2022 UCR Registration Opens as Officials Target Unpaid Fees for 35,000 Carriers
UCR officials look to collect unpaid fees as UCR Registration opens October 1 for the 2022 UCR registration year (2022 UCR fees are below).
The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) plan was created in 2005 to collect fees from interstate motor carriers, private carriers of property, brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies to offer more than $100 million in safety enforcement programs annually to the participating states.
The program requires ALL carriers (private, exempt, or for-hire) to register their business with a participating state and pay an annual fee that is based on the size of their fleet. Brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies also are required to register and pay a fee, unless they are also operating as a motor carrier.
Out of the 44,000 motor carriers who have not registered or paid fees with the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) plan, there are an estimated 35,000 unregistered carriers from the nine nonparticipating states, which include:
- Oregon
- Arizona
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- New Jersey
- Vermont
- Nevada
- Wyoming
These states that do not participate in the program must enforce UCR requirements for carriers domiciled in those states with DOT numbers.
The UCR board authorized three pilot projects that call for hiring a private contractor to contact, attempt to register and collect unpaid fees to raise funds for the plan.
Avelino Gutierrez, executive director of the UCR Plan, “the plan is to have one contractor full-time equivalent contact the motor carriers — about 50 a day — starting with those with the highest number of power units and moving to those with lower numbers of power units, to be more efficient in our return.”
The three pilot programs to collect fees include:
- focusing on around 5,600 new carrier entrants in nonparticipating states who have failed to register, which could raise up to $383,000
- targeting motor carriers who have received a violation for not registering, which is around 3,500 motor carriers each year
- contacting motor carriers that report power units that contradicts the number of power units declared on their MCS-150
Currently, none of the new pilots would be focused on brokers or freight forwarders, officials said.
We are a trustworthy UCR Filing Service
2022 UCR Registration is open as of October 1, 2021. With UCR fees released, all interstate motor carriers will need to update registrations before the deadline.
Use a filing service that knows our industry. Compliance Navigation Specialists can help you.
Our UCR filing service processes your new UCR or your renewal, quickly and accurately. We will file the paperwork and determine the fees, so you can stay focused on your vision for your carrier business.
If you have any questions, call or email CNS at 888.260.9448 or info@cnsprotects.com.
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We will process the registration within 24 hrs in the next business day and follow-up with you when completed.
States Will Downgrade CDLs Quickly for Recent FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Violations
FMCSA Will Notify States of Recent Drug and Alcohol Violations and Require States 60 Days to Revoke CDLs
One of the biggest FMCSA drug testing loopholes is closing as state driver license agencies (SLDAs) will soon be required to initiate the downgrade process for licenses of drivers who have a drug or alcohol violation in the Clearinghouse.
States are already required to check FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse database for violations before issuing new licenses or renewing the licenses and must not “issue, renew, upgrade or transfer a commercial driver’s license, or commercial learner’s permit when a driver has tested positive for drugs or alcohol.”
As of August, 87,438 drivers had at least one drug or alcohol violation, according to the Clearinghouse database.
However, most of these state agencies do not currently receive the CDL driver drug and alcohol violations when they first happen.
“Therefore, these SDLAs are unaware when a commercial motor vehicle operator is subject to the driving prohibition, and the CMV operator continues to hold a valid CDL or CLP, despite the driving prohibition,” said a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in their announcement.
Federal regulators are requiring SDLAs to remove the CDL holders driving privileges within 60 days after being notified of a test failure and prohibiting certain CDL transactions for drivers in the database.
There are two ways the FMCSA will notify state agencies:
- FMCSA will “push” the information to the SDLA whenever a drug or alcohol program violation is reported to the Clearinghouse for a CLP or CDL holder licensed in that State.
- FMCSA will also “push” a notification to the SDLA when the driver complies with return-to-duty requirements and is no longer prohibited from operating a CMV.
In addition, “if FMCSA determines that a driver was erroneously identified as prohibited, the Agency will notify the SDLA that the individual is not prohibited from operating a CMV; the SDLA must promptly reinstate the commercial driving privilege to the driver’s license, and expunge the driving record accordingly.”
Future of the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and Exemption Requests
The rule will help keep unsafe drivers off the road by increasing compliance “with the CMV driving prohibition”.
Most of the licensing agencies said that even if FMCSA notified the driver of an impending downgrade, they would still be required to notify the driver directly, as required by state law.
