UCR registration, filed in your base state before enforcement starts
Every interstate carrier, broker, freight forwarder and leasing company pays UCR once a year. The government fee is $46 for 0 to 2 vehicles in 2026 and $55 in 2027. We file it for $49 and put the renewal on your calendar.
Who must register
Interstate motor carriers (private and for hire), brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies. Canadian carriers crossing at Champlain, Buffalo or Detroit included. 49 U.S.C. 14504a.
2027 opens October 1, 2026
Fees go up about 20 percent for 2027. Registration opens October 1 and enforcement starts after January 1, 2027. Filing in the fall costs the same as filing in January.
Checked at the roadside
There is no decal. Inspectors look you up in the national UCR database by USDOT number. A missing registration is a citation and, in many states, a fine at the scale and on the shoulder.
UCR fees by fleet size, 2026 and 2027
The bracket is set by the number of commercial motor vehicles you operate in interstate commerce. Brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies with no vehicles pay the first bracket. These are the amounts the base state collects; our filing fee is shown separately below.
| Fleet size | Government fee |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 vehicles | $46 |
| 3 to 5 vehicles | $138 |
| 6 to 20 vehicles | $276 |
| 21 to 100 vehicles | $963 |
| 101 to 1,000 vehicles | $4,592 |
| 1,001 vehicles and up | $44,836 |
| Fleet size | Government fee | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 vehicles | $55 | +$9 |
| 3 to 5 vehicles | $167 | +$29 |
| 6 to 20 vehicles | $333 | +$57 |
| 21 to 100 vehicles | $1,163 | +$200 |
| 101 to 1,000 vehicles | $5,548 | +$956 |
| 1,001 vehicles and up | $54,165 | +$9,329 |
Fees are set by the UCR Board of Directors and approved by FMCSA. Not sure which bracket you fall into? Use the UCR fee calculator or send us your MCS-150.
What we charge to file it
New carrier start-up package
- USDOT number and operating authority filed in Motus
- BOC-3 process agent
- UCR registration
- Clearinghouse registration and C/TPA designation
- Consortium enrollment, first year
- Drug and alcohol policy
- Your 12-month new-entrant compliance calendar
Registration filings
| Service | Our fee | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| UCR registration filing | $49 | per year |
| MCS-150 biennial update | $79 | one-time |
| USDOT number filing (Motus) | $99 | one-time |
| BOC-3 process agent filing | $49 | one-time |
Included in both the Owner-Operator Plan and the Small Fleet Plan. Compare plans.
How we file your UCR
- Count your vehicles
We check your MCS-150 count against the vehicles you actually run interstate and choose the count that puts you in the correct bracket. Fewer interstate vehicles can mean a lower bracket, legitimately.
- We file in your base state
Through the national UCR system or the base-state portal, with your USDOT number, EIN and vehicle count. Government fee paid in your name.
- Receipt in your file, reminder next year
Registration confirmation goes in your compliance file for roadside and audit. We put next year's renewal on your calendar and file it in October.
The two details that decide what you pay
Base state
You register in the state where your principal place of business is, if it participates in UCR. Forty-one states do. If yours does not (Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Wyoming, District of Columbia), you register through a participating state where you operate, usually the closest one. A Florida carrier typically registers through Georgia or Alabama; a New Jersey carrier through Pennsylvania or New York.
Carriers based outside the United States choose the participating state where they do the most business or where they first enter the country. For a Quebec or Ontario carrier that is usually New York or Michigan; Vermont does not participate.
Vehicle count
UCR counts commercial motor vehicles operated in interstate commerce: 10,001 lb or more, placarded hazmat, or passenger vehicles. Trailers are not counted. You may use the count from your most recent MCS-150 or the number you actually ran on the last day of the previous year, and you may leave out vehicles used only intrastate. For a carrier at the edge of a bracket, an honest count of interstate vehicles is the difference between $167 and $333 in 2027.
Keep the count consistent with your MCS-150 and your IFTA filings. Auditors and inspectors compare them.
Send us your USDOT number, we tell you the bracket
Written answer in one business day: base state, bracket, government fee, our fee. No obligation.
Online requests open soon. Call or email us and we answer the same business day.
Frequently asked questions
What is UCR?
The Unified Carrier Registration is an annual fee program under the Unified Carrier Registration Act of 2005 (49 U.S.C. 14504a). It replaced the old Single State Registration System. Interstate motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies pay a yearly fee based on fleet size. The money funds state motor carrier safety programs. There is no UCR decal or card; enforcement checks the national UCR database.
Who has to register for UCR?
Any motor carrier, private or for hire, that operates a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Also any broker, freight forwarder or leasing company that arranges or leases vehicles for interstate transportation, even if it owns no trucks. Those entities pay the lowest bracket. Canadian and Mexican carriers running into the United States must register too.
How is the fee calculated?
By the number of commercial motor vehicles you operated in interstate commerce, using either the count on your last MCS-150 or the count from the last day of the previous year. A commercial motor vehicle for UCR purposes weighs 10,001 lb or more, carries placarded hazmat, or carries passengers. You may exclude vehicles used only in intrastate commerce. Brokers, forwarders and leasing companies with no vehicles pay the 0 to 2 bracket.
What is a base state?
The state where your principal place of business is located, if that state participates in UCR. If it does not (Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Wyoming and the District of Columbia do not), you register through the nearest participating state where you operate. Canadian carriers pick the participating state where they do the most business or where they first enter the country.
What are the 2027 fees and why did they go up?
The 2027 fees are $55 for 0 to 2 vehicles, $167 for 3 to 5, $333 for 6 to 20, $1,163 for 21 to 100, $5,548 for 101 to 1,000 and $54,165 for 1,001 and up. That is an increase of roughly 20 percent over 2026. The UCR Board adjusts fees so that total collections match the amount the states are entitled to; after several years of reductions, 2027 corrects a shortfall.
When does 2027 registration open and when is enforcement?
Registration for 2027 opens October 1, 2026. Enforcement begins after January 1, 2027. A carrier stopped on January 2 without a 2027 registration in the UCR database can be cited, and some states fine several hundred dollars per stop. Registering in October or November avoids the January rush and the risk.
Does the government charge anything besides the bracket fee?
No. The bracket fee is the whole government charge. Our filing fee is $49 per year on top of it, and we show the two apart. Beware of sites that quote one "UCR fee" of 150 USD or more for a two-truck carrier; the government share is $46 in 2026.
Is UCR the same as the USDOT number or the MCS-150?
No. The USDOT number is your FMCSA identity, filed once and updated with the MCS-150 every two years. UCR is a separate annual fee paid to your base state. You need the USDOT number before you can register for UCR, and your MCS-150 vehicle count is what UCR uses to place you in a bracket.
File 2027 in October and forget about it.
We file every year in the fall, before enforcement, and send you the receipt for your file. Government fee shown apart from ours, always.