reinstatement paperwork takes longer than the 30 days you had.
What varies by state
State statute sets nothing about the $75,000 requirement — but the premium you pay for it, the collateral your surety wants, and the state-level broker or transportation-broker requirements layered on top all do. The mechanics above come from the bond instrument and hold everywhere; the figures come from your state and we do not print them here, because a wrong number in this area costs somebody a licence. Confirm them with FMCSA and with the surety that wrote the bond.
Other bond types
Contractor licence bonds · Auto dealer bonds · Notary bonds · Mortgage broker bonds