Next Phase of URS on Schedule, FMCSA Says
This story appears in the April 11 print edition of Transport Topics.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The next phase of the federal government’s streamlined online registration process for truckers, brokers and equipment providers remains on schedule for this fall, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The unified registration system, which combines multiple existing reporting forms into a single “smart form” that consolidates the registration and renewal process, is poised to begin its second phase Sept. 30, Jeff Loftus, URS team leader at FMCSA, said at the Mid-America Trucking Show.
On Sept. 30, the agency plans to make the URS number the sole identifier for commercial vehicles. Also, new and updated registrations will be completed through URS, and paper forms will no longer be accepted.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: 2016 Mid-America Trucking Show
“This portal is really a way to see what information FMCSA has on me, with regards to past inspections, past crashes. Those kinds of things,” said Loftus, who led a workshop on March 31. “We want to make sure we got the most accurate information on your operation — the number of power units, the number of vehicles — because we use that data in our assessment of risk.”
Entities under FMCSA’s regulatory jurisdiction must comply with the new system’s requirements. The entities include carriers, intermodal equipment providers, hazardous materials safety permit holders, brokers and cargo tank facilities. In December, FMCSA launched URS’ initial phase as a way to combine forms of registration.
“URS will enable FMCSA to more readily identify unfit carriers and detect unsafe truck and bus companies seeking to evade agency enforcement actions, including civil penalties, by attempting to regain USDOT registration by registering as a purported different, unrelated business entity,” the agency said.
FMCSA acting Administrator Scott Darling attended Loftus’ workshop at MATS. In an interview with Transport Topics, Darling stressed URS’ aim to improve safety industrywide.
The acting administrator also noted his visit to the trucking show afforded him quality one-on-one time with drivers.
“Truckers I’ve talked to are appreciative that I’m out here, that I’m working with the industry, because it’s going to take all of us to make sure that we have safe roads to make sure that the goods that are loaded at a warehouse make it to the shelves, or the passenger who’s picked up at a bus depot gets to his destination,” Darling said.
Loftus and other FMCSA staffers participated in several presentations at MATS. The agency also met with attendees at a booth in the West Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center.
This marked Darling’s second visit to the annual trucking expo in his role as agency leader. Darling is awaiting a vote in the U.S. Senate on his confirmation to become FMCSA administrator.
While he awaits confirmation, Darling said he intends to continue leading FMCSA status quo. He served as the agency’s general counsel prior to becoming acting administrator.
