UCR is the Unified Carrier Registration program. Created by
the Unified Carrier Registration Act of 2005 (UCR Act - 49
United States Code (USC) section 14504a), it is a system for
registering and collecting fees from the operators of vehicles
engaged in interstate travel. It is a state-administered
program, but it is established under federal law. The fees
charged under the UCR program are uniform across all the
participating states and are set by the U.S. Secretary of
Transportation upon the recommendation of the UCR Board, the
governing body of the UCR program. Interstate motor carriers
of nearly every type are subject to UCR, as are interstate
transportation brokers and freight forwarders, and companies
that lease or rent rolling stock to interstate carriers.
Each entity subject to UCR is required to register annually
with its base state and to pay an annual fee.
UCR Registration is based on fleet size and fees are graduated
through a system of six brackets depending on the number of
vehicles. Brokers and leasing companies that operate no
vehicles themselves must still register under the UCR program
at the level that describes the number of vehicles as 0-2. One
annual registration applies to all vehicles that are
registered under one USDOT number.
UCR fees are calculated from the total number of commercial
motor vehicles operated by a carrier. A commercial motor
vehicle is defined as one having a gross vehicle weight rating
(GVWR) of 10,001 pounds or more; designed to transport more
than 15 passengers, including the driver; or transporting
hazardous materials in quantities requiring the vehicle to be
placarded.
The number of commercial motor vehicles for purposes of
determining carrier UCR fees is the number of commercial motor
vehicles the carrier reported in the most recent Form MCS-150
filed with the FMCSA.
The UCR Program requires individuals and companies that
operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate or
international commerce to register with a participating state
and pay an annual fee based on the size of their fleet. This
includes motor carriers, motor private carriers, freight
forwarders, leasing companies and brokers based in the United
States, Canada, Mexico, or any other country that operate
across state lines. It also includes carriers transporting
interstate goods even if their vehicles do not leave the
state. Interstate carriers based in a non-participating state,
still must comply, and a base state is assigned.
It is advisable to use a professional DOT compliance agent
to register under the UCR program to avoid confusions
regarding the participating states and the assignment
thereof. To file through an agent,
click here.
Entities not required to register under the UCR
program include: purely intrastate carriers, that is, those
that do not engage in interstate transportation across state
lines or otherwise operate in interstate commerce.