[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 55 (Monday, March 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13930-13931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-05571]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA-2025-0556]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Renewal of an Approved
Information Collection Request: Unified Registration System, FMCSA
Registration/Updates
AGENCY: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Department
of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA
announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR)
described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review
and approval. FMCSA requests approval to renew the previously approved
ICR now titled ``Unified Registration System, FMCSA Registration/
Updates,'' OMB Control No. 2126-0051. This ICR applies to new
registrants seeking initial registration and operating authority
registration from FMCSA. New registrants seeking to register with FMCSA
must use online Form MCSA-1, accessible via the Unified Registration
System (URS).
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before April 22,
2026.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be submitted within 30 days of
publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find
this information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jeffrey Secrist, Office of
Registration, Chief, Registration Division, DOT, FMCSA, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001; (202) 385-2367;
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Unified Registration System, FMCSA Registration/Updates.
OMB Control Number: 2126-0051.
Type of Request: Renewal of a currently approved information
collection.
Respondents: Carrier compliance officer or equivalent from
transportation entities subject to FMCSA's licensing, registration, and
certification regulations.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 549,782 (183,261 per year).
Estimated Time per Response: 1.34 hours.
Expiration Date: May 31, 2026.
Frequency of Response: One-time information collection.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 736,708 hours (245,569 per year).
Background
FMCSA registers for-hire motor carriers of regulated commodities
and of passengers, under 49 U.S.C. 13902(a); surface freight
forwarders, under 49 U.S.C. 13903; property brokers, under 49 U.S.C.
13904; and certain Mexico-domiciled motor carriers, under 49 U.S.C.
13902(c). These motor carriers may conduct transportation services in
the United States only if they are registered with FMCSA. Each
registration is effective from the date specified and remains in effect
for such period as the Secretary of Transportation determines by
regulations.
The final rule titled ``Unified Registration System,'' (78 FR
52608) dated August 23, 2013, implemented statutory provisions for an
online registration system for entities that are subject to FMCSA's
licensing, registration, and certification regulations. URS streamlines
the registration process and serves as a clearinghouse and repository
of information on motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders,
intermodal equipment providers, hazardous materials safety permit
applicants, and cargo tank facilities required to register with FMCSA.
When developing URS, FMCSA planned that the OP-1 series of forms
(except for OP-1(MX)) would ultimately be folded into one overarching
form (MCSA-1), which would be used by all motor carriers seeking
authority.
FMCSA began a phased rollout of URS in 2015. The first phase, which
became effective on December 12, 2015, impacts only first-time
applicants seeking an FMCSA-issued registration. FMCSA had planned
subsequent rollout phases for existing registrants; however, these
subsequent phases have not yet been finalized.
On January 17, 2017, FMCSA issued a final rule titled ``Unified
Registration System; Suspension of Effectiveness,''
[[Page 13931]]
which indefinitely suspended URS effectiveness dates for existing
registrants only (82 FR 5292). Pursuant to this final rule, FMCSA is
still accepting forms OP-1, OP-1(P), OP-1(FF), and OP-1(NNA) for
existing registrants wishing to apply for additional authorities.
Separately, FMCSA requires Form OP-1(MX) for Mexico-domiciled carriers
that wish to operate beyond the U.S. municipalities on the U.S.-Mexico
border and their commercial zones.
As described above, only first-time applicants seeking an FMCSA-
issued registration must apply via URS, using Form MCSA-1. Under URS,
all forms described in the current ICR, except OP-1(MX), are folded
into Form MCSA-1. Information collection activities associated with the
OP-1 series of forms are covered under a different ICR, titled
``Licensing Applications for Motor Carrier Operating Authority,'' OMB
Control No. 2126-0016.
Form MCSA-1 requests information to identify the applicant, the
nature and scope of its proposed operations, safety-related details,
and information regarding the drivers and vehicles it plans to use in
U.S. operations. FMCSA and the States use registration information
collected via Form MCSA-1 to track motor carriers, freight forwarders,
brokers, and other entities they regulate. Registering motor carriers
is essential to being able to identify carriers so that their safety
performance can be tracked and evaluated. The data make it possible to
link individual CMVs to the responsible motor carrier, thus
implementing the mandate under 49 U.S.C. 31136(a)(1); that is, ensuring
that CMVs are maintained and operated safely. In general, registration
information collected via Form MCSA-1 informs prioritization of the
Agency's activities and aids in assessing and statistically analyzing
the safety outcomes of those activities.
The current information collection supports the DOT Strategic Goal
of Safety. It streamlines registration processes and ensures that FMCSA
can more efficiently track motor carriers, freight forwarders, brokers,
and other entities regulated by the Agency.
On November 17, 2025, FMCSA published a Federal Register notice
allowing for a 60-day comment period on this ICR (90 FR 51436). The
comment period closed on January 16, 2026. There were no comments
submitted in response to that notice.
Public Comments Invited
You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information
collection, including: (1) whether the proposed collection is necessary
for the performance of FMCSA's functions; (2) the accuracy of the
estimated burden; (3) ways for FMCSA to enhance the quality,
usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that
the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of the
collected information.
Issued under the authority of 49 CFR 1.87.
David M. Sutula,
Acting Associate Administrator, Office of Research and Registration.
[FR Doc. 2026-05571 Filed 3-20-26; 8:45 am]
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