In The News

UCR fee rule expected in 2010

The Unified Carrier Registration board learned at its Dec. 10 meeting that the federal Office of Management and Budget is reviewing proposed UCR fee changes and a final rule is expected before May.

Chairman Avelino Gutierrez said William Quade, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s director of enforcement and compliance, updated the board on the proposal’s status.

The OMB will decide if the plan is a significant rulemaking. The FMCSA is expected to publish a rule between late January and late April, Gutierrez said.

The proposed fee schedule was published earlier this year in the Federal Register and the FMCSA extended the comment period during the fall. The new schedule had been expected to begin Jan. 1.

Until the new fees are in place, states cannot collect UCR fees for carriers operating in 2010, but can collect before then, he said.

The next board meeting is Jan. 12 in San Diego.

The American Trucking Associations and the Transportation Carriers Association have opposed the changes, mainly because it would hike fees 122 percent on a per-vehicle basis.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance supports the changes. Despite the fee hike in the top carrier bracket, these carriers would still pay far less than they would have under the former Single State Registration System program, it said.

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