General Information

What is UCR?

The unified carrier registration program is a federal mandate designed to fund state highway motor carrier registration and safety programs. The federal program creates funds for state programs by charging interstate and international motor carriers an annual registration fee based on the size of their fleet. Any individual or company that makes arrangements for interstate or international shipments (including freight brokers and forwarders) are subject to the UCR fee, and these annual fees provide funds for the state programs. 

Who needs UCR?

Any person or company that operates commercial motor vehicles in interstate or international commerce must register their business with a participating state and pay an annual fee based on the size of their fleet. Motor carriers, brokers, leasing companies, or freight forwarders must register if they operate a commercial vehicle across interstate lines.

If you did not file in a previous year, yet you were operating commercial vehicles involved in interstate travel, you are still required to pay registration fees for that year to avoid issues with UCR enforcement in the coming year. 

Does the type of vehicle matter?

Motor vehicles that require unified carrier registration:

• Cargo vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or greater
• Passenger vehicles designed to carry more than 10 passengers (including driver)
• Any vehicle that transports hazardous materials in quantities requiring placarding under federal regulations

The UCR Process

If an individual or company is involved in interstate shipping they are required to pay the annual UCR fee in their base state. If their state of primary residence is not a UCR participating state, the individual or company is still required to pay the UCR fee but must do so in a participating state. The UCR fee is based on the number of motor vehicles in the fleet and the larger the fleet, the higher the fee. 

More on Participating States

UCR is a base state program and this means that operators must file in their state of primary residence. However, not all states participate in UCR and this is a common source of confusion for operators. If a company needs UCR but resides in a non-participating state, they must file in a neighboring participating state. There are nine states plus the District of Columbia that are not participants of the UCR program. These states are Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Wyoming. In these cases, a company involved in interstate or international shipping must file their UCR through another state. 

The Cost

Number Of Trucks	Fee Bracket	Total Fee With Royalty Speed
0-2	$37	$191
3-5	$111	$271
6-20	$221	$392

UCR requires annual filing and is not a one-time registration. Brokers and leasing companies are only required to pay the minimum registration fee. However, the registration fee for carriers depends on the amount of vehicles in the company’s fleet. Again, the more vehicles, the higher the fee.

It is important to note that if a motor carrier is caught crossing state lines without UCR, law enforcement could detain the vehicle. It is also possible to be fined and penalized for not filing the UCR. The fine amount depends on the state, however the range for first time offenders is from $100 to $5000. 

This website is not affiliated with the Unified Carrier Registration Plan. This website is operated by a private company that provides a private registration service for an additional fee. You are not required to use this site to register with the UCR Plan. You may register directly with the UCR Plan at www.ucr.gov.

Review

All interstate carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies need UCR, an annual registration fee. If the vehicle is only involved in intrastate shipping, they do not need UCR. Individuals and companies who make arrangements for the shipment of goods, such as brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies are subject to the UCR fee even if they only travel through non-participating states.

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