Questions, answered.

We take your USDOT number, verify the vehicle count and entity type against your FMCSA record, choose the right bracket and base state under the UCR Plan rules, file your registration at the official UCR National Registration System (ucr.gov) as your authorized agent, and email you the official receipt. You pay the government fee at cost plus one flat service fee.

No. UCRAssist is an independent, privately owned filing service with no affiliation to the Unified Carrier Registration Plan, FMCSA, the U.S. DOT or any state. The official portal is www.ucr.gov, where you can register yourself for the government fee alone. We say this on every page because too many sites in this space don't.

You can, and our guide walks you through it. People use us because they want the vehicle count checked against the MCS-150 before money goes to the government (that mismatch is what triggers state audits), because they want it done the same day without creating another government login, and because they want the receipt and next year's reminder landing in their inbox. If the government fee alone is what you need, ucr.gov is the right place.

Two lines, both shown before you pay: the official government fee for your bracket (for 2027, $55 for 0–2 power units up to $5,548 for 101–1,000) passed through at cost, plus our service fee of $39 for fleets up to 20 power units, $49 for 6–20, $79 for 21–100 and $149 for 101–1,000. No card-processing surcharge, no hidden renewal.

Normally within one business day of payment, often the same day. If the FMCSA record disagrees with what you entered we email you first and nothing is filed until it's resolved. The UCR Plan makes the registration visible to inspectors as soon as it's paid in their system.

You get a full refund — service fee and government fee — because nothing has been paid to the UCR Plan yet. Reasons that would stop a filing: a USDOT we can't verify, an inactive or out-of-service authority you'd rather fix first, or a fleet over 1,000 units that needs a hand quote. Once the government fee has been paid to the UCR Plan it is non-refundable by anyone, including the Plan itself.

No, and neither does anyone else. Federal law (49 U.S.C. 14506) forbids states from requiring a UCR credential in the vehicle. Inspectors verify your status by USDOT number in the national database. You get the official receipt for your records; keep it three years.

Never. If you opt in, we send one reminder email when the next window opens on October 1 with a link to start a new order. Nothing is charged unless you place that order yourself.

Yes. The UCR system accepts payment all year and there is no late surcharge from the UCR Plan. But from January 1 you are operating without a current registration, and any state fine or out-of-service order issued in that gap stays with you. Public registration for a year closes on September 30 of the following year; after that only a state audit can register it.

Only while public registration for that year is open — roughly until September 30 of the following year. As of November 2026, 2026 is still open (and past due) and 2025 has closed.

Yes, every year, at the lowest bracket ($55 in 2027) regardless of your size. Freight forwarders pay by fleet; leasing companies pay the lowest bracket. A broker who is also a motor carrier pays once, as a carrier, on the full fleet.

The law counts a vehicle under the company that operates it under a long-term lease, which is normally the carrier you're leased to. If you also hold your own active interstate USDOT, check with the UCR help desk (1-833-827-7526) whether a separate registration is required.

No. Carriers based in Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Wyoming or DC still owe UCR; they pick a base state from the UCR Plan's regional list. The fee is identical whichever base state you use.

If you operate in interstate commerce, yes — the count is simply 0 and you pay the lowest bracket. A light pickup pulling a trailer that together weigh 10,001 lbs or more counts as a commercial vehicle.

No. The count is fixed for the registration year; next year's bracket reflects the change. There is no refund if the fleet shrinks either.

Never. Only self-propelled power units — trucks, tractors, buses — count toward the bracket.

Option A uses the power-unit count on your last MCS-150. Option B uses the number of vehicles you actually operated in the 12 months ending June 30 of the prior year, minus vehicles used only intrastate (three conditions apply; passenger vehicles can't be excluded). If Option B puts you in a cheaper bracket, keep a vehicle list (form UCR-2) for three years.

No. The fee depends only on the registration year and your bracket. The base state only decides which state administers your registration.

Yes, if it operates in interstate commerce in the United States. The base state is chosen from the UCR Plan's regional table (for example Ontario carriers may use the north-east or midwest group).

Free, at the official portal www.ucr.gov (search by USDOT) or through FMCSA's SAFER system. Never check through a link in an email that says your UCR is expired — type the address yourself.