Farm Vehicles:

Federal Unified Carrier Registration Act imposes additional burdens on private interstate haulers, including farmers

Many farmers and other private businesses that operate trucks interstate have recently received notices to comply with the registration requirements of the Unified Carrier Registration Act.  This Act was enacted by Congress as part of the 835-page federal transportation reauthorization ("SAFETEA-LU") bill in 2005.

The Act created a federal system to replace the system established among states by voluntary agreement, which required "motor carriers" to be registered and pay registration fees.  Fees collected under the defunct Single State Registration System (SRSS) were used by states to administer and enforce vehicle safety and minimum insurance requirements that interstate commercial vehicles were required to meet under federal regulations.  Pennsylvania did not join in this agreement and did not subject Pennsylvania's haulers to the fees imposed under the SRSS.

The Unified Carrier Registration Act requires all states (including Pennsylvania) to participate in this new registration system, and imposes annual "motor carrier" registration fees on all businesses (including Pennsylvania businesses) that direct the operation of "commercial vehicles" interstate.  The Act requires both commercial carriers of vehicles operating interstate and private businesses ("private motor carriers") using their own vehicles to haul materials interstate to register and pay the annual registration fee imposed.  Unfortunately, this means that many farmers will need to comply with the Act's registration and fee requirements.

Several important things you need to understand in determining whether you are required to register under the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) system and, if you are required to register, what fee you need to pay:

• If you do not have any trucks (or truck tractors) over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating that you operate outside of Pennsylvania, you are not required to register or pay any registration fee.

• If you do have a truck over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating that you use in your farm business and you operate it outside of Pennsylvania, you will need to register as a "motor carrier" under the UCR and pay the appropriate registration fee.

• Your requirement to annually register your business as a "motor carrier" and pay registration fees under the UCR are in addition to your requirements to annually register and pay registration fees for your vehicles.

• The UCR registration fee that you will be required to pay is based on the number of vehicles over 10,000 pounds gross weight rating that you have operated interstate. More specifically, it is based on those vehicles over 10,000 pounds that you operated for the 12-month period ending June 30 of the previous year.  For example, if during the period of July 2005-June 2006, you owned and operated 10 vehicles over 10,000 pounds but only used 2 of those vehicles interstate, your registration fee for 2007 will only be based on 2 vehicles ($39.00), rather than 10 vehicles ($231.00).

• Every vehicle over 10,000 pounds gross weight rating that the business used in interstate commerce, not just self-powered vehicles, is counted in determining the registration fee the business must pay under the UCR.  Under normal circumstances, a tractor-trailer or truck-trailer combination used interstate will count as two vehicles in determining the UCR registration fee the business is required to pay.  And every trailer over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating that a business uses interstate would be counted in determining the UCR registration fee the business is required to pay.

The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission is overseeing registration in Pennsylvania.  The UCRA page can be found at http://www.puc.state.pa.us/transport/motor/UCRinfo.aspx. 

You can reach the PUC at:

Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
Bureau of Transportation and Safety
PO Box 3265, Harrisburg, PA  17105-3265

PHONE - (717)772-2254
FAX - (717)787-3114

Additional information about UCR can be obtained on the Internet at UCR's Web Site (www.ucr.in.gov).  This same site also provides the opportunity for businesses to register and make registration fee payments online.