No Hazardous Fee Hikes: PHMSA Cancels Costly Transport Plan
Published Date: 11/20/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
PHMSA has decided to cancel its plan to raise fees for people and businesses that transport hazardous materials. This means no extra costs or new rules for those who register to move these materials, at least for now. The withdrawal takes effect immediately, so everyone can keep their current fees and processes without changes.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Planned Registration Fee Hike Canceled
PHMSA withdrew its May 24, 2024 proposed rule and will not raise hazardous materials registration fees as of November 20, 2025. The withdrawn proposal would have raised the annual fee for small businesses and not-for-profits to $375 (a $125 increase) and to $3,000 (a $425 increase) for other registrants, but those increases will not take effect now.
Move to Electronic-Only Payments
PHMSA will proceed with a separate rulemaking to implement an electronic-only registration fee payment system (see NPRM published July 1, 2025, 90 FR 28528). If adopted, persons who register to transport hazardous materials would be required to make registration fee payments electronically.
Recordkeeping Requirements To Be Clarified
PHMSA will proceed with separate rulemaking to revise hazardous materials recordkeeping requirements (see NPRM published July 1, 2025, 90 FR 28531). Proposed revisions include clarifying how a certificate of registration may be carried and provided in electronic or paper form and removing expired sunrise dates, which aims to reduce recordkeeping burdens for domestic carriers.
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