What changed
The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan's Board of Directors did not recommend any fee change for the 2026 registration year, so the 2026 fees are the same as 2025. FMCSA codifies the fees at 49 CFR 367.40. Bracket A - covering carriers with 0 to 2 power units - holds at $46.
Brackets B through F also remain unchanged from 2025: $138 for 3–5 power units, $276 for 6–20, $963 for 21–100, $4,592 for 101–1,000, and $44,836 for fleets of 1,001 or more.
Brokers and leasing companies pay a flat $46 (the Bracket A fee) for 2026. Source: 49 CFR 367.40 (eCFR): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-367.40
Why this matters
UCR is one of the three filings that confuse new motor carriers most often. It's separate from BOC-3 (a one-time process-agent designation) and from MCS-150 (a biennial information update). UCR is an annual fee paid through your base state, with proceeds redistributed to participating jurisdictions for carrier-safety enforcement.
The fee being unchanged is good news for owner-operators on Bracket A. Carriers on Bracket E (101–1,000 vehicles) pay $4,592 - up from $3,670 in 2024, after FMCSA raised fees for 2025. Fees rise again for 2027 (Bracket A to $55, Bracket E to $5,548) under 49 CFR 367.50, adopted September 1, 2026.
UCR registration and payment are due before January 1 of the registration year. Carriers that have not registered for 2026 are subject to state enforcement, which the UCR Board recommended begin January 1, 2026.
How to file
UCR is filed through your base state. Registration is done online through the UCR Plan's National Registration System (NRS) at ucr.gov. UCR is run by the UCR Plan and participating states, not by FMCSA.
You'll need your USDOT number, your MC docket number (if applicable), and your power-unit count. Your fee bracket is based on the number of commercial motor vehicles you own or operate.
If you operate in multiple states but maintain your principal place of business in one, that state is your base state - not the state you cross most often.
What to do next
If you operate in interstate commerce and have not yet paid 2026 UCR: add it to your November-December checklist. The Dec 31, 2025 deadline is firm; January 1 starts the enforcement window.
If you're not sure whether your fleet size puts you on Bracket A or B, our UCR Fee Calculator at /tools/ucr-fee-calculator computes the correct fee from your power-unit count.