FMCSA gives truckers more time to comment on proposed 20% UCR fee hike for 2027
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has extended the comment period on a proposal to increase Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan and Agreement registration fees starting in 2027.
On April 7, 2026, FMCSA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that announced a UCR fee increase averaging 20% for the 2027 registration year and subsequent registration years, at the recommendation of the UCR Board of Directors.
On May 1, 2026, FMCSA announced that it would extend the comment period on the NPRM at the request of the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC). The end of the comment periods was pushed back from May 7, 2026, to May 26, 2026, to provide the public with more time “to access the supporting documentation regarding fee calculations for the 2027 registration year.”
You can follow this link to submit your public comment.
The FMCSA proposes no change for the 2026 registration year but recommends an increase for the 2027 registration year that increase averages 20%, with varying increases between $9 and $9,329 per entity, depending on the applicable fee bracket.
See below for UCR Plan fees, actual and proposed.
| Bracket | Number of CMVs | 2019 | 2020-2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0-2 * | $62 | $59 | $41 | $37 | $46 | $46 | $55 |
| 2 | 3-5 | 204 | 176 | 121 | 111 | 138 | 138 | 167 |
| 3 | 6-20 | 407 | 351 | 242 | 221 | 276 | 276 | 333 |
| 4 | 21-100 | 1,420 | 1,224 | 844 | 769 | 963 | 963 | 1,163 |
| 5 | 101-1000 | 6,766 | 5,835 | 4,024 | 3,670 | 4,592 | 4,592 | 5,548 |
| 6 | 1001+ | 66,072 | 56,977 | 39,289 | 35,836 | 44,836 | 44,836 | 54,165 |
| * Also applies to brokers and leasing companies. | ||||||||
“Even after the proposed increase, the fees for registration year 2027 are still less than those in effect during registration years 2019 through 2022,” the agency said.
FMCSA says that the 2027 UCR fee increase was proposed to cover a $21.79 million shortfall in the statutorily required funding.
“This fee adjustment for the 2027 registration year would provide the necessary $118 million in revenue to make the required allocations to the participating States and the UCR Plan. Any amount short of these adjustments would impede proper operations of motor carrier safety programs, enforcement, or the administration of the UCR Plan and UCR agreement. The Agency notes that the fluctuations in the total number of registrants and change in underlying economic conditions impact fee calculations. The Agency believes this recalibration of fees is reasonable and in accordance with the structure of, and obligations created by, the statute,” FMCSA said.
Forty-one states participate in the UCR Plan.
