Questions and answers about the Unified Carrier Registration Program
Who needs to sign up for the Unified Carrier Registration Program (UCR)?
Any motor carrier that operates in interstate or international commerce needs to sign up for the UCR. This includes many businesses that aren’t subject to the old Single State Registration System (SSRS), including:
- Private carriers
- Exempt carriers
- Regulated carriers that did not travel into SSRS states
- Brokers
- Freight forwarders
- Leasing companies
Carriers based in Canada and Mexico that operate in the United States are subject to UCR.
Do I need to carry a credential of compliance in the truck?
No. You’re not required to carry any proof of compliance in the vehicle. You can carry the receipt for payment of the fees if you choose.
I am out of business and don’t need a USDOT number anymore. Should I file the UCR form?
No. Follow these steps instead.
- Fill out items 1-16 of a new MCS-150 Form,
- Check the Out-of-Business box at the top of the form
- Sign and mail the form to:
FMCSA
Attn: USDOT Number Application
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20590.
What if I add more vehicles throughout the registration year?
“Supplemental” applications aren’t required under the UCR. Vehicles you add during the year are paid for during the following registration year.
Pay your UCR fees to reflect the number of CMVs you operated in the last reported MCS-150 Form or in the preceding 12-month period.
Indicate which criteria you use under Section four of the UCR application.
How does a driveaway or towaway operation fall under the fee structure? This refers to no owned or leased CMVs.
Since this operation type doesn’t own or lease any commercial motor vehicles, they have 0 vehicles to report and pay $76.
Does an intrastate-only transporter of hazardous materials (regulated by USDOT) need a UCR?
No
Does a motor carrier who operates only within a commercial zone transporting interstate freight need to file under the UCR?
Yes
Does a motor carrier who transports interstate property previously exempt from FMCSA need to file under the UCR?
Yes
What is a freight forwarder?
The term “freight forwarder” means a person offers services to the general public to provide transportation of property for compensation in the ordinary course of its business — other than as a pipeline, rail, motor, or water carrier, and
(A) Assembles and consolidates, or provides for assembling and consolidating, shipments and performs or provides for break-bulk and distribution operations of the shipments
(B) Assumes responsibility for the transportation from the place of receipt to the place of destination; and
(C) Uses for any part of the transportation a carrier subject to jurisdiction under this subtitle.
The term does not include a person using transportation of an air carrier subject to part A of subtitle VII.
What is a broker?
The term “broker” means a person, other than a motor carrier or an employee or agent of a motor carrier, that as a principal or agent provides for, arranges for, or sells transportation by motor carrier for compensation. They may also do one or more of the following to transportation services to the public:
- Sell
- Offer for sale
- Negotiate
- Hold itself out by solicitation
- Advertise
What is a leasing company?
The term ‘leasing company’ means a lessor that is engaged in the business of leasing or renting for compensation, motor vehicles without drivers to one or more of the following:
- Motor carrier
- Motor private carrier
- Freight forwarder.
What is an e-check?
An e-check allows customers to present payment with a bank account and routing number for electronic payments. No special account or process is needed.
How does a company correct the information previously submitted on an MCS 150 form with FMCSA?
Visit FMCSA's Web site and update the system using their previously assigned pin number or print the MCS-150 form and submit to their base state or with FMCSA.
If a carrier is operating only in non-participating states, are they required to file under the UCR Agreement?
Yes.
Are carriers who register their intrastate vehicles in UCR subject to other state fees?
No.
A seasonal carrier owns no vehicles but leases 25 commercial motor vehicles from Ryder for a 10-day period, 6 trucks for a 10-day period and 25 trucks for a 10-day period. Since each lease period is less than 30 days, would the carrier fall in the 0-2 category and pay $76.
Yes.
What is an interim DOT number?
An interim DOT number is a number assigned to the motor carrier while the application for authority is processed.
What is a registrant DOT number?
A registrant is an owner or entity who purchases pro-rate license plates for his vehicle in his own name or company name. A registrant is not a motor carrier.
I have received forms and instructions from my base state. Am I required to send the information back to them or can I use the Indiana system instead?
Anyone required to file under UCR may use the national web-based system hosted by Indiana. When you go into the system and your physical address is located in a participating state, the system will treat this application as if it is filed in your base state.
Information and monies are shared with that state on a monthly basis. To ensure that the base state is properly selected and receives your fees, please verify that your physical address is correct before you complete your application.
If your company is not located in a participating state, the system will ask you to make a base state selection.
What happens if I don’t register under UCR?
Enforcement officials across the nation may detain vehicles operated in interstate commerce and subject them to enforcement action. States can also conduct audits to make sure proper fees are paid. The type of enforcement action depends on each individual state.
