SBTC Investigation into New UCR Online Payment Platform Reveals Numerous Technical Deficiencies Blocking Carriers' UCR Payments

Summary: On February 21, 2019, SBTC President James Lamb released SBTC's findings that the UCR Payment platform is corrupt and is not properly pulling data from USDOT systems in reference to carriers' last four of tax id numbers being used as passwords to make UCR payment, causing an estimated tens of thousands of carriers not to be able to file their UCR. SBTC also points to archaic manual and electronic data collection methods by USDOT that have resulted in data being "transposed." SBTC suggests security professional industry protocol requires a two step verification process when passwords are set. Echoing its call for UCR Board members to be removed and replaced due to more than a decade of Sunshine Act violations, SBTC has called on Secretary Chao to step in and direct the removal of the last four tax ID number requirement that is blocking carrier payments before the April 1st enforcement date. SBTC also suggests a class action suit may follow if carriers are ticketed after having made good faith efforts to file their UCR but were blocked by the payment system. SBTC's email on which the Secretary of Transportation was copied follows...

From: "James Lamb" <james@truckers.com>

Date: Thu, Feb 21, 2019 8:15 am

To: "Laurence Socci" <laurence.socci@influence-strategies.com>, Raymond.Martinez@dot.gov

Cc: "Minor, Larry (FMCSA)" <larry.minor@dot.gov>, charles.fromm@dot.gov, James@truckers.com, "elaine.chao@dot.gov" <elaine.chao@dot.gov>, "jboppjr@aol.com" <jboppjr@aol.com>, "cyoungs@bopplaw.com" <cyoungs@bopplaw.com>, "anarog@bopplaw.com" <anarog@bopplaw.com>, "toby@seikosoft.com" <toby@seikosoft.com>, "Avelino.Gutierrez@state.nm.us" <Avelino.Gutierrez@state.nm.us>

Subject: RE: Request for Meeting Re: UCR Board Policy Obstructing Motor Carrier Registration

Did FMCSA meet with you, Laurence, or are they ignoring this issue?

The chat pasted below with the UCR Help Desk shows the UCR Board knows --or should know --of an issue regarding the last 4 digits of carriers' tax ID numbers not properly being transmitted from USDOT to SeikoSoft, yet the UCR Board has done absolutely nothing to relieve carriers from this filing obstacle over the nearly 2 months.

The UCR Board itself has not been forthcoming in telling us about the nature of this problem or its solution. We had to investigate and figure it out on our own. The SeikoSoft system is apparently not receiving all digits needed from the USDOT system. Carriers are being told they have to guess what the tax ID number on file is because certain digits in the data are either missing or digits are being "transposed" presumably due to the original collection method which did not include a tow step verification process that is industry standard. The UCR Help desk is referring carriers to FMCSA for help.

Blocking carriers from paying fees in furtherance of a Congressionally charted interstate agreement that are used by the 41 participating states for motor carrier safety enforcement is clearly not in the public interest.

We are coming up on the enforcement date at which time tens of thousands of carriers( if not more) who tried to file their UCR in good faith will begin to get ticketed.

FMCSA is knowingly enabling this problem by not intervening.

As UCR is the act of registering interstate operations with the states, the Federal government has the power to preempt the states' interference with interstate commerce by directing the UCR Board comprised of state representatives to remove this obstacle to registering. I know the UCR Chair copied here is telling you the tax id problem is mostly with Canadian carriers but that is not accurate. That issue is an additional, separate problem because Canadians do not have an American tax ID at all.

This migration from Indiana to SeikoSoft copied here is a complete and utter disaster and the UCR Help desk admits it below. Something has to be done. The Secretary of Transportation is therefore copied here in furtherance of our call to remove and replace existing UCR Board members.

The obvious solution is to just turn the tax id requirement OFF until and unless the system works. The UCR Board did without this feature for 12 years. It can do without it from now until they fix it.

Please share this email with Congressional oversight staffers so that carriers can get relief before states like Colorado begin fining drivers $1,100. In some cases, state law calls for fines per day. As carriers' property interests and due process rights are involved here, this is headed for a class action suit if this does not get immediately resolved and mass enforcement begins. The Bopp Law firm is therefore copied here.

From: mylivechat < sendmail@mylivechat.com >

Date: Wed, Feb 20, 2019 at 12:15 PM

Subject: Transcript of your chat with Lori

To: easytrucking1987@gmail.com < easytrucking1987@gmail.com >

General Info Chat start time 2019-02-20

10:03:19 Chat end time 2019-02-20

10:14:57 Duration (actual chatting time) 00:11:37 Operator Lori Customer Kevin Email easytrucking1987@gmail.com

Question Hello, I am attempting to file the 2019 UCR and it is telling me the last 4 of the tax ID I am entering is wrong. I know this is not the case. How can I fix this?

Chat Transcript

Sender Message Time Kevin Sender Message Time

Kate 09:36:33

Kevin

Hello, I am attempting to file the 2019 UCR and it is telling me the last 4 of the tax ID I am entering is wrong. I know this is not the case. How can I fix this?