Renewal periods for operating permits opening soon

With fall upon us, it’s time for owner-operators to begin getting their paperwork and permits in order.

Helping truckers navigate the process of renewing the multitude of necessary permits is old hat for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. During a recent episode of Land Line Now, Brittany Murphy and Caleb Sears of OOIDA’s Permits and Licensing Department discussed a few permits coming up for renewal.

Unified Carrier Registration

UCR is an annual permit that most motor carriers must pay if they have an active U.S. DOT number marked interstate. The UCR permit needs to be maintained regardless of whether a driver uses that DOT number or not.

Law enforcement in all states is required to enforce UCR requirements, whether or not the state participates in receiving funding from UCR fees. Non-participating states are Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and Wyoming. Washington, D.C., also does not participate.

The window to file and pay the UCR fee will be from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. Sears said that for drivers who are already registered, the process is “super easy.” Simply visit the UCR website and input your DOT number. You will then be prompted to verify your information and input payment information.

Fees are structured by tiers and are calculated based on how many trucks operate under your authority. Murphy said that most OOIDA members fall into the first two tiers, which include carriers with up to five trucks in their fleet. The fee for tier one is $41, which covers carriers with two or fewer trucks. The fee goes up to $121 for tier two.

International Fuel Tax Agreement

When it comes to renewing your IFTA permit, you’ll need to be aware of your state’s rules to know how and when to renew.

With some states doing auto-renewals and others requiring a bit more legwork, Murphy said you’ll want to be on the lookout for a reminder from your state regarding its renewal period.

In most states, the IFTA renewal period begins on Oct. 1. Carriers are required to display the decal for the upcoming year no later than Dec. 31.

Weight/distance permits

There are currently five states – Connecticut, Kentucky, New Mexico, New York and Oregon – that require carriers to pay fees based on miles driven in the state.

Any carrier operating in those states will need to not only calculate those fees but also to register annually for a weight/distance permit. This year, the only one of the states that is up for renewal is New Mexico.

As far as renewal goes, Sears said the process is simple for any carrier already registered with the state, typically requiring only that you verify your information from the previous year.

As with the other permits, the renewal period will open on Oct. 1 and needs to be completed by Dec. 31.

Listen to Land Line Now’s full segment on permit renewals below

Both Murphy and Sears said that drivers will want to be vigilant against fraud when it comes time to renew any permit. Be sure to give your information only to trusted sources via reliable websites ending in .gov, and be leery of any attempt to collect your information over the phone. Sears said that state and federal DOTs will never contact you via text or phone call.

“Anything that you’re going to get, most of the time, from your state or federal government is going to be paper mail or an email that is from a .gov address or something that looks legit,” Sears told Land Line Now. LL