UCRA Fees Would More Than Double Under 2010 FMCSA Proposal MTA Committees

Article Courtesy of MTA

For the past two years interstate companies that are registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation have been paying Unified Carrier Registration Agreement (UCRA) fees based on their number of vehicles (including trailers). Earlier this year, the UCRA Board of Directors agreed to eliminate trailers from the vehicle count when calculating the fees a company owes. However, approximately two weeks ago, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published the proposed fee schedule for 2010. The new schedule would more than double the fees over previous years. Below is a summary comparing the current schedule with the proposed fees for 2010.

# of Vehicles Current UCRA Fees 2010 Proposed UCRA Fees

(includes trailers) (excludes trailers)

0 - 2 $ 39 $ 87
3 - 5 $ 116 $ 258
6 - 20 $ 231 $ 514
21 - 100 $ 806 $ 1,793

101 - 1,000 $ 3,840 $ 8,541
1,001 + $ 37,500 $83,412

FMCSA Grants 10-day Comment Period Extension for UCRA Proposal

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has extended the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement fee increase proposal comment period until September 28. Interested parties wishing to file comments may do so at www.regulations.gov (where they can view other comments) or by fax at (202) 493-2251. Comments should be identified by docket number FMCSA-2009-0231 and/or RIN 2126-AB19.

Permit Phone-in Application Service Ends Nov. 1

Article courtesy of MTA The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) Office of Commercial Vehicle Operations will discontinue accepting applications for oversize and overweight permits by phone effective Nov. 1, 2009. Mn/DOT's RouteBuilder online permitting program is available 24/7/365 and allows customers to control when and how they order permits. Many times they receive their permit faster since most routine permits can be issued automatically without intervention by our staff. If customers cannot or choose not to use our online program they can still order permits by fax, mail, in person or through a 3rd-party permit service. Mn/DOT will still handle phone calls for questions regarding permit procedures or from those having technical issues; they just won't accept applications for new permits or revisions by phone. For additional information, visit Mn/DOT's Web site at www.dot.state.mn.us/cvo/oversize/oversize.html