The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) program applies to all of the following that are required to be registered with the United States Department of Transportation (DOT):
- Motor carriers of property, both for-hire and private, including exempt carriers
- For-hire passenger motor carriers (private carriers of passengers are not subject to UCR)
- Freight forwarders
- Brokers and
- Leasing companies that lease vehicles without drivers to interstate motor carriers or freight forwarders
USDOT numbers are required to process your UCR registration. If you are unaware of your USDOT information or need to obtain a USDOT number, please contact FMCSA.
Classification Definitions
Commercial motor vehicle - (as defined under 49 USC Section 31101) a self-propelled or towed vehicle used on the highways in commerce principally to transport passengers or cargo, if the vehicle: (1) Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of at least 10,001 pounds, whichever is greater; (2) Is designed to transport more than 10 passengers including the driver; or (3) Is used in transporting material found by the Secretary of Transportation to be hazardous under section 5103 of this title and transported in a quantity requiring placarding under regulations prescribed by the Secretary under section 5103.
Motor carrier - a person providing motor vehicle transportation for compensation.
Motor private carrier - a person who provides interstate transportation of property in order to support its primary line of business.
Leasing company - a person or company engaged in the business of leasing or renting for compensation motor vehicles they own without drivers to a motor carrier, motor private carrier, or freight forwarder.
For these classifications below, a USDOT number is now required to process your UCR registration. If you are unaware of your USDOT information or need to obtain a USDOT number, please contact FMCSA.
Broker - a person, other than a motor carrier, who sells or arranges for transportation by a motor carrier for compensation.
Freight forwarder - a person that arranges for truck transportation of cargo belonging to others, utilizing for-hire carriers to provide the actual truck transportation, and also performs or provides for assembling, consolidating, break-bulk and distribution of shipments and assumes responsibility for transportation from place of receipt to destination.