Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, June 15, 2022:
Earlier this year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requested public comments on proposed reductions in the annual registration fees collected as part of the Unified Carrier Registration Plan and Agreement for the 2023 registration year and beyond.
The proposed fees for the 2023 registration year would be reduced below the fees for 2022 by approximately 27%, which would translate to a reduction between $16 and $15,350, depending on the number of vehicles owned or operated by the company.
After the first comment period closed on Feb. 23, FMCSA contacted the UCR Plan and requested additional information to help the agency in decision making in response to the comments received. The UCR Plan provided the requested information, and FMCSA placed both its request and the UCR Plan’s response in the docket. FMCSA also received a request from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association to reopen the comment period.
On Tuesday, the agency reopened the comment period for 14 days to allow further public scrutiny of potential UCR fee reduction, given the UCR Plan's response revised upward its estimate of excess fees collected that could potentially underpin the proposed fee reduction. “The information submitted by the UCR Plan," FMCSA said, "is clearly related to the recommendation for an adjustment in the fees submitted by the UCR Plan.”
Comments can be made here through June 28.
Stevens Transport (CCJ Top 250, No. 47) has applied for an exemption from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations that require a commercial learner’s permit holder to be accompanied by a CDL holder in the passenger seat while in operation.
