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How to Register for UCR Yourself at ucr.gov (Step by Step)

The do-it-yourself path: what to prepare, the ten steps on the official portal, payment methods and their processing fees, mailing a voucher, and auto-renewal.

Updated November 4, 2026 · 7 min read · sources cited inline

You do not need a filing service to register for UCR. Here is the do-it-yourself path at the official portal, step by step. It takes 10–15 minutes if your USDOT and MCS-150 are in order.

What to prepare

Your USDOT number (free from FMCSA; without one UCR cannot be filed).
A current MCS-150 — update it first if your vehicle count changed.
Your vehicle count under the counting rules.
Your entity type (carrier, broker, etc.).
A card or bank account for e-check, and an email address for the receipt.
Chrome, Firefox or Edge. Internet Explorer errors out.

The steps at ucr.gov

Open www.ucr.gov and check the address. Type it yourself. The official portal ends in .gov. Use Chrome, Firefox or Edge.
Choose Register and the registration year. Pick the year you are paying for. Open years are listed; closed ones are not.
Enter your USDOT number. The system pulls your legal name and address from the FMCSA database.
Confirm company details and base state. A participating home state is your base state; otherwise choose from the regional list.
Select your entity type. Motor carrier, motor private carrier, freight forwarder, broker, leasing company — more than one is allowed.
Enter the vehicle count. Option A fills the MCS-150 count automatically; Option B is your actual 12-month count minus intrastate-only vehicles.
Review the bracket and fee. The system shows the bracket and the government fee. Check it against the fee calculator if in doubt.
Sign electronically. An authorized representative certifies the information.
Pay. Card (about 2.97% processing fee per Texas DMV), e-check (about $1), or generate a mail-in voucher.
Save the receipt. Download it and keep it three years. It does not need to be carried in the vehicle.

ucr.gov is a JavaScript application whose exact button labels change. The steps above follow the official state instructions and plan.ucr.gov; the order on screen may differ slightly.

Payment methods

Method	Details
Credit or debit card	MasterCard, Visa, Discover. Processing fee about 2.97% (Texas DMV figure): $55 + $1.63 ≈ $56.63.
e-Check (ACH)	About $1 (Minnesota figure). To keep your bank from blocking the debit, whitelist originator ID 9000517433 (Texas DMV).
By mail	Choose “Mail in” → “Generate Voucher”, print it and send it with a check or money order to Unified Carrier Registration Plan, PO Box 2935, Idaho Falls, ID 83403-2935. The registration becomes active only when the payment is received and processed.
Through a state	A few states (Minnesota, for example) accept paper applications with a check; others (Wisconsin) do not.

Auto-renewal

ucr.gov can renew automatically each year, taking the power-unit count from your MCS-150 (Option A) and charging a saved card. Upside: you can't forget. Downside: if your fleet shrank and you didn't update the MCS-150, you pay the old, higher bracket.

Or let us do it

If you'd rather have the count checked against FMCSA first and the whole thing done today, UCRAssist files it for you — government fee at cost plus a flat service fee, both shown before you pay. Help desk for the official portal: 1-833-827-7526, helpdesk@ucr.gov.