Every interstate motor carrier, broker, freight forwarder and leasing company has to register for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) program and pay its 2027 fee by December 31, 2026. FMCSA raised the 2027 fees by an average of 20 percent in a final rule published September 1, 2026. The smallest carriers and every broker now pay $55, up from $46, and the largest fleets pay $54,165. States begin enforcing 2027 registration on January 1, 2027.
A trucking group has challenged the new fees in federal court, but nothing in that case changes the deadline. Both the group that filed suit and the UCR Plan tell carriers to register and pay on time. Below, we cover the 2027 fee schedule, who has to register, how to count your fleet and what the lawsuit means for you.
What Is UCR?
Congress created UCR in the Unified Carrier Registration Act of 2005, part of the highway bill known as SAFETEA-LU (the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, Public Law 109-59). The program is a federally managed state revenue system. The fees it collects go to the participating states, which use them to fund motor carrier safety programs and enforcement, including roadside inspections.
A board of directors runs UCR. It is made up of representatives of participating states, private industry and FMCSA. The board recommends the annual fees, and FMCSA sets them by rulemaking. The board also publishes the rules and guidance the states follow in the UCR Agreement and the UCR Handbook.
UCR works a lot like IRP and IFTA. It is a base-state program, so you register through your state of domicile, and each participating state designates an agency to enforce the program against the companies based there. States had the choice to participate when the program started, and a state that opted out or later dropped out can't rejoin. If your company is based in a state that doesn't participate, you still have to register. You pick a participating state as your base state, and enforcement comes from the participating states.
2027 UCR Fees
The 2027 fees are set at 49 CFR 367.50, "Fees under the Unified Carrier Registration Plan and Agreement for registration year 2027 and subsequent years." They took effect October 1, 2026, when the 2027 registration portal opened. Here is the full schedule for motor carriers, motor private carriers and freight forwarders, with the 2026 fee in parentheses:
- Bracket 1, 0 to 2 vehicles: $55 (was $46)
- Bracket 2, 3 to 5 vehicles: $167 (was $138)
- Bracket 3, 6 to 20 vehicles: $333 (was $276)
- Bracket 4, 21 to 100 vehicles: $1,163 (was $963)
- Bracket 5, 101 to 1,000 vehicles: $5,548 (was $4,592)
- Bracket 6, 1,001 vehicles and above: $54,165 (was $44,836)
Brokers and leasing companies that don't operate vehicles pay the Bracket 1 fee of $55, the same as the smallest carriers. A broker or leasing company that also operates trucks pays the fee for the size of its fleet.
Why the increase? Federal law sets the total amount UCR has to collect each year, and FMCSA's rule puts that figure at $118 million. For several years, the program covered part of that amount with excess collections from earlier years. Those reserves are gone, and the board projected a $21.79 million shortfall. The 2027 increase closes that gap. It works out to $9 more for the smallest carriers and $9,329 more for the largest. FMCSA described it as a single increase, not an annual one: the 2027 fees stay in place for later years until FMCSA changes them in a new rulemaking.
Who Must Register for UCR?
If you operate in interstate commerce in the U.S., you owe UCR. The program covers:
- Motor carriers of property, both for-hire and private, including carriers that are exempt from operating authority requirements;
- For-hire passenger carriers;
- Freight forwarders;
- Property brokers; and
- Leasing companies that lease vehicles without drivers to interstate motor carriers or freight forwarders. A leasing company that doesn't operate any vehicles doesn't need a USDOT number, but it still registers for UCR at the Bracket 1 fee.
Private passenger carriers, such as churches, schools and businesses that transport their own employees, are the one category the program excludes.
UCR is an interstate program. Carriers that operate only in intrastate commerce don't register, and that includes purely intrastate carriers that haul hazardous materials. Carriers that operate solely in Hawaii are also excluded, except for household goods movers serving individual shippers.
Watch the definition of interstate commerce. For UCR, it covers more than trips that cross a state line. A move that stays inside one state counts as interstate when it is the beginning or continuation of a shipment that crosses a state or national border. Plenty of carriers that think of themselves as local haulers fall into this group.
The size of your trucks doesn't get you out of UCR either. A carrier that runs only vehicles of 10,000 pounds or less still has to register. Those vehicles just don't count toward your fee bracket, which we cover next.
How to Count Your Fleet for UCR
Your fee bracket depends on how many vehicles you count. The UCR Handbook sets the rules.
