The National Private Truck Council (NPTC), National Conference of State Transportation Specialists (NCSTS), and American Trucking Associations (ATA) 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 the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR).
This proposal, drafted by the ATA SSRS Subcommittee, 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 online system merging all federal and state motor carrier registration and information systems.
With the support of NPTC and the states, all three groups can go to Congress united and request a significant reduction in the fees for many carriers, as well as a simplified process.
After reviewing the draft legislative proposal plan and meeting with the ATA SSRS Subcommittee, the NPTC board of directors voted to support enactment of the draft legislative proposal with two minor conditions: 1) limiting SSRS to motor vehicles greater than 10,000-lb GVW and 2) capping the limits of the SSRS revenue collected by states.
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.
Key points of the draft legislative proposal provide for:
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A single, federal online registration system.
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Per-carrier fees rather than per-vehicle fees.
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Replacement revenue for current SSRS states and a minimum allocation for current non-SSRS states.
The draft also proposes that all motor carriers are included; that the federal system should pre-empt any state system; that SSRS revenue should only be used for safety, enforcement, and financial responsibility; and access to this information will be available to all interested parties.
