Small-carrier group sues to void the 2027 UCR fees
FMCSA's Sept. 1 rule raises the 2027 UCR fee for a carrier with 3 to 5 trucks from $138 to $167, and CDLWire reports the fees stay in effect while the court case is pending.
What happened
The Small Business in Transportation Coalition asked a federal appeals court on Oct. 20 to throw out FMCSA's 2027 Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) fee rule. The petition for review, case No. 26-1297, is in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In an Oct. 23 announcement, SBTC says the UCR plan and agreement were never set up by regulation as the UCR Act of 2007 requires, and it asks the court to set the rule aside and stop UCR fee collection. SBTC also alleges FMCSA shares truckers' Social Security numbers with the UCR system in violation of the Privacy Act. These are claims in a court filing, and the court has not ruled.
Why it matters
FMCSA's final rule raises 2027 UCR fees an average of 20%. Carriers with 0 to 2 trucks go from $46 to $55, 3 to 5 trucks from $138 to $167, and 6 to 20 trucks from $276 to $333. CDLWire notes that filing the petition does not suspend the rule, and the 2027 fees remain in effect while the case moves forward.
What to consider
Budget for the 2027 fee for your fleet size and register on the normal schedule, since CDLWire notes the lawsuit offers no protection to a carrier that does not pay. Register on the UCR site · FMCSA 2027 UCR fee rule · What UCR is
Sources
Reporting and records credited to the sources above, Oct. 24, 2026. We link to the original and add what it means for carriers.
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