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| Unified Carrier Registration fees are due May 15 | ||||||||||||||
| 03/24/2008 | ||||||||||||||
 Interstate motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies must pay an annual Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) fee. The 2008 fees are due May 15, 2008. Most states will begin enforcement of UCR fees on June 1. Three steps to paying UCR fees:
Western States Participating in UCR in 2008
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 The Unified Carrier Registration Agreement (UCRA) was slow getting started in 2007, its inaugural year, but it took shape much quicker this year. At a January meeting, the UCR Board of Directors voted to hurry the process for establishing fees for 2008 by simply keeping the same fees charged in 2007 (see UCR Board letter posted on AAMVA Web site). This avoided a lengthy rulemaking for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and allowed the participating states to start collecting fees as early as Spring 2008. The fee structure will again have six brackets ranging from $39 to $37,500. UCRA fee structure for calendar year 2008
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). 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. It wasn’t until late last year that interstate operators received notice about the 2007 fees and many met the November 14 payment deadline. But then the program entered a limbo period between end of 2007 and the time when 2008 fees were established. For a while it was assumed that this year’s fees would be recalculated based on the number of participating states and the total revenue they previously collected (in 2004) from the SSRS. Last year there were 33 participating states and they sought to recover over $101 million in revenue. But this year 41 states are asking for a cut of fees collected and their “entitlement” tops $107 million (see list of states and entitlement amounts). It’s not been reported how much was actually collected in 2007. By re-imposing the 2007 fees, the UCR Board avoided a rulemaking that would assumably seek increased fees for 2008 to compensate the 41 states and possibly make up for any shortfall in 2007 collections. UCRA fee enforcement begins anew in 2008 With the Unified Carrier Registration program getting such a late start in 2007, states were advised to work to educate motor carriers about the UCRA rather than aggressively issue citations for failure to pay fees. When the UCR Board surveyed states during a December 2007 conference call, only 16 of 36 states available on the call said they were ready to impose, or threaten to impose, monetary penalties for failure to pay fees. Interstate operators who did not pay 2007 fees have not escaped that obligation. The UCR Board is encouraging states to take action to enforce the payment of both 2007 and 2008 fees. When states go to collect for this year, they’ll be checking to see if 2007 fees were paid. Further incentives to comply are in the works. For example, it’s reported that the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) may make the timely payment of UCRA fees part of its safety inspection criteria. In the future, failure to pay fees could be an out-of-service violation. Although most states are issuing receipts for payments, no UCRA credential is required to be carried in vehicles. So how will UCRA be enforced? When an interstate operator pays its fees, the base state conveys the information to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration so that it’s noted in the Safety and Fitness Electronic Records (SAFER) system. Roadside enforcement can then verify UCRA payments by accessing SAFER, Query Central, and the Inspection Selection System. Although Oregon is not participating as a base state, it must enforce UCRA requirements. 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. 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. The UCRA replaces the Single State Registration System (SSRS), which since 1991 had been used by 38 states to register for-hire carriers and handle insurance filings. But the UCRA is different in that it does not include insurance requirements. Legislation passed in 2005 preempts states from imposing insurance requirements on interstate carriers and left them only subject to federal requirements in 49 CFR Part 387. Oregon never participated in SSRS and it is not participating in UCRA. It chose not to participate because of issues related to workload and requirements of participating states. According to instructions for implementing UCRA, base states will accept paper registration forms along with various forms of payment and offer over-the-counter service. Oregon would be hardpressed to manage such a registration process, especially if a large number of operators in other states chose Oregon as their base state (California, for example, did not participate in UCRA in 2007 so its interstate operators were looking for a base state). |
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