The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) program is a federally mandated system in the United States that requires certain businesses involved in interstate commerce to pay an annual fee. The collected fees help fund safety programs, enforcement, and regulatory activities for commercial motor carriers at the state level.

In simple terms, the UCR program ensures that companies using commercial vehicles across state lines contribute to the costs of maintaining safe roadways and proper oversight.

Who must register under UCR?

UCR applies to businesses and individuals that operate commercial vehicles in interstate or international commerce. This includes:

• For-hire motor carriers (e.g., trucking companies transporting passengers or goods for clients across state lines);
• Private motor carriers (e.g., businesses using their own trucks to move their own goods across states);
• Freight forwarders and brokers; and
• Leasing companies involved in interstate transport.

What is “interstate commerce”?

As a general rule, all transportation operations involved in interstate commerce that are required to register with FMCSA and obtain a U.S. DOT number — whether or not they have actually registered and received a DOT number — are subject to UCR.

In general, “interstate” or “interstate commerce” means the movement of goods or passengers across state lines or across the borders of the United States.

But be careful: This definition includes all movements of goods or passengers across state or national boundaries, but also any movement entirely within a state when that movement is the beginning or continuation of a movement across a state or national border. For example, nearly all intermodal drayage movements by truck are considered to be interstate in nature, though the truck portion of that movement may not cross any state line.

Examples of who must register

• A distribution company in Arkansas transporting its products for sale to Pennsylvania;
• A freight brokerage coordinating shipments crossing state lines;
• A drayage hauler taking intermodal containers to and from a port;
• An agricultural hauler who carries farm produce to a railhead or barge terminal;
• Businesses under contract with a government entity to conduct transportation operations;
• A truck-driving school (unless it is government-operated, such as a training program run by a community college); and
• A moving company relocating customers from one state to another.

Examples of who does not need to register

• Carriers that operate only within a single state and never participate in interstate commerce,
• Private individuals moving personal property (like driving your own car or moving truck for a personal move),
• Government agencies (towns, cities, counties, states, tribal governments, and the federal government) do not need to register for UCR for any transportation operations they conduct themselves, and
• An electric utility or other business that is registered with FMCSA as an “Intrastate Non-Hazmat Carrier” or an “Intrastate Hazmat Carrier” that operates vehicles interstate for the sole purpose of responding to a request for assistance as a result of a declared emergency under 49 CFR Part 390.23.

The annual UCR registration process

Each year, businesses subject to UCR must register and pay the required fee based on the total number of commercial vehicles they operate in interstate commerce. Registration is completed online through the official UCR portal or through participating state agencies. The registration period opens in the fall for the following year. Staying current with registration is crucial for compliance.

Consequences of non-compliance

Failing to register for UCR or pay the appropriate fees can result in significant penalties. Enforcement officers may issue fines, place vehicles out of service, or even revoke operating authority.

Compliance is far less costly than dealing with enforcement actions, operational shutdowns, and damage to the company’s reputation.

UCR quick facts

• What is UCR? An annual registration program for interstate commercial motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders.
• Purpose: Fund safety and enforcement programs for commercial vehicles.
• Who registers? For-hire and private carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies operating in interstate commerce.
• Who is exempt? Purely intrastate carriers, private individuals, or carriers with only small vehicles not crossing state lines.
• Registration period: Opens annually on October 1 for the upcoming year.
• Penalties for non-compliance: Fines, out-of-service orders, and possible loss of operating authority.