UCR Registration: Who Must File, Fees and Deadlines

Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) is a yearly registration and fee for motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies that operate in interstate or international commerce. You register and pay through the official site, ucr.gov, and your fee depends on your fleet size. For the 2027 registration year, registration opened October 1, 2026, and you need to be registered and paid before January 1, 2027.

What UCR is

UCR comes from the Unified Carrier Registration Act and the UCR Agreement. Participating states collect the fees through one national system, and the money goes largely to state motor carrier safety programs and enforcement.

The UCR Plan and its board run the program. FMCSA sets the fee amounts by rule, based on the board's recommendation. The fee rules are in 49 CFR Part 367.

The official registration site is ucr.gov. The UCR Plan's information site is plan.ucr.gov. Type those addresses yourself. Other websites may offer to register you for an added service charge.

Who must register for UCR

According to the UCR Plan's Do I Need to Register? page, these businesses must register if they operate in interstate or international commerce:

• Motor carriers, including for-hire, private and exempt carriers of property or passengers
• Brokers
• Freight forwarders
• Leasing companies

Carriers based in Canada and Mexico that operate in the US are also covered.

A few points surprise people:

• Hauling your own goods does not exempt you. Private carriers of property that cross state lines must register.
• Small vehicles do not exempt you. The UCR Plan says a business with a federal MC number must register even if it runs vehicles that are not commercial motor vehicles.
• Interstate includes some trips that stay in one state. If your trip is one leg of a move that started or ends across a state line or US border, such as hauling cargo to or from a port, it can count as interstate.

Who does not need to register

The UCR Plan lists these as not required to register:

• Carriers that operate only in intrastate commerce
• Private carriers of passengers, such as churches, schools and businesses that move their own employees
• Some other narrow groups, such as operations solely in Hawaii or only with federal government or emergency vehicles

If you are unsure, use the questionnaire on the UCR Plan site or call the UCR Plan at 1-833-UCR-PLAN (1-833-827-7526).

UCR fees by fleet size

Your fee depends on your bracket. The bracket is based on the number of vehicles you own or operate in interstate commerce. The UCR Plan's fee brackets page and the Federal Register final rule show the following.

2027 registration year fees

These fees took effect October 1, 2026, under a final rule published in the Federal Register on September 1, 2026 (91 FR 56063).

2026 registration year fees, for comparison

FMCSA's rule describes the 2027 change as an increase of about 20 percent on average. It also says the 2027 fees stay in effect until a later rulemaking changes them.

Which vehicles count

UCR uses its own counting rules, and they are not always the same as what is on your MCS-150. In general:

• You count commercial motor vehicles you own or operate in interstate commerce.
• Light vehicles can count too. The UCR Plan says that if lighter vehicles pull trailers and the combination reaches 10,001 pounds or more, you count them.
• A carrier mainly running intrastate school buses may leave those buses out of its count.

The UCR Handbook on plan.ucr.gov has the full rules for counting your fleet. Because FMCSA has paused enforcement of the MCS-150 biennial update, the UCR Plan asks carriers to declare all the commercial motor vehicles they operate in interstate commerce when they register.

UCR deadline and timing

UCR runs on a calendar-year cycle. The UCR Plan's fee page says you must complete your registration and pay your fee before January 1 of the registration year.

Here is how the cycle usually works:

The fee is still due if you miss the deadline. You can still register late, but from January 1 on you may face state enforcement.

If you start interstate operations in the middle of the year, register before your first interstate trip.

How UCR is enforced

States enforce UCR, mainly at roadside inspections and through audits.

• Electronic checks. Officers check your UCR status electronically. The UCR Plan says inspectors can look you up on FMCSA's SAFER website under the UCR tab by USDOT number.
• No paper credential. You do not need to carry a UCR card or sticker in the truck.
• Violation code. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) UCR enforcement bulletin says violations are written up under FMCSA code 392.2 for failure to pay UCR fees.
• Fines and penalties. These are set by each state, so they vary. We don't list fine amounts because they differ by state.

You can check your own UCR status the same way an officer would. Look up your USDOT number on SAFER, or use our free USDOT check tool to see your FMCSA record first.

UCR is separate from your MCS-150 and operating authority

New carriers often think one filing covers everything. It doesn't. These are separate requirements with different agencies, schedules and fees:

Paying UCR does not activate your authority. And having active authority does not mean your UCR is paid. If you still need access to Motus to bring your MCS-150 up to date, our ELD and Motus setup service can help. Learn more in our guides on BOC-3 process agents, insurance cancellation and authority revocation and whether FMCSA is eliminating MC numbers.

How to register for UCR, step by step

1. Go to ucr.gov. Type the address yourself.
2. Enter your USDOT number and confirm your company information.
3. Choose the registration year. Late in the year you may see more than one year offered. Make sure you pick the right one.
4. Confirm your business type. Carrier, broker, freight forwarder or leasing company.
5. Enter your fleet count. Use the UCR counting rules described above.
6. Pay the fee and save your receipt.
7. Check your status a few days later to make sure your registration shows as paid.

Common UCR mistakes

• Paying for the wrong year. Between October and December, double-check which year you are paying for.
• Counting the wrong vehicles. Read the handbook's counting rules, especially for leased equipment and light vehicles with trailers.
• Thinking intrastate rules apply. If any of your loads are part of an interstate move, you may need UCR.
• Forgetting it after year one. UCR is yearly. Put the October 1 opening date on your calendar.
• Brokers paying a fleet bracket. Brokers and leasing companies pay the B1 fee, according to the fee rule.

How JMM Compliance can help

We can confirm whether you need UCR, help you figure out your bracket, and file your registration so it lines up with your FMCSA record. For new carriers, our USDOT and MC number setup service includes getting UCR and the other first-year filings in place. If you want someone to track UCR, MCS-150 updates and other yearly deadlines for you, our compliance management service handles that. We are a consultancy, not a government agency, and the fee itself is always paid to UCR.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Requirements depend on your operation; confirm details with FMCSA or a qualified professional.