The rule is effective Nov. 8, 2021 and states must achieve “substantial compliance” with the applicable requirements of the final rule as soon as practicable, but not later than Nov. 18, 2024.
Need Clearinghouse and Compliance help?
It is important to note that effective January 6, 2023, the FMCSA clearinghouse will become the sole query source for employers to meet the requirement to identify prospective drivers with drug and alcohol violations.
Right now, carriers must request previous employment for drug testing history and query the Clearinghouse database.
Carriers must also perform a clearinghouse query on all drivers annually. If non-compliance surfaces in a compliance review or safety audit, a carrier faces a fine of up to $2,500 per offense.
CNS offers a comprehensive Drug and Alcohol Consortium Service and are a certified consortium and third-party administrator (C/TPA).
For more information, contact us at 888.260.9448 or info@cnsprotects.com.
Renew New York HUT Permits or AFC Registration Beginning October 1, 2021
All interstate and intrastate commercial motor carriers traveling on public highways in New York are required to have a highway use tax (HUT) permit and decal for their vehicles, not to be confused with the Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT).
This is a license tax number if the carrier will be driving in the State of New York with a gross weight over 18,000 pounds.
There is an option to use an unloaded weight method which requires a certificate for any truck with an unloaded weight over 8,000 pounds and any tractor with an unloaded weight over 4,000 pounds.
Carriers subject to the NY HUT must keep records of the miles traveled each day in New York by each vehicle subject to the tax, which is determined by the weight of the commercial vehicle.
The NY Highway Use Tax (HUT) Certificates of Registration and decals expire December 31, 2021. Get ready now to make sure that you receive your decals in time to place them on your vehicles before January 1, 2022.
NY Fuel Haulers: AFC certificate of registration
An AFC certificate of registration is required for any commercial motor carrier transporting automotive fuel and having a gross weight over 18,000 pounds.
If the truck already has a HUT certificate of registration, that vehicle does not need a separate AFC certificate.
When the unloaded weight method is used, an AFC certificate of registration is required for any truck with an unloaded weight of more than 8,000 pounds.
Automotive fuel includes:
- diesel motor fuel (No. 1 diesel fuel, No. 2 diesel fuel, biodiesel, kerosene, fuel oil, or other middle distillate and also motor fuel suitable for operating a diesel engine); and
- motor fuel (gasoline, benzol, reformulated blend stock for oxygenate blending, conventional blend stock for oxygenate blending, E85, fuel-grade ethanol that meets the ASTM International active standards specification D4806 or D4814, or other product that is suitable for use in the operation of a motor vehicle engine).
Know the Highway Use Tax (HUT) States
If traveling in New York (NY), Kentucky (KY), Oregon (OR), and/or New Mexico (NM) you need to apply for individual HUT Permits before traveling in those states.
Each state refers to it in their own way, which you will see below, but in general they are all Highway Use Taxes.
Depending on the states you plan to transport in and through, you may need some additional authorities:
- State PUC or Certificate Numbers: These number allow you to haul product in certain states.
- KYU Number: This is a license tax number if the carrier will be driving in the State of Kentucky over 59,999 pounds or more. (The carrier will need to keep and file separate tax records on a quarterly basis.)
- NM HUT: New Mexico Weight Distance Tax ID Permit is required for any carrier 26,000 pounds or greater traveling highways in New Mexico. (The carrier will need to keep and file separate tax records on a quarterly basis.)
- Oregon Weight Receipt and Tax Identifier: Permanent or temporary paper credentials are needed for out-of-state-based truckers to operate in Oregon.
Why choose Compliance Navigation Specialists for your licensing and permitting needs?
Compliance Navigation Specialists has been licensing and permitting trucking companies for over 30 years. DOT licensing and permitting is where we started, so our team knows the nuances making everything easy and smooth for your company.
No matter what state you are in, your fleet size, or the complexity of your operation, we can assist with all DOT compliance and licensing needs, including:
- DOT medical services
- DOT audit services
- DOT safety rating upgrades
- IFTA fuel tax reporting
- Trucking Startups
- and more
Call one of our DOT Compliance Specialists at 888.260.9448 to discuss your options or you can request more information in the form below.
