National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is September 13-19, 2026. This annual, nationwide celebration and cornerstone program was launched by the American Trucking Associations in 1988 to recognize and honor the vital contributions of truck drivers. It’s an important time for America to thank all the professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment in undertaking one of our economy’s most demanding and important jobs. Read on to learn more about this celebration!

Important Update: Temporary Suspension of Biennial Update Requirement

To help reduce service disruptions during the transition to MOTUS, FMCSA has temporarily suspended enforcement of the biennial update requirement and the inactivation of USDOT Numbers for failure to complete a required biennial update. Registrants whose biennial update was due on or after June 1, 2026, should not worry about submitting an update and will have additional time to do so. FMCSA will provide advance notice before enforcement resumes.

This notice also provides additional information for intrastate carriers and State requirements. Please feel free to share this information broadly with your members, customers, and other stakeholders.

2027 UCR Registration Year Fee Update

USDOT/FMCSA has approved fees for the 2027 UCR Registration Year. This rulemaking takes effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. See below for more details and learn more on the Federal Register website.

FMCSA amends the regulations governing the annual Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan and Agreement registration fees that participating States collect from motor carriers, motor private carriers of property, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies. On September 18, 2025, the UCR Board recommended a fee increase for the 2027 registration year and subsequent registration years. This recommended increase averages 20 percent over the fee structure adopted for 2025 and retained for 2026, with varying increases ranging between $9 and $9,329 per entity, depending on the applicable fee bracket. Although the fees for registration year 2027 are increased, they are less than those in effect during registration years 2019 through 2022. FMCSA adopts the recommended fee increase.

Your Voice Matters: Participate in UCR Plan Meetings

Active participation by states and industry in UCR Plan Board and Subcommittee meetings is important to ensuring that the UCR Plan remains viable and strong in the future and that your voice is heard on issues that will affect your state or you as a motor carrier.  Although you may not have an opportunity to speak during every meeting, active participation includes making your feelings known about agenda items ahead of each meeting to the Board members representing you on the UCR Plan Board. 

A full list of UCR Plan Board and Subcommittee meetings through the end of the year can be found at this link.  Agendas are posted seven days prior to scheduled meetings.  A list of UCR Plan Board members and their contact information is available at this link.

Inspector Recognition

The inspector who noted the most UCR violations in August 2026 was Officer Bruce Cheeseboro, Georgia Department of Public Safety. Officer Cheeseboro issued 26 violations. 

The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Enforcement Subcommittee is pleased to recognize the inspector who issues the highest number of UCR violations each month. An annual award will be awarded to the inspector with the most cumulative violations over the year. The mission of the UCR Enforcement Subcommittee is to increase UCR enforcement, standardize enforcement practices, support enforcement agencies, and provide education and training resources. For more information about the UCR Enforcement Subcommittee, please visit https://plan.ucr.gov/subcommittee-members/.

Policy Spotlight: Fraud and Identity Theft Policy

Fraud and identity theft occur when entities use another motor carrier’s assigned USDOT number when not authorized to do so, or when someone acts as a broker and is not registered with FMCSA. Fraud and identity theft are criminal acts.

View the complete Broker and Carrier Fraud and Identity Theft Policy in this document.

View this and all of the policies and procedures adopted by the UCR Board of Directors in the Document Library.

Education & Training Center: Enforcement Training

The UCR Enforcement Training provides an overview of the Unified Carrier Registration Plan, including who needs to register and how to do so, a guide for state employees on administrative tasks such as tracking registrations, refunding payments, and conducting audits, and detailed information on what law enforcement needs to know about UCR, including inter- vs. intrastate commerce, exemptions, and common red flags.

View this training and further educational resources to support training for stakeholders in motor carrier regulation in the UCR Plan Education & Training Center.

Oil prices hit $96 as Iran fighting intensifies

Stocks rose in morning trading Sept. 3 on Wall Street as bond yields eased further even as oil prices marched higher as the U.S. war with Iran escalates. Oil prices ticked higher as the six-month-long U.S. war with Iran intensified.

The renewed fighting has sent U.S. crude prices sharply higher this week, up 11%, a trend that continued Sept. 3. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 0.6% to $96.23 per barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 1.2% to $92.12 a barrel.

Source: “Oil prices hit $96 as Iran fighting intensifies,” Sept. 3, 2026. https://www.ttnews.com/

Comments close on EPA’s DEF rule; which way will it go?

The public comment period on the federal proposal that has come to be seen as the “DEF rule” has come to a close, with almost 200 submissions spanning the gamut of opinions on possible changes in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation.

The proposal, published in the Federal Register by EPA July 14 after earlier signaling of its intentions, had a relatively short window for comment, just 45 days. That ended last week though some comments continued to be posted on the comment’s website through Tuesday.

Source: “Comments close on EPA’s DEF rule; which way will it go?,” Sept. 3, 2026. https://www.freightwaves.com/

Surface transportation among projects funded by new CR signed by Trump

A shutdown of the U.S. government has been avoided — at least for now. On Sept. 3, 2026, President Donald Trump signed H.R. 6500, the “Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027,” which includes a short-term continuing resolution that provides fiscal year 2027 appropriations to Federal agencies through December 11, 2026, for continuing projects and activities of the Federal Government, and extends authorities for a broad range of programs including surface transportation and veteran programs.

Source: “Surface transportation among projects funded by new CR signed by Trump,” Sept. 3, 2026. https://www.thetrucker.com/