UCR Scams, Third-Party Filers and How to Tell Them Apart

Legitimate third-party filers

There are lawful companies — UCRAssist is one — that file UCR on a carrier's behalf for the government fee plus a service fee. People use them to avoid the bureaucracy, to have the count checked, or to bundle UCR with MCS-150, IRP, IFTA or BOC-3 work. It is legal, and it is optional. The Wisconsin DOT puts it plainly: using a site other than the official one “may incur charges above and beyond the UCR fees.” That is true of us too, and we say so on every page.

The schemes

• “Your UCR is expired” letters and emails from companies with “UCR” in the name. OOIDA warns that the fee is often already paid and the letter just adds a large markup.
• Hidden auto-renewal. In a 2016 FTC case, operators posed as a government agency and enrolled customers in annual paid renewals without consent.
• Phone calls asking for your card number. Wisconsin DOT: “WisDOT does not call and ask you for your credit card number.” No agency does.
• USDOT theft. The UCR Plan and FMCSA warn about fraudsters using other companies' USDOT numbers or brokering without authority.

Warning signs on a website

• Two different prices for the same bracket on one page.
• Fee tables from a past year (the “$59 to $56,977” range is 2022).
• No separation between the government fee and the filer's fee.
• “Same-day approval” and “guaranteed” with no conditions.
• Phrases like “Your UCR headquarters” or “official representative”, eagle seals, flag imagery.
• An order form that still offers a year whose public registration has closed.
• No refund before filing, or a policy that starts a 15-minute clock.

Questions to ask any filer — including us

1. How much of the total is the government fee, and where is the citation for it?
2. Will you charge me again next year without a new order?
3. What happens if you can't file — do I get everything back?
4. Are you affiliated with the UCR Plan or any agency? (The honest answer is always no.)
5. Do you check my vehicle count against the FMCSA record before filing?

Our answers: pricing shows both lines with the CFR citation; we never auto-renew; full refund before filing; not affiliated; and yes, every order is checked against FMCSA.

How to protect yourself

1. Register at www.ucr.gov or through a filer you have vetted with the questions above. Type the address yourself.
2. Check your status yourself, never through a link in a letter or email.
3. Don't pay an invoice that arrived by mail or email until you've confirmed your status at ucr.gov.
4. With any filer, find out what part of the price is the government fee, and whether you are being enrolled in anything recurring.
5. Keep every receipt three years.

The UCR Plan has published a notice of a data incident (“UCR Reports Data Incident”) on plan.ucr.gov. If you registered in earlier years, read it on the official site.