In The News

FMCSA finally sets 2010 UCR fees

With nearly four months of 2010 gone by, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has unveiled the 2010 fees for the Unified Carrier Registration program.

In a notice published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, April 27, FMCSA set the 2010 fees lower than the amounts recommended by the UCR Board.

The following will be the fees for 2010:

0-2 trucks                    $76 3-5 trucks                    $227 6-20 trucks                   $452 21-100 trucks                $1,576 101-1,000 trucks           $7,511 1,001 and above            $73,346
The fees are based on the number of trucks in the fleet, and trailers do not count. Brokers and leasing companies will pay $76.

The fees set by FMCSA are lower than the ones proposed by the UCR Board. For example, the Board proposed to set the fee for up to two trucks at $83.

The fees proposed accounted for “bracket shifting” – motor carriers that move from one category to a lower-paying category because of downsizing etc. That shifting has resulted in a 25 percent loss in revenue in past years.

Agency officials chose to reduce the fees in hopes of only helping to offset 15 percent of the revenue lost as a result of bracket shifting.

Motor carriers can begin filing UCR fees on May 3.

Editor’s note: The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association can assist members with questions on the program and filing their UCR fees.

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