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| Unified Carrier Registration fees may increase in 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 09/29/2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has initiated a rulemaking calling for a substantial increase in Unified Carrier Registration Agreement (UCRA) fees next year. The rulemaking public comment period ended in September and now it's not known when the FMCSA will announce a conclusion. Interstate operators expect to learn the outcome of the proceeding sometime before the end of this year. Ideally they need time to pay the 2010 fees prior to sending trucks out January 1.
One significant change in the 2010 fee structure is that it's based on an interstate operator's commercial motor vehicle (CMV) power units only. Trailers were counted in past years, but are now eliminated from the definition of CMV. This will reduce many motor carriers' fleet sizes, causing some to pay annual fees at a lower bracket. Read Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Docket No. FMCSA-2009-0231. To view comments and other documents related to this rulemaking, go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Federal Docket Management System site: http://www.regulations.gov. Put the Docket ID Number "FMCSA—2009—0231" in the "Enter Keyword or ID" box and click the "Search" button. Scroll down to view documents related to the docket, including one link to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.  The UCRA program requires that all motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies who operate in interstate or international commerce must pay an annual fee. This even applies to farmers operating in interstate commerce with vehicles over 10,000 lbs. (View a Guide to What is Interstate Commerce?) UCRA fees have fallen short of targets for each of the past three years. In February 2009, the UCRA Revenues and Fees Subcommittee reported that $74 million was collected in 2007 when the 33 participating states had set a target of $107 million. A total of $75 million was collected in 2008 and $67 million in 2009 when 41 participating states had set a target of $113 million for each of those years. The target revenue for 2010 is again projected to be $113 million (see Table 5 list of states and revenue entitlements on pages 45587 and 45588 of Notice of Proposed Rulemaking). Early this year when the American Trucking Associations learned about possible fee increases, it called for eliminating UCRA and replacing it with direct federal payments to states through the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program. In a February 20, 2009, letter to 50 state governors, ATA President Bill Graves noted that a fraction of a cent increase in fuel taxes would produce the millions that the UCRA states need to fund their motor carrier programs. According to ATA, any increase in UCRA fees would merely punish carriers that pay their fees in order to offset losses from carriers that don't pay fees. Background The Unified Carrier Registration Agreement is a base-state system for registering interstate motor carriers with vehicles over 10,000 lbs., including private, for-hire, and exempt carriers, farmers operating in interstate commerce, and brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies. All of these operators must pay annual registration fees that fund state motor carrier safety programs, enforcement, and UCR administration. UCR fees may only be used to support motor carrier safety and enforcement programs, or pay for UCR administration. The program is designed for states that need to replace revenue they formerly collected under the Single State Registration System (SSRS), which since 1991 had been used by 38 states to register for-hire carriers and handle insurance filings. Oregon never participated in SSRS and it’s not participating in UCRA. Oregon-based interstate operators must select another Western state and pay their fees to it, or pay online at ucr.in.gov. Regarding Enforcement Oregon is one of several states that is not participating in the program in terms of acting as a base state and collecting fees. But Oregon and every other state must enforce UCR requirements. Failure to have current UCR registration is a violation of FMCSR Part 392.2, a provision requiring that every commercial motor vehicle must be operated in accordance with the laws, ordinances, and regulations of the jurisdiction in which it is being operated. Oregon law, ORS 825.104, was changed in the 2007 legislative session to require interstate for-hire and private carriers to comply with any requirements related to the program. In 2008, Oregon enforcement officers issued warnings for violating that statute. In 2009, they started issuing citations with a $427 fine. The fine went up to $472 as of October 1 when Oregon added an offense surcharge to all violations except parking violations. Note: The Oregon Department of Transportation receives no part of the fines collected through citations. Fines paid by motor carriers and truck drivers are split between circuit courts, justice courts, or municipal courts and various law enforcement agencies, along with a unitary assessment that goes to the Oregon Department of Revenue and a county assessment that goes to county treasuries.  Oregon enforcement officers are instructed to first ask if the driver is carrying a receipt proving that fees were paid. But since the program does not require that trucks carry paperwork, officers will verify that interstate operators have paid fees by accessing the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records System (SAFER) Web site.  The SAFER site is available to anyone who wants to look up public information about interstate operators. On the SAFER home page, scroll to the bottom and click on the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) link to start the inquiry by entering a USDOT Number, MC/MX Number, or Freight Forwarder Number.  Click on Search to open an information screen with fields for "Registration Fee Paid" and "Registration Year." In the example shown here, the fields have a "Y" and "2008" indicating the operator has paid UCR fees for 2008. (If the USDOT Number is not known, SAFER offers the ability to query a SAFER Company Snapshot by using the interstate operator's name.) Three steps to paying UCR fees:
Western States Participating in UCR in 2009
Alaska Department of Transportation — Commercial Vehicle Customer Service 11900 Industry Way, Building M, Suite 2, Anchorage AK 99515 907-365-1200 FAX 907-365-1221 Pay by: Cash, Check, Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Funds California Department of Motor Vehicles — Motor Carrier Permit Branch / Operations Unit P.O. Box 932370, Mail Station G875, Sacramento CA 94232-3700 916-657-8153 FAX 916-657-6803 Pay by: Cash, Check, Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Funds Colorado Public Utilities Commission 1560 Broadway, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80202 303-894-2000 select 4 FAX 303-894-2071 Payment options: Cash, Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Funds Idaho Transportation Department Commercial Vehicle Services - Motor Carrier PO Box 7129, Boise, ID 83707-1129 208-334-8611 FAX 208-334-2006 Payment options: Check, Cash, Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Funds Montana Department of Transportation PO Box 4639, Helena, MT 59604-4639 406-444-2998 FAX 406-444-0800 Payment options: Check, Cash, Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Funds New Mexico Public Regulation Commission/Transportation Division PO Box 1269, Sante Fe, NM 87504-1269 505-827-4519 FAX 505-476-0324 Payment options: Cash, Money Order, Certified Funds North Dakota Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division 608 East Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck, ND 58505-0780 701-328-2725, select 2 FAX 701-328-3500 Payment options: Check, Cash, Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Funds South Dakota Department of Revenue & Regulation Division of Motor Vehicles-UCR Program 445 East Capitol Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501-3185 605-773-3314 FAX 605-773-4117 Payment options: Check, Cash, Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Funds Utah Department of Transportation Motor Carrier Division 4501 S., 2700 West, PO Box 148240, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-8240 801-965-3871 FAX 801-965-4265 Payment options: Check, Cash, Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Funds Washington Utilities & Transportation Commission Licensing Services PO Box 47250, Olympia, WA 98504-7250 360-664-1222 FAX 360-586-1181 Payment options: Check, Cash, Credit Card, Money Order, Certified Funds |
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