Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)/For-Hire Insurance

Unified Carrier Registration:

Maine has elected to participate in the UCR Agreement (UCRA). The UCRA is the interstate agreement, developed under the UCR Plan, governing the collection and distribution of registration information and fees generated under the UCRA. The UCRA requires all motor carriers and private motor carriers required to register with the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) as well as brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies to pay UCR fees. The UCR registrant must register annually and pay its UCR fees at the time of registration.

The UCRA is a base-state system, under which a UCR registrant pays UCR fees through the Base State on behalf of all the participating states. A UCR registrant may select Maine as its Base State if:

its principal place of business is in Maine; or
its principal place of business is not in Maine, but it has an office or operating facility located in Maine; or
it cannot select Maine using 1 or 2 above, but its principal place of business is closer to Maine than any other state participating in UCR;
its principal place of business is DC, MD, NJ, or VT or the Canadian Province of NB, NL, NS, PE, QC or ON.

For UCR fee information, forms, filing information and a link to Maine's online UCR system, please visit our UCR web page.

UCR Classification Definitions:

Broker - means a person, other than a motor carrier or an employee or agent of a motor carrier, that as a principal or agent sells, offers for sale, negotiates for, or holds itself out by solicitation, advertisement, or otherwise as selling, providing, or arranging for, transportation by motor carrier for compensation.

Freight forwarder - means a person holding itself out to the general public (other than as a pipeline, rail, motor, or water carrier) to provide transportation of property for compensation and in the ordinary course of its business:

assembles and coordinates, or provides for assembling and consolidating, shipments and performs or provides for break-bulk and distribution operations of the shipments;
assumes responsibility for the transportation from the place of receipt to the place of destination; and
uses an interstate carrier for any part of the transportation.

Leasing company - means a lessor that is engaged in the business of leasing or renting for compensation motor vehicles without drivers to a motor carrier, motor private carrier, or freight forwarder.

Motor carrier - means a person providing motor vehicle transportation for compensation.

Motor private carrier - means a person, other than a motor carrier, transporting property by motor vehicle when:

operating in interstate or international commerce; and
the person is the owner, lessee, or bailee of the property being transported; and
the property is being transported for sale, lease, rent, or bailment or to further a commercial enterprise.

Summary of For-Hire Insurance Requirements

The Secretary of State may not register any motor vehicle for rent, lease, hire or livery and a person may not operate a motor vehicle on any public way in Maine until the owner or owners of that vehicle procure insurance or bond covering the operation of that vehicle by:

Presenting a valid and sufficient insurance policy from:
1. an insurance company authorized by the Superintendent of Insurance to transact business in this State; or
2. with the approval of the Secretary of State, an insurance company authorized to transact business in any state that provides an indemnity bond bonding the insurance company in an amount the Secretary of State prescribes and having as surety company authorized by the Superintendent of Insurance to transact business in this State;
Presenting a good and sufficient indemnity bond, approved by the Secretary of State, bonding the applicant in an amount the Secretary of State prescribes and having as surety 2 responsible individuals or a surety company authorized to transact business in this State; or
Presenting a declaratory judgment issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration authorizing the owner to self-insure.

Maintenance of Insurance

The owner or owners of any vehicle subject to this section shall maintain at all times the required amount of insurance or bond during the term of the vehicle's registration. For vehicles registered in this State, the Secretary of State shall immediately suspend or revoke, pursuant to Title 29-A MRSA Chapter 23, the registration certificate and registration plates of any vehicle for which the insurance or bond in the amounts required is not maintained. Any person whose registration certificate and registration plates have been suspended or revoked pursuant to this section shall immediately return the registration certificate and registration plates to the Secretary of State.

(For passenger carriers operating for hire, the Secretary of State may not approve the policy or bond unless it provides primary coverage for the operator as well as the owner.) Effective 1/1/96.

Exemptions

All vehicles owned by the State, a municipality or school district are exempt from the insurance requirements established in this section.

Intrastate Operators

Evidence of appropriate insurance must be filed with the Secretary of State and signed by an authorized representative of the company certifying that coverage exists. Cancellation of a policy on file with the Secretary of State shall not take effect until thirty days after a notice of cancellation on a Form K is received by the Operating Authority Unit.

In the event that the carrier has obtained a policy from another insurance company, and such insurance becomes effective prior to the effective date or said 30 days, cancellation shall be effective as of the effective date of such other insurance.

Insurance forms required to be used when applicable for intrastate for hire passenger or rental service:

Form JB - State of Maine insurance certificate for hire passenger vehicles.

Form K - Uniform notice of cancellation of Motor Carrier Insurance Policies.

Intrastate For-Hire Minimum Requirements
(As of January 1, 1995)
Any	1-3 passengers	behind driver's seat	$125,000 CSL $50/$100/$25
Any	4-7 passengers	behind driver's seat	$300,000 CSL
Any	8-15 passengers	behind driver's seat	$750,000 CSL
School Bus	up to 30 passengers	behind driver's seat	$500,000 CSL
School Bus	31 or more passengers	behind driver's seat	$1,000,000 CSL
Commercial Bus	16-30 passengers	behind driver's seat	$1,500,000 CSL
Commercial Bus	31 or more passengers	behind driver's seat	$2,000,000 CSL
Transit Bus	Any	behind driver's seat	$400,000 CSL

Additional Minimum Requirements
Ambulances	$350,000 CSL
Any Rental Vehicles (30 days or less)	$50/$100/$25
Property Carriers	$350,000 CSL

AGENCY INFORMATION

Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)/For-Hire Insurance