WASHINGTON Count the United Motorcoach Association among those groups who say that doubling Unified Carrier Registration Agreement fees is a rotten idea.

UMA has filed a statement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, protesting the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plan to increase the fees by 122 percent next year.

"UMA respectfully suggests that the margins of the proposed increase far exceed what our members consider reasonable," the association said in its filing.

Under the rules governing the Unified Carrier Registration Agreement, the systems annual fees may be adjusted within a "reasonable" range if the revenue derived from the fees are either insufficient to provide the participating states with the revenues they are entitled to or exceed those revenues.

UMA contends an 122 percent increase in one year, especially a year when the economy and businesses are suffering, is not at all reasonable.

The motorcoach association also asserts that neither the FMCSA nor individual states are doing enough to expand collections under the UCRA or to find scofflaws that are not paying.

"A plan to increase compliance seems to escape participating states and (the) FMCSA only suggests that increased compliance might mitigate the need for such a tremendous increase in fees," wrote UMA.

"Meanwhile, UMA can only conclude that FMCSA is rewarding states for poor performance, punishing compliant carriers and encouraging noncompliant carriers to remain so."

UMA concludes that now is the time to develop "a more fair and effective method" to supplement the revenue needed by states to carry out their safety enforcement efforts.

"UMA respectfully recommends the following:

"1. Abandon any plans to increase UCRA fees in 2010.

"2. Require states to increase collection enforcement and submit plans demonstrating increased enforcement.

"3. Immediately solicit alternative proposals for methods that may prove more effective in supplementing states and replace UCRA altogether.

"4. Based on increased compliance and public proposals, more reasonable fees should be established for Jan. 1, 2011, implementation and published no later than July 1, 2010 should UCRA prove viable."