Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department said that trucking companies do not have to pay a tax bill the agency mistakenly mailed. The notices were for a $5 per-vehicle fee that the Legislature eliminated in its session earlier this year as part of the impending transition to the Unified Carrier Registration Plan.
The independent special committee of the U.S. Xpress board of directors announced Aug. 7 that it had retained Wachovia Securities as its financial adviser to assist in its evaluation of the proposed unsolicited tender offer by Mountain Lake Acquisition Co., a company owned by the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based carrier’s co-chairmen Patrick Quinn and Max Fuller.
Internal Revenue Service announced following a quarterly review that purchasers of qualified Nissan North America Inc. hybrid vehicles may continue to claim the alternative motor vehicle credit. The allowable credit amount for the 2007 Altima Hybrid – Nissan’s only certified hybrid vehicle – is $2,350.
PHH FirstFleet and Wright Express Corp. introduced a branded fleet fuel card for PHH FirstFleet customers for use at more than 180,000 fuel and vehicle maintenance locations. Customized by PHH FirstFleet for its client base, the Wright Express card program offers convenience, consolidated billing, comprehensive reporting, fraud control and cost management capabilities, the companies say.
Motor carriers will pay between $39 and $37,500, depending on fleet size, under a final fee schedule for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan and Agreement. In the Aug. 24 Federal Register, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration adopted without change its proposed UCR fee schedule, effective immediately.
In August 2005, Congress ordered that the UCR Plan replace the Single State Registration System (SSRS) Plan by Jan. 1, 2007. Because the SSRS expired on that date, FMCSA expedited its consideration of the UCR fees so states could replace the revenue as soon as possible. Legislation enacted by Congress just before its August recess this year temporarily reinstates the SSRS, but now that FMCSA has adopted the final UCR fee regulations, states participating in the UCR Plan and Agreement likely will adopt the UCR fees instead.
The proposed schedule, which is the total amount to be paid by the company, is as follows:
