Who has to register for UCR?

Interstate motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies. Intrastate-only carriers generally do not, unless their state says otherwise.

Registration for each calendar year opens October 1 and is due by December 31 of the prior year. States begin enforcement in the new year.

How much is UCR for one or two trucks?

The 0 to 2 power unit bracket fee is $46 for the 2026 registration year (fees are adjusted periodically; verify the current bracket at ucr.gov).

Is there a cheaper way to file?

Registering yourself at ucr.gov costs exactly the bracket fee. Third-party services charge more for the same registration.

Federal-state · annual

UCR registration, without the markup

The Unified Carrier Registration program collects an annual fee from interstate carriers, brokers, and forwarders, based on fleet size. It is enforced by states at roadside and through audits. Registering yourself at the official portal costs exactly the bracket fee, nothing more.

49 USC 14504a Register yourself at ucr.gov →$46 for 0 to 2 power units (2026 bracket; verify the current year at ucr.gov)Last verified 2026-07-18

The bracket system

UCR fees scale with power units. The smallest bracket (0 to 2 trucks) covers most owner-operators; the fee steps up at 3 to 5 units, 6 to 20, and beyond. Trailers do not count; power units do.

The deadline

Registration for the coming calendar year opens October 1 and is due by December 31. States begin enforcing in January: an unregistered carrier can be fined or held at roadside.

The markup trap

UCR is one of the most heavily marked-up filings in trucking. Third-party sites, some designed to look official, charge several times the government fee for the same registration. The official portal is ucr.gov; the whole cost is the bracket fee.

Check your own carrier, free

Enter your USDOT number and get your due dates, authority status, and full obligation checklist.

TruckCompliant is not affiliated with FMCSA, USDOT, or any government agency. Verify details against the linked official sources.