The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is close to publishing a new Unified Registration System for trucking operations.

The White House Office of Management and Budget cleared the agency’s plan on Monday.

OMB is requiring the agency to make some changes to its proposed rule, so the details of the final version are not yet available.

But in general, the new regime will combine several programs that track identification, registration and financial responsibility into a single on-line system. It will require registrants to update their information every two years.

The final rule may differ, but the agency proposed to identify carriers by their Department of Transportation number.

It also suggested that carriers could use their obsolete MC numbers for business and advertising. They would not have to remove that number from their trucks but the agency said it would encourage them to do that on new or repainted trucks once the rule is final.

Also, the agency proposed that it no longer accept or review requests for transfers of operating authority.

And private carriers that haul hazardous materials interstate would have to show that they meet financial requirements.

The pending rule is part of an effort to raise the bar to entry into the business and help keep better track of “chameleon” carriers – those that evade enforcement by re-registering under a different identity.