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Directors to meet on new UCR fee
By eTrucker Staff
The Unified Carrier Registration Plan board will meet Nov. 12 to continue work on a new fee plan, expected to begin Jan. 1.
The American Trucking Associations and the Transportation Carriers Association submitted similar comments opposing it, mainly because it would hike fees 122 percent on a per-vehicle basis.
States participating in the program have insufficiently enforced fees, they said. “As a result, the increase would fall almost entirely – and most inequitably – on already compliant motor carriers and other entities,” the ATA wrote.
The Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Association supports a fee increase and urged timely issuances of a final rule.
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, the CVSA said. Also, inconsistencies between fleet size for determining the UCR fee and what is reported to FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Management Information System has decreased UCR revenues 26 percent.
Also, the industry successfully sought a 2008 amendment that would exclude trailers from fees, which contributed to the revenue shortfall and necessitated an increase, especially since fees were not raised in the program’s first two years, the CVSA wrote.
The board will conduct its meeting telephonically. Those interested may contact Avelino Gutierrez at (505) 827-4565 to receive the toll-free number and pass code needed to participate in this meeting by telephone.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published the fee schedule Sept. 3, and after industry board representatives and others complained, the comment period was extended to Sept. 28.
Comments are still being accepted, and the docket identification number of FMCSA–2009–0231 needs to be used. Comments may be posted on the online docket http://www.regulations.gov or faxed to (202) 493–2251
Also, comments may be mailed to U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations (M–30), West Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Ave.,SE, Washington, DC 20590.
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