Three transportation and trucking groups have joined in support of a draft legislative proposal that would eliminate the current Single State Registration System (SSRS) and replace it with a new system called Unified Carrier Registration (UCR).

The National Private Truck Council (NPTC), the National Conference of State Transportation Specialists (NCSTS) and the American Trucking Assns. (ATA) have joined in support of the proposal, which was drafted by the ATA's SSRS subcommittee. The draft provides replacement revenue for all currently participating SSRS states and provides an allocation for non-participating states. It also includes provisions for a single, federal on-line system merging all federal and state motor carrier registration and information systems.
The ATA subcommittee was created a year ago to evaluate SSRS alternatives that would provide for replacement revenue for states. The subcommittee, led by Ed Trout, president of Cornhusker Motor Lines Inc., has worked closely with NCSTS and other affected organizations to afford all parties the opportunity to comment.
With the support of NPTC and the states, all three groups will be able to go to Congress with a united stance requesting a significant reduction in the burdensome fees for many carriers, as well as a simplified process. "The cooperation, support and expertise of all involved allowed us to structure a workable, economical solution to the age-old Bingo stamp/SSRS issues," said Trout, who is chairman of the ATA subcommittee.
After reviewing the draft legislative proposal plan and meeting with the subcommittee, the NPTC board of directors voted to support the enactment of the draft legislative proposal with two minor conditions. They want to limit SSRS to motor vehicles greater than 10,000 pounds GVW, and they want to put a cap on the limits of the SSRS revenue collected by states.
"Some one-third to one-half of NPTC's members have for-hire authority and would enjoy lower annual fees under the UCR approach," said Gary Petty, president and CEO of NPTC. "And all of our members would receive the benefit of preempting any additional state fees beyond those allowed under the UCR. In addition, NPTC supports mandating that these fees be used for state truck safety and enforcement programs," Petty said.
NCSTS has been working closely with the ATA subcommittee on the proposal, and the membership voted formally in June 2002 to accept the plan as outlined. "It has taken a long while for industry and the states to come together on this important issue," said Paul Reinert, vice president and chairman of the NCSTS interstate registration committee. "I believe the proposal we have crafted will ultimately provide the federal government and the states with the information and revenues needed to effectively carry out their responsibilities, while rationalizing the fee structure and providing significant administrative savings to the motor carrier industry."
The key points of the draft legislative proposal provide for a single, federal on-line registration system; per carrier fees rather than per vehicle fees; replacement revenue for current SSRS states; and a minimum allocation for current non-SSRS states. In addition, the draft proposes that all motor carriers are included; that the federal system should preempt any state system; that SSRS revenue should be used for safety, enforcement and financial responsibility only; and access to this information will be available to all interested parties.
The Single State Registration System (SSRS) is a federal program that is administered by 38 states to monitor the insurance and financial responsibility registration of interstate motor carriers. SSRS currently applies only to for-hire interstate carriers, which collectively pay approximately $100 million in registration fees annually. The fees are per vehicle and cannot exceed $10 per vehicle per state in which the carrier operates. The SSRS system allows motor carriers operating in two or more states to register only in one state (the base state), while satisfying the registration requirements of all other participating states in which the carrier operates.