Federal registration
UCR Registration: Who Must File and What It Costs
Unified Carrier Registration is the annual fee that interstate carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies pay through their base state. The fee depends on fleet size, starting at $46.00 for the smallest bracket, and registration runs through the national system at ucr.gov.
By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 18, 2026
What UCR is
The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Agreement is the interstate agreement between the UCR Plan Board of Directors and the 41 participating states, governing the collection and distribution of registration information and fees paid by covered motor carriers and others under the UCR Act.
In plain terms: it is a yearly fee, split among the participating states, that rides on top of your other registrations. It does not replace your USDOT number or your authority, and paying it does not register your trucks. It is its own line on the compliance calendar.
Who must register
Every entity subject to UCR must register annually with its base state and pay the annual fee to that state. The fee bracket table covers motor carriers, freight forwarders, brokers, and leasing companies.
Your base state is where your registration and fee go, even when it is not one of the participating states. If you are unsure whether your operation counts as interstate, start with the USDOT number guide, which walks through the interstate commerce definition, and check state DOT number requirements for the state-level layer.
What UCR costs
Six annual fee brackets (B1 through B6) based on the number of vehicles owned or operated: 0-2, 3-5, 6-20, 21-100, 101-1,000, and 1,001 or more. Brokers and leasing companies pay the lowest bracket fee regardless of size.
A one-truck or two-truck operation lands in the first bracket at $46.00 per year, and a broker or leasing company pays $46.00 regardless of size. The complete bracket table for the current registration year, with every amount cited, lives at UCR fees by bracket.
The vehicle count that sets your bracket comes from one of two figures: the number of commercial motor vehicles you reported on your most recently filed MCS-150, or the total number of commercial motor vehicles you owned or operated during the 12-month period ending June 30 of the year before the registration year.
UCR counts commercial motor vehicles, which the UCR Act defines as self-propelled vehicles. Power units count toward your bracket; because trailers and other towed equipment are not self-propelled, they do not add to the total. A carrier may also elect to include any commercial motor vehicle in the count if it chooses. When calculating fleet size, a motor carrier or motor private carrier may elect not to include commercial motor vehicles used exclusively in the intrastate transportation of property, waste, or recyclable material, so vehicles that never cross a state line can be left out of the bracket count.
Deadline and enforcement
UCR registration must be completed and the fee paid before January 1 of the registration year. After that date the fee is still due and a non-registrant may be subject to state enforcement action.
The registration portal for the coming year opens in the fall on the National Registration System at ucr.gov; the 2026 portal opened October 1, 2025.
Enforcement is state-side, and an unpaid year stays due after the deadline passes. Register in the fall when the portal opens and the deadline never becomes a problem.
Where UCR fits
UCR is one of the recurring dates on a carrier’s calendar rather than part of the one-time authority process. The MC number is your for-hire authority, the BOC-3 is a one-time filing, UCR renews every year, the Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax runs on its own annual cycle, and the MCS-150 biennial update refreshes your USDOT record every two years. The distinction between the safety registration and the authority itself is covered in operating authority vs USDOT number.
Frequently asked questions
Who must register for UCR?
- Every entity subject to UCR must register annually with its base state and pay the annual fee to that state. The fee bracket table covers motor carriers, freight forwarders, brokers, and leasing companies.
How are UCR fees set?
- Six annual fee brackets (B1 through B6) based on the number of vehicles owned or operated: 0-2, 3-5, 6-20, 21-100, 101-1,000, and 1,001 or more. Brokers and leasing companies pay the lowest bracket fee regardless of size.
When is UCR due?
- UCR registration must be completed and the fee paid before January 1 of the registration year. After that date the fee is still due and a non-registrant may be subject to state enforcement action.
Where do I register?
- The registration portal for the coming year opens in the fall on the National Registration System at ucr.gov; the 2026 portal opened October 1, 2025.
Do brokers pay UCR?
- Yes. The fee bracket table covers motor carriers, freight forwarders, brokers, and leasing companies, and brokers and leasing companies pay the lowest bracket fee no matter their size.
Sources
Primary statutes and official agency pages this guide relies on. Laws and fees change, so confirm against the current source before you act.
- Unified Carrier Registration Plan (home) · Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors
- UCR Fee Brackets · Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors
- 49 U.S.C. 14504a - Unified Carrier Registration System plan and agreement · United States Code (Office of the Law Revision Counsel)
Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.