WASHINGTON The year 2009 came and went and the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement fees for 2010 never got published.

Early in September, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began the rulemaking to reset the fees imposed under the agreement, which replaced the old Single-State Registration System three years ago.

The FMCSA asked for public comments on the fee system it proposed, and received nearly 200, most from private truck and bus operators, which were highly critical of the proposal to more than double the UCRA fees on a per-vehicle basis.

During the final three months of 2009 there was not a word more out of FMCSA.

One expert on the process thinks the rule is still being reviewed within the U.S. Department of Transportation. Once thats finished, then it may go to the Office of Management and Budget for another, final look.

At year end, it appeared the 2010 UCRA fees would not be announced (via publication in the Federal Register) until January at the earliest.

If Office of Management and Budget takes a significant interest in the issue, it could be spring before the 2010 fees are set and the states can begin collecting them.

All the delay means that bus and truck operators wont have to pay any UCRA fees until the final rule is officially issued.

Under federal law, the states that participate in the UCRA program may not collect anything for 2010 until the fees are reset by FMCSA. Roadside enforcement officials should not be issuing any citations for nonpayment to carriers while the fees are not yet final.

Moreover, states may not impose any fees connected with the renewal of intrastate operating authority on carriers that hold both intrastate and interstate authority. Such fees are preempted by federal law for carriers that hold dual authority, and the preemption does not depend on a carriers payment of UCRA fees or registration under that program.