FMCSA Plans to Reduce Annual Carrier Registration Fees
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced a proposed rule to reduce annual motor carrier, broker, freight forwarder and leasing company registration fees by 9.10% in 2018, and by 4.55% in 2019, below current levels.
The reduction will range from approximately $7 to $6,700 per entity in the first year, and from about $3 to $3,400 per entity in subsequent years, depending on the number of vehicles owned and/or operated by the affected entities.
The proposal, published in the Federal Register on Sept. 21, followed a recommendation by the Unified Carrier Registration Plan board to the Department of Transportation in March after total revenues collected in 2016 exceeded for the first time the total revenue entitlements of $107.78 million distributed to the 41 participating states, plus $5 million established for administrative costs to operate the plan.
The Unified Carrier Registration program is a federally mandated, annual state-administered program for registering and collecting fees from operators of vehicles engaged in interstate travel. It requires motor carriers, motor private carriers, freight forwarders, leasing companies and brokers based in the United States, Canada, and Mexico to pay fees through their base states on behalf of all participating states.
Federal regulations require FMCSA to reduce the fees for all motor carrier entities in the year following any year in which the depository retains any funds in excess of the amount necessary to satisfy the revenue entitlements of the participating states and the UCR plan’s administrative costs.
In 2018, the graduated pay fee scale ranges from a drop to $69 from $76 in 2010-17 for carriers with up to two trucks and brokers, while carriers with $1,001 and above trucks would decline to $66,597 from $73,346 paid the past seven years.
The 2019 numbers would rise slightly over 2018 but still be 4.55% below current levels. In 2019, carriers with up to two trucks and brokers would pay $73, while carriers with 1,001 or more trucks would pay $69,971.
FMCSA said it will accept comments for 10 days after the publication date and could change this proposed rule based on the comments. “FMCSA may issue a final rule at any time after the close of the comment period,” the announcement said.
