On August 23, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published a final rule establishing a Unified Registration System (URS). The new system will replace four existing systems and combine 16 different forms that carriers, freight forwarders and brokers currently use to register and update their information with the agency into a single, electronic "smart form.”

Most of the final rule takes effect in October 2015. At that time, all new applications and updates to existing records will be handled through the new system. FMCSA states that URS will increase efficiency by streamlining the registration process for industry and enabling FMCSA to maintain more accurate information on the entities it regulates.

FMCSA will spend the next two years developing the electronic URS. However, FMCSA will enforce penalties against registrants that fail to update information every two years starting November 1, 2013.

The Agency will issue a cautionary letter 30 days before a biennial update deadline. If a company ignores the warning, the FMCSA will begin deactivating its U.S. DOT number and will consider imposing civil penalties. Carriers already are required to update information every 24 months using Form MCSA-1.

For a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the URS, click here.