How much is UCR? 2027 fees by fleet size
The 2027 UCR government fee is tiered by power-unit count and went UP for 2027 — FMCSA approved an increase averaging about 20%, final rule published September 1, 2026 and effective October 1, 2026. The 2027 brackets are $55 for 0–2 vehicles, $167 for 3–5, $333 for 6–20, $1,163 for 21–100, $5,548 for 101–1,000, and $54,165 for 1,001+. Only self-propelled vehicles count — trailers don't. The portal decides your bracket on one screen, from a "Vehicle Total" it computes out of the counts you confirm. Enter your USDOT and EasyUCR reads your carrier record to show the bracket you should land in, free, before you go anywhere near a payment screen.
Only power units count
Your bracket is based on power units — self-propelled commercial vehicles like tractors, straight trucks and buses. Trailers are excluded, entirely and always. On UCR.gov this is settled on a single screen, and it's worth knowing before you get there: Option A autofills your count from your most recent MCS-150, while Option B lets you enter the vehicles you operated during a fixed 12-month window. The portal asks for "Straight Trucks and Tractors" and "Passenger Vehicles" separately, asks whether any vehicles need to be added or excluded, and then shows you a computed "Vehicle Total". That total, and nothing else, picks your bracket.
The screen where carriers overpay
Because the vehicle screen is one click from done, people accept the autofilled number and move on. If your MCS-150 still lists a truck you sold, that phantom unit can push you up a tier — and the tiers are steep: $167 to $333 is one truck's difference at the 5-to-6 boundary. The fix is boring and free: check the count against what you actually operate before you confirm it, and if your MCS-150 is genuinely out of date, update it before you register rather than after. In a guided session the copilot tells you what number we expect from your record, so a mismatch on that screen is something you notice at the time instead of next October.
What you pay at the billing screen
The bracket fee isn't quite the whole bill. UCR.gov's billing screen lets you reuse the billing address from your MCS-150 and takes credit/debit card or ACH/eCheck — American Express is not accepted, which strands more carriers than any other single detail. Both card and eCheck carry a convenience fee on top of the government fee. There is a mail-in option that avoids the convenience fee, but your registration isn't valid until that payment clears, so it only makes sense if you're registering early in the season rather than in the last week of December.
Why a service costs more than $55
The $55 is just the government fee for the smallest fleets, and you always pay that part yourself on UCR.gov. Anyone can register direct and pay nothing else — we'd rather say that plainly than bury it. What a service charges for is the help. EasyUCR's is tiered by fleet size and shown before you pay: $49 for 0–2 power units, $69 for 3–5, $99 for 6–20, $149 for 21–100, and custom pricing for 101+. No percentage markups, no surprise lines, and the government fee never passes through us. Starting is free — you get the carrier lookup and the first four screens of the guided session before there's any decision to make.
Find your bracket free
Don't guess. Enter your USDOT and EasyUCR reads the power-unit count on your public carrier record and shows the 2027 bracket you should land in, in seconds, before you pay anything and before the portal asks you to confirm anything.
| Power units | 2026 fee |
|---|---|
| 0–2 | $55 |
| 3–5 | $167 |
| 6–20 | $333 |
| 21–100 | $1,163 |
| 101–1,000 | $5,548 |
| 1,001+ | $54,165 |
Frequently asked questions
Did UCR fees go up for 2027?+
Yes. FMCSA approved an increase averaging roughly 20% for the 2027 registration year, final as of September 1, 2026 and effective October 1, 2026. The 0–2 bracket went from $46 to $55, and the top bracket from $44,836 to $54,165. Be careful with pages still quoting 2026 amounts, or labelling the 2027 figures "proposed" — they are final.
Do trailers count toward my UCR fee?+
No. Only power units (self-propelled vehicles) count. Trailers are excluded from the bracket calculation — the portal only asks you for straight trucks and tractors, and passenger vehicles.
How is my power-unit count determined?+
From the most recent MCS-150 on file with FMCSA if you take the portal's Option A, which autofills it. Option B lets you enter the vehicles you operated in a fixed 12-month window instead. Either way the portal computes a "Vehicle Total" and that sets your bracket — so if your MCS-150 is out of date, the autofilled number can cost you a tier.
Can I pay the UCR fee with American Express?+
No. UCR.gov's billing screen accepts credit and debit cards and ACH/eCheck, but American Express is not accepted. Have a Visa, Mastercard, Discover or your bank details ready before you reach that screen.
Is there a processing fee on top of the UCR fee?+
Yes — card and ACH/eCheck payments both carry a convenience fee at the portal's billing screen. A mail-in payment option avoids it, but the registration isn't valid until that payment clears, so it suits early-season registrations rather than last-minute ones.
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