FMCSA Finalizes UCR Fee Rules for 2018 and 2019

After an almost three month delay, the FMCSA has made a ruling on the new UCR fee structure for 2018 and 2019. The fees are minimally reduced from 2017, and the UCR board will begin receiving registrations with payments on January 5th.

With only a couple days remaining in 2017, the FMCSA submitted their ruling late Friday, Dec. 29, to the Office of the Federal Register, which you can read in detail here. The Final Rule is expected to be published on Friday, Jan. 5th, along with the opening for registration.

The new rule for 2018 marks a 9.1 percent reduction from fees in 2017; there will be a slight increase in 2019, which remains 4.6 percent lower than the fee requirements for last year.

Registration with the DOT UCR program and payment of associated fees are required for all carriers engaged in interstate commerce, as well as brokers, private carriers and freight forwarders.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has stated that it will delay enforcement of the 2018 UCR registration until 90 days following publication of the FMCSA’s Final Rule, extending the deadline for carriers and independent owner-operators to register and pay fees to April 5th.

The fee reduction came as a result of overpayment of revenue to the 41 states participating in the UCR Agreement. The UCR board proposed lowering fees for 2018 in March of last year, but did not settle and publish the rules till five days ago following a lawsuit brought forth by the state of Texas claiming that it was owed funds from the shared revenue. The UCR board opted to finalize the rules and address Texas’ claim later.

Logistec/TTS is currently accepting 2018 applications and will process them as the states begin accepting registrations.

Due to the delayed ruling for fees in 2018 and 2019 and the minor reduction in cost, Logistec/TTS has retained the 2017 pricing for the 2018 period. Some states have also opted to increase their “processing” fees, resulting in a higher overall UCR registration cost for the upcoming year. Considering the delay fee ruling and the increase in several states’ processing cost, Logistec/TTS chose to retain 2017 pricing for the 2018 period. However, beginning in 2019, our UCR fees will reflect the UCR fees established in the ruling.