The United Motorcoach Association "Piles On"

Unregistered Carriers on 11/24/2009 - 1532
Unregistered Carriers on 11/25/2009 - 1512

Maine - 93.25%
Illinois - 92.91%

The United Motorcoach Association was featured in the FMCSA News Summary the other day echoing many of the same UCR "sentiments" that the rest of "big industry" has been yelling about since summer.

They make the following points:

The 122% proposed increase in fees is not "reasonable", especially in a year when the economy and businesses are suffering.

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.

FMCSA only suggests that increased compliance might mitigate the need for such a tremendous increase in fees.

FMCSA is rewarding states for poor performance, punishing compliant carriers and encouraging noncompliant carriers to remain so.

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 goes on to recommend 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."

You know, I would love to sit down and talk to the folks who created this document and these suggestions.

With all due respect, I wonder whether they even understand what they're talking about beyond "Wow, that's a big increase!", primarily because of their recommendation #1. They don't seem to be aware that a huge chunk of the increase can be traced directly to the elimination of trailers, which even the "big truck people" concede is (dare I use the term?) "reasonable" because of the changes to the law. In fact, industry was "not so quietly" pushing for the scenario that raised fees 60-70% as a "reasonable compromise in this economy". At least give us lazy, poor-performing, non-compliance-encouraging, unimaginative State and Federal folks credit for that much!

As you know, I could go on (and on and on) about this document and all the other position statements made by industry regarding the fee increase, but it's Thanksgiving week and I'm feeling thankful for a lot of things.

One thing I'm especially thankful for is that I have been at the Bingo Stamp / SSRS / UCR "table" for a lot of years now (side-by side with industry, I might add) ... and I seem to be one of the (few) people who is able to remember how we got where we are. Maybe we'll reminisce a little about that next week.

Meanwhile ... Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!!!