Is John Doe operating as a motor carrier doing business as John’s Trucking and as a broker under the dba John’s Broker Service required to register twice under the UCR Agreement? Once as a motor carrier and again as a broker? Is the same true for a corporation such as JD, Inc., operating as a motor carrier and doing business as JD Trucking and as a broker under the dba JD Brokerage?
In both instances, there is a single sole proprietor and a single corporation. That entity registers only one time.
Does a person operating two separate legal entities (a motor carrier and a broker) need to register twice under the UCR Agreement? Once as a motor carrier and again as a broker?
Yes.
I am confused by the various definitions of commercial motor vehicle and how they relate to the UCR Agreement. Would you please explain the differences?
There are 2 definitions of a commercial motor vehicle that apply to the UCR Agreement.
The first definition determines whether the company files a UCR application due to the change in the federal definition of a motor carrier or motor private carrier.
The second definition of a commercial motor vehicle used under UCR is taken from section 31101 for the payment of fees. These two definitions are the same for freight operations and transporting hazardous materials but differ for passenger operations.
These definitions reference the transportation of property and passengers using a commercial motor vehicle as defined under section 31132.
Section 31132 is designed or used to transport:
- More than eight passengers, (including the driver, for compensation
- More than 15 passengers, including the driver not or compensation.
Section 31101 is designed or used to transport more than 10 passengers.
The difference in the number of passengers may mean that a company needs to file a UCR application but may not have any vehicles to report and pays the lower tier fee.
Are companies that operate fire trucks and other emergency vehicle as part of their business subject to the UCR Agreement?
No.
I own a household goods moving company that provides intrastate transportation under authority from my state and provides interstate transportation under an agreement with a national van line. Under that agreement, the national van line trip leases my commercial motor vehicle(s) for each interstate move. Does my company need to register in the UCR Agreement?
No. However, the national van line that leases your commercial motor vehicles needs to register.
Does a towable forklift weighing 13,000 pounds need to register for UCR?
Yes. The definition of a commercial motor vehicle is a towed vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of at least 10,001 pounds.
Is there any specific language concerning school bus operations and when they are included as part of a carrier’s UCR registration?
If the company that provides school bus operation is within the definition of a motor carrier or motor private carrier in interstate commerce and the passenger capacity is within the definition of a commercial motor vehicle, the school bus operations are reported under the UCR program.
Are all auto drive-away companies handled the same?
All drive-away operations in interstate commerce require the person or company to file an UCR application and pay the fees in the lowest category.
The vehicles being hauled or driven to purchasers are their freight rather than the vehicles they operate and are not considered when choosing the payment category.
A company operates vehicles owned by the Department of Energy. The company has its own USDOT number as a private carrier and provides the drivers for the vehicles. There is no lease agreement, and the vehicles have no markings other than a U.S. Government license plate. The vehicles are operated across state lines but don’t stop at weight stations. Do they register under UCR? What fee bracket do they fall into?
The company is treated as a drive-away operation and files a UCR application. The fee bracket is the lowest fee category.
A carrier has a contract with the government to haul mail from New Hampshire to Massachusetts. Is he exempt from filing UCR?
No.
Does a carrier using a van to haul hazardous materials need to file under the UCR program no matter what the weight of the vehicle?
Yes.
Under a long-term lease, who files the UCR application and counts the number of commercial motor vehicles, the leasing company that has dealer plates or the motor carrier?
The motor carrier.
What is the Unified Carrier Registration Plan and Agreement?
The Unified Carried Registration (UCR) Plan and Agreement are part of a federally mandated, state-administered program.
Under this program, states collect fees from the following businesses based on the number of qualifying commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in their fleets:
- Motor carriers
- Motor private carriers
- Freight forwarders
- Brokers
- Leasing companies
Why were the fees lowered from the NPRM to the final rule?
The fees were adjusted in response to public comments FMCSA received after the issuance of the NPRM. The adjustment was made primarily from a change in the bracket shift factor. In the NPRM, FMCSA considered a bracket shift factor of 25% to account for departures from the expected number of CMVs used to determine the applicable fees.
The final rule used a 15% bracket shift factor. The result is a downward adjustment in fees proposed in the NPRM, although the fees increased in each fee bracket (compared to the previous fees) in order to obtain full funding for the participating states.
Why did the fee take so long to be approved?
FMCSA received numerous comments for and against the proposed adjustment were submitted that were considered by the agency. The comment period was extended to ensure that both states and industry interests had an opportunity to submit their views.
Additionally, the UCR rule was deemed as “significant,” meaning that the final rule had to undergo additional review by both the Secretary of Transportation and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and Budget.
What do states do with the UCR revenue?
The revenue generated from this program is to be used for CMV safety and enforcement initiatives as well as administration of the UCR program.