First, only power units count. Trailers and other towed equipment don't.
Second, only commercial motor vehicles count. For UCR, that means a self-propelled vehicle used on the highways in commerce principally to transport passengers or cargo, if the vehicle:
- Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of at least 10,001 pounds, whichever is greater, or a gross combination weight rating or gross combination weight of at least 10,001 pounds when connected to trailing equipment;
- Carries placarded amounts of hazardous materials, regardless of weight; or
- Is designed to carry more than 10 passengers, including the driver.
Third, you choose one of two counting methods:
- The number of vehicles you reported owning or operating on your most recent Form MCS-150; or
- The number of vehicles you owned or operated during the 12 months ending June 30 before the registration year. For 2027, that is July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.
Most carriers use their MCS-150 count. If you use the second method, keep records that show why your count differs from your MCS-150.
Once you have your count, the Handbook lets you make a few optional adjustments. You can exclude vehicles that operate only in intrastate commerce, though intrastate passenger vehicles can't be excluded. You can also choose to include vehicles that UCR doesn't require you to count, such as lighter vehicles or intrastate-only units. Why would you pay for vehicles you don't have to? Federal law bars states from imposing their own registration fees or requirements on vehicles registered through UCR. That protection only reaches the vehicles you include, so some carriers register extra units to get it.
Your fee is set once a year. If your fleet grows or shrinks after you register, you don't file again. The change shows up in next year's registration.
When Is the 2027 UCR Fee Due?
Registration for 2027 opened October 1, 2026. You have to register and pay before January 1, 2027, so the last day is December 31, 2026. Starting January 1, states can take enforcement action against carriers that haven't registered, and the fee is still due on top of any penalty.
File and pay at ucr.gov. You can hire a third-party service to file for you, but the UCR program doesn't regulate what those services charge, and many add their own fees on top of the UCR fee. Filing directly costs you only the fee listed above.
Want the next UCR change before it hits your inbox as a penalty notice? Compliance+ members get monthly regulatory updates and alerts on FMCSA changes like the 2027 fee rule, plus every Trucksafe Academy course, our webinar library and DOT-ready policy templates and checklists. Join Compliance+ to stay ahead of it.
The SBTC Lawsuit Over the 2027 Fees
On October 20, 2026, the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC) filed a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit challenging FMCSA's 2027 fee rule. The case is No. 26-1297.
SBTC argues that FMCSA never established the UCR Plan and Agreement through the rulemaking the statute requires, which in its view makes the UCR Board, the Agreement and every fee rule issued under them unlawful. It also claims that sharing registrants' personal information, including Social Security numbers, with the UCR Plan and its technology vendor violates the Privacy Act. SBTC asks the court to set aside the 2027 fees, bar fee collection, disband the UCR Board and order FMCSA to build the federal online registration system the statute calls for.
The UCR Plan disputes both claims. Its executive director told FreightWaves the Plan was lawfully established under federal law and that FMCSA has not given the Plan Social Security numbers since March 2019. He also said a ruling for SBTC would disrupt registration, fee collections and the money states use for motor carrier safety programs.
This is SBTC's second run at the fees. The D.C. Circuit denied its earlier request to pause the rulemaking on June 17, 2026, and FMCSA finalized the rule on schedule. In the new case, SBTC is not asking the court to suspend the fees. It filed a motion on October 26 asking the court to expedite the case, citing the January 1 enforcement date.
Here is what matters for your business: the 2027 fees are in effect, and no court order pauses them. SBTC told FreightWaves that if the court doesn't rule first, carriers should pay their 2027 UCR fees by December 31 to avoid civil penalties. The UCR Plan's guidance is the same: register before enforcement begins on January 1, 2027. Pay on time. If the court rules on the merits, we'll cover it as soon as it does.
The Bottom Line
If you operate in interstate commerce as a carrier, broker, freight forwarder or leasing company, you owe a 2027 UCR fee, and it is due by December 31, 2026. Count your power units of 10,001 pounds or more, find your bracket, and file at ucr.gov. The SBTC lawsuit doesn't change any of that.
UCR is one piece of your registration picture, along with your USDOT number, operating authority and biennial updates. Our DOT Compliance for Safety Managers course walks through DOT registration and operating authority along with driver qualification, hours of service, drug and alcohol testing and vehicle maintenance, so you know what FMCSA expects before an auditor asks. And if you're not sure how UCR applies to your operation, reach out to our team.
