Legislative Bulletin - September 30, 2009

TRALA Opposed to Unreasonable UCR Fee Increases

TRALA has filed comments with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in opposition to the proposed increase in fees imposed on motor carriers and leasing companies under the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement (UCRA) plan. Under the proposal, fees for motor carrier leasing customers would increase by up to an unreasonable 122%. The latest submission to FMCSA comes shortly after the comment period was extended after receipt of a September 9, 2009 TRALA letter asking for additional time to comment on the proposed fee increase.

In the comment letter submitted to FMCSA on Monday, September 28th, TRALA acknowledges that certain fee increases are necessary due to recent changes in the UCRA. Prior to the changes, the definition of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV), on which the UCR fees are based, included truck tractors, trailers, and semi-trailers. Beginning in 2010, the UCRA definition of a CMV will only account for truck tractors and no trailers or semi-trailers. TRALA states in the letter that any fee increase under the UCR should only be attributed to adjustments of the definition of a CMV. UCR revenues are meant to be spent by states on motor carrier safety programs and enforcement of the agreement

The TRALA comment letter addresses some of the factors believed to be contributing to the shortfall in UCR revenues to states, such as problems with the database used to track registrants, called the Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS), and lack of effective enforcement by states. An increase in fees across the board for leasing companies and motor carriers while failing to address the flawed MCMIS and lack of state enforcement effectively penalizes companies who have complied with the program. TRALA is concerned that without addressing the flaws in the UCRA and related state actions, the funding shortfalls and subsequent fee increases will continue. A copy of the comment letter submitted to the FMCSA by TRALA can be seen here.

For more information, please contact TRALA’s Tom James at tjames@trala.org or (703) 299-9120.