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Home > Motor Carrier Services > Motor Carrier Manual > Part IV Single State Registration System

Part IV
Single State Registration System

Those motor carriers operating for-hire under permit or certificate issued formerly by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and now the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) must participate in the Single State Registration System (SSRS Program). This program replaces the "Bingo Stamp Program" which had been in effect for a number of years.

The Bingo Stamp Program required each carrier to contact and meet each state's requirements for registering their ICC Operating Authority. The SSRS Program creates a single point contact with a base state for motor carriers to register their authority in all states they need to operate in. The base state is determined by the principal place of business of the motor carrier. If the motor carrier's base state does not participate in the program, then the base state must be the state in which the carrier operates the most vehicles.

This program simplifies the reporting requirements in that insurance and resident agent information has to be on file in only two places; the FHWA and the base state. Carriers must contact their base state to add states or vehicles to their receipts.

The base state will issue a receipt to be carried in each vehicle. The receipt will list all states that the carrier is authorized to operate in. The carrier may reproduce the receipt as many times as the number of trucks he has paid for.

Carriers must pay a fee for each state determined by the state fee multiplied by the total number of vehicles to be operated in each state.

The following are the documentation that needs to be on file with the base state:

  1. RS-1: 2-page application form.
  2. RS-2: 1 page fee matrix listing all participating states and their fees.
  3. BMC-91 or BMC91X: Insurance filing. ICC-approved self-insurance is also acceptable.
  4. BOC-3: Resident agent form listing all agents by state on a blanket designation.
  5. ICC Authority or FMCSA Authority: Most often a 2 page document denoting a carrier's authority.
  6. RS-3: Registration Receipt issued to carrier upon completion of the SSRS REGISTRATION PROCESS.

ICC EXEMPT AND INTRASTATE FOR-HIRE CARRIERS

Those carriers exempt from ICC/FMCSA Authority will continue with the Bingo Stamp Program until such time some form of the SSRS program applies to them. In anticipation of this, legislation has removed most of the exemptions applying to interstate for-hire carriers. Consequently, motor carriers hauling for-hire any commodity in interstate commerce most likely is subject to the insurance filing and bingo stamp requirements. For-hire intrastate carriers not exempted must also participate in the Bingo stamp program.

DOT NUMBER

The Federal Highway Administration requires all motor carriers or all registrants operating in interstate service to obtain a Federal DOT number. Applications are available through this office upon request and on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration web site. Those motor carriers currently displaying ICC/FMCSA numbers on their vehicles are not exempt from obtaining DOT numbers but do not need to display them.

All intrastate qualifying motor carriers also must participate in the USDOT numbering program, but will not be required to display them on their motor vehicles.

Intrastate registrants must provide their DOT number at time of registration.

Maine-based interstate or intrastate carriers may apply for their DOT number by contacting the Maine Office of Motor Carrier Services, Fuel Unit. Please call (207) 624-9000, ext. 52137.

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