FMCSA to phase in new registration system
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Sept. 14 that it plans to adopt a phased implementation of the Unified Registration System (URS). The agency said it will publish a Federal Register notice in October providing details on the updated implementation timeline.
As finalized in August 2013, the URS is intended to improve the accuracy and timeliness of information in FMCSA's carrier database. The URS will combine several registration forms that regulated carriers currently must submit into a single online form. Under the URS, the USDOT number will be the sole identifier for regulated entities. Originally, the URS was to take effect on Oct. 23, 2015.
In a Sept. 15 message to FMCSA personnel, FMCSA Administrator Scott Darling listed implementation of URS as one of the agency's five priorities for the remainder of 2015. "It is important that we get this right," Darling said. "As such, we will move forward with a new phased implementation that will ensure a successful launch."
The other four priorities Darling listed were a proposed rule on safety fitness determinations; rolling out inspection modernization; training inspectors for phase 3 of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program; and issuing a final rule on electronic logging devices by the end of the year.
