FMCSA Approves 20% Increase in Unified Carrier Registration Fees for 2027

In September 2026, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration finalized an increase in Unified Carrier Registration fees for the 2027 registration year and later years. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on September 1, 2026, and takes effect October 1, 2026.

UCR fees are collected each year from interstate motor carriers, private carriers of property, brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies. Revenue goes to the 41 states that participate in the UCR Agreement and to administering the plan. By law, states must use the money for motor carrier safety programs and enforcement or for running the UCR program.

The new fees

The increase, recommended by the UCR Board on September 18, 2025, averages 20% over the fees set for 2025 and kept for 2026. Under the final rule, annual fees for 2027 are:

• 0 to 2 trucks, and all brokers and leasing companies: $55, up from $46
• 3 to 5 trucks: $167, up from $138
• 6 to 20 trucks: $333, up from $276
• 21 to 100 trucks: $1,163, up from $963
• 101 to 1,000 trucks: $5,548, up from $4,592
• 1,001 trucks and above: $54,165, up from $44,836

FMCSA said the increase is expected to cover a projected $21.79 million shortfall in the revenue the states are entitled to by statute. The agency said the plan has been collecting less in fees than projected. It also noted that even with the increase, 2027 fees will be lower than those in effect from 2019 through 2022.

Opposition from small carriers

FMCSA received 34 comments, 33 of them in scope, after extending the comment period to May 26, 2026, at the request of the Small Business in Transportation Coalition. Land Line reported that all but two of the comments opposed the increase.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association argued that the system no longer meets its original goals, calling it "slush fund revenue" for states, and said the fee structure is particularly burdensome for single-truck operators and small fleets. In its comments, reported by Land Line, OOIDA said, "Once again, the UCR Board has failed to properly justify how they determined the proposed 20% fee increase for 2027." OOIDA asked FMCSA to review the UCR Board's contracts and administrative expenses.

FMCSA responded that Congress created the UCR fees in statute and that neither the agency nor the UCR Board can stop collecting them. It said that for the smallest carrier in each bracket, the increase works out to roughly $9 to $9.67 per truck, and that the per-truck cost of registering in 2027 for those carriers is about $54.11 to $55.67 across all six brackets. FMCSA added that the UCR Board sent letters to participating states on May 4, 2026, asking them to document that they are using UCR revenue as the law requires.

What it means for drivers and fleets

Carriers should budget for the higher fees when they register for 2027. An owner-operator with one or two trucks will pay $9 more, while a fleet of 21 to 100 trucks will pay $200 more.

Because fees are set by bracket, carriers near the top of a bracket pay less per truck than those at the bottom, so fleets planning to add equipment may want to check which bracket they will fall into. Brokers and leasing companies pay the same flat fee as the smallest carriers.