Fees for 2025 Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) will increase by an average of 25 percent above fees paid for the 2024 registration year. This adds between $9 and $9,000 per entity, depending on the applicable fee bracket.

Despite the increase, the 2025 fees are still less than the fees that were in effect for registration years 2019-2022:

Fee structure

The UCR fee structure is a bracket system, with the per- carrier fees based on the number of vehicles the carrier operates. UCR fees aren't imposed per vehicle, and are uniform across the country for all carriers of a given size, no matter where they're based.

The UCR fees are determined by the FMCSA based on recommendations from the UCR Board of Directors. The fees may be adjusted on an annual basis.

Freight forwarders operating a fleet of vehicles are considered motor carriers and are subject to fees depending upon the number of vehicles they operate. Brokers, leasing companies, and freight forwarders (who don't operate any commercial motor vehicles) are subject to the lowest fee tier. However, if these entities are also motor carriers, they're subject to the fee according to the number of vehicles they operate.

Motor carriers not required to have a USDOT number pay the lowest fee tier because the vehicles aren't defined as CMVs.

Fees under UCR can change from year to year, and are codified in 49 CFR Part 367.

Revenue needed to administer the program

The UCR Plan provides for fee adjustments when revenue collections result in a shortfall or surplus from the amount authorized by statute:

• If the required payments to states and the cost of administering the UCR Plan exceed the amount in the depository, the UCR Plan must collect additional fees in subsequent years to cover the shortfall.
• If there are excess funds after payments to states and administrative costs, they're retained in the UCR Plan's depository, and fees in subsequent fee years must be reduced.

Based on these criteria, UCR Plan administrators have increased fees for 2025 by an average of 25 percent.

Who must file under UCR

The following entities engaged in interstate commerce are subject to annual registration under the UCR program:

• Private property carriers;
• For-hire passenger, property, and exempt commodity carriers;
• Freight forwarders;
• Leasing companies; and
• Brokers.

Carriers domiciled in Canada or Mexico operating in the United States are also subject to UCR registration.

The UCR filing period opens October 1, with registration fees due by December 31 each year.

Key to remember: For the 2025 Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) year, plan to pay around 25 percent more in fees than you paid for 2024.