WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have approved a 25% increase in fees collected by states from motor carriers, brokers and leasing companies that are used to pay for state highway safety programs.
The fee increase in the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan for the 2025 registration year, announced on Friday by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, amounts to approximately $9 to $9,000 more per year that carriers will pay, depending on the size of their fleet (see table). The fee per entity for a broker or leasing company is $46.
“The agency notes the rare occurrence of this upward adjustment, which has only previously occurred once, over a decade ago,” FMCSA stated in a final rule approving the increase.
“This upward adjustment … follows two years of reductions in fees affecting the 2023 and 2024 registration years, averaging a 37.3 percent decrease in fees, as well as steady, unmodified collections from 2010 to 2017. The agency believes this recalibration of fees is reasonable and in accordance with the structure of, and obligations created by, the statute.”
| Power units | 2024 fee | 2025 fee | $ change | % change |
| 0-2 | $37 | $46 | $9 | +24.3 |
| 3-5 | $111 | $138 | $27 | +24.3 |
| 6-20 | $221 | $276 | $55 | +24.9 |
| 21-100 | $769 | $963 | $194 | +25.2 |
| 101-1,000 | $3,670 | $4,592 | $922 | +25.1 |
| 1,001+ | $35,836 | $44,836 | $9,000 | +25.1 |
The UCR, and the 41 states that participate in the agreement, establish and collect fees that can be used at the discretion of the individual states, but are typically used for truck safety programs, enforcement, and administering the UCR.
After FMCSA proposed the fee increase in January – based on a recommendation from UCR Plan administrators – it received 66 comments, many of whom considered the fees to be unwarranted and believed the UCR Plan should be adjusting its own budget and spending instead.
“To FMCSA’s knowledge, the UCR Plan has operated within its approved budget and in recent years has steadily decreased registration fees,” the agency responded.
“In fact, this is the first upward adjustment since 2010. The UCR Plan’s approved allocation for the costs of administration of the Plan and Agreement over the last several years decreased from $5 million per year and is now at $4.25 million. For these reasons, FMCSA declines to modify the final rule in response to the commenters’ suggested changes.”
The total state funding entitlement under the UCR program has been set at approximately $108 million for 2025. The program collects this amount in the form of UCR fees from transportation businesses and then distributes the respective entitlement to each participating state. Those entitlements range from $7.5 million for Michigan to $372,007 for North Carolina, according to UCR Plan documents.
Related articles:
- FMCSA plans to cut carrier highway safety fees by 27%
- FMCSA approves registration fee reduction for 2020-21
- FMCSA calls out sham towing fees charged to truckers
Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.
Cynthia Binder
Accounting audit all the ….
The load of imbalances is 🔍🔎🔮.
Let’s see who’s still here .
James Hertins
Of course! You’ve killed of American energy, why not transportation also! Treasonous Bastards!
Stoney Sutton
This is sad day to hear this feeling hike will cut nearly all contractors out of business….. question, why put on a 25%fee hike when there is no freight now to run …. this really do not make any business since to raise fee with low freight rates and no sound stability in the FMCSA agency
Gregory Williams
All drivers pay attention, why don’t you strike ! Everyone just stop driving, let’s give this country a wake up call , it’s been time for better pay and better conditions in trucking ( nothing has changed since the Great Depression and ww2 pay for truckers, we got people who never drove a truck regulating trucking ! How preposterous is that ( next president when ever who ever with hold your vote ) until they bring up something about truckers ( we should have done it when it was Covid -19 ) fuel haulers take note , nothing does move unless we deliver it ( you hold the power ) they ain’t got enough electric trucks or hazmat drivers quick enough if you strike ! I guarantee you it want last 72 hours ! Let’s get it together drivers ( think Drivers think ) brokers , corporations, are making the money while you run up and down the road missing your families and fuel haulers doing dangerous work for low pay ! It’s time to change the narrative ! Pay attention Drivers
Jerry Wiemers
John Gallagher should make a living off driving a truck for two years before he call really say anything about trucking business, along with everyone making laws on trucking companies or business!!
Jerry Wiemers
No one in a voted in job of government should be paid more than the tax payers and also no more than eight years in the government jobs.
Douglas Edward Whewell
We’re dying because of government mismanagement.
Their answer?
Tax em more
Rick
Total BS.just more money for the politicians to line there pockets.god forbid they ACTUALLY use it for what it was intended.80% of the highways/interstates are in dire need of repairs and upgrades.As a OOR driver traveling 49 states and Canada,our roadways SUCK and continue to cause major repairs to our equipment due to potholes and other damage to our roads.Hell,90% of the gravel roads are smoother and in better shape!!