UCR is called the Unified Carrier Registration. It is due every year for all interstate carriers. If you are an intrastate carrier you may need to register for UCR as well depending on your cargo, weight and which state you operate in. There is only a few states that do not enforce the UCR (Arizona, Hawaii, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Wyoming, and Washington D.C.). If you operate in any other state than the 10 states mentioned above, you will need to see if your company falls under the following category:
-Do you transport property, household goods, or passengers that cross state or national borders at any point in their journey, including before you receive them or after you deliver them? (Example: carrying goods/cargo to a dock or airport, receiving goods/cargo from a dock or airport).
- Yes: You are required to file
- No: You are not required to file. This is only if you have not and will not be receiving or delivering cargo/passengers/household goods that has at any point crossed state lines.
If your company has vehicles that are 10k lbs or less then those vehicles are not counted towards your UCR registration. HOWEVER, carriers must still register and pay the UCR at the lowest tier (0-2 trucks).
All freight forwarders, freight brokers, and leasing companies are required to pay a UCR fee at the lowest tier (0-2 trucks). However, if your company also operates as a trucking company, you will be required to register as a motor carrier and file for the amount of trucks your company has operating.
If you have already filed your UCR and have added or removed trucks since filing, you will not have to do another filing, as long as the trucks at the time of filing was the correct amount.
The UCR registration opens up in October of every year and enforcement for it starts January 1st.
Carriers who have not filed will be restricted from certain filings. You will not be able to complete your Kentucky KYU, New Mexico WDT or New York HUT. If you are stopped you can be put OOS and also issued a fine. Your base state can put a hold on renewal for your CAB or your IFTA. To avoid any fines and holds, make sure you file by December 31st every year.
If you have added or removed trucks in the current year, you may need to file an MCS-150 in order to have your trucks match your number of trucks between both filings. Failing to have the same number of trucks listed on both filings may cause an audit for your company, especially if the difference between both filings is significant.
UCR fees go towards the roads, weight stations, and agricultural officers.