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Under 21 Driver Assessment Tool Shows Promise in Beta Test
“We need to find ways to expand the pool of safe truck drivers, and ATRI’s preliminary research indicates that safe, younger drivers can be found, “said Joyce Brenny, Brenny Transportation, Inc. CEO.
ATRI, American Transportation Research Institute, released results of the Phase 1 Beta Test of its Younger Driver Assessment Tool exploring if an assessment tool to identify the safest 18-20 year old drivers is possible.
This is a critical step in expanding interstate CDL eligibility to younger drivers as the American Trucking Associations (ATA) have the driver shortage topping 100,000 by the year 2023 based on projected freight growth, industry retirements, and competition from other industries.
What is the trucking industry doing to attract younger drivers?
In hopes to increase the share of younger drivers in the industry, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) proposed an under-21 commercial driver pilot program allowing young drivers aged 18, 19, and 20 to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. Currently 18 to 20-year-olds are only allowed to operate intrastate commerce.
Additionally, the proposed infrastructure bill includes initiatives to grow the trucking workforce with an apprenticeship program for drivers younger than 21 to work in interstate commerce, addressing the growing truck driver shortage across the country.
However, one of the concerns with opening the labor pool to younger drivers is that young people are more likely to engage in higher risk driving behaviors.
How will the trucking industry measure young driver safety risk?
Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) indicate that individuals under 24 years of age represented 18.4 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2017 while representing just 11.8 percent of the licensed driving population that year.
The beta test findings for the Younger Driver Assessment Tool provided limited support for the idea that low risk commercial truck drivers can be identified based on behavioral indicators in their Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) and Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) safety records.
In general, and counter to expectations, cognitive functioning was not reliably associated with histories of violations or crashes in the group of 16 drivers used during initial testing.
In the small sample, the truck driving safety profiles of current truck drivers—as measured by motor vehicle records and pre-employment screening data—can be differentiated based on personality traits, physiological characteristics, and aspects of mental health.
With expanded statistical validation, this methodology may be successfully applied to the assessment and selection of new entrants into the industry’s workforce, including younger drivers.
Ultimately, the goal of the assessment tool would be to secure younger drivers with the cognitive and mental attributes of mature, experienced drivers, which based on data implies that they are more likely to be safe drivers.
ATRI’s Phase II assessment will focus on a larger sample of young drivers by recruiting individuals in the 18- to 25-year-old age range from commercial driving schools.
Learn more about all levels of truck driver training and CDL permit test preparation that we offer at our CNS Driver Training Center.
For more information, contact us at 888.260.9448 or info@cnsprotects.com.
Pennsylvania vehicle mileage tax being discussed to replace lost gas tax revenue
PennDOT relies on gas tax to fund 78% of its’ revenue needs, far more than neighboring states
With major gas-powered automakers transition to manufacture electric vehicles by 2035 and people driving less during the pandemic, PennDOT officials say the gas tax is no longer able to generate the money that is needed to keep the state’s transportation network in good repair.
PA Governor Tom Wolf charges the Transportation Revenue Options Commission to come up with ideas to phase out the state’s gas tax that is around 53 cents a gallon, the second highest in the nation.
With that in mind, the commission proposed phasing in an 8.1-cent-per-mile user fee over a five-year period, doubling the state’s vehicle registration fee, higher sales tax on vehicle purchases, an electric car fee, and a goods delivery fee taking advantage of online buying and delivery.
As we wait for TROC’s final draft, they hope it would begin at the time of the governor’s budget presentation in February 2022 with the goal of acting on it by July 1, 2022.
Rebecca Oyler of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association said the trucking industry would oppose the proposed doubling of vehicle registration fees, which will make the commonwealth have the second-highest truck registration fee in the nation.
What is a Vehicle Mileage Traveled (VMT) tax?
A VMT tax has become a popular option because it makes the taxes on road use fair across all vehicle types. Instead of paying gas taxes at the fuel pump or high registration fees, drivers would pay based on how much they actually drive and would capture electric vehicles that do not fill up at a station.
A vehicle miles traveled tax (VMT) charges motorists based on their road usage measured in mileage using an onboard vehicle telematics device to capture the distance driven by a vehicle through GPS.
A recent study in the Journal of Public Economics found that implementing a vehicle mileage traveled tax is a more efficient policy than raising the gas tax as VMT tax is designed to increase highway spending $55 billion per year and increases annual welfare by $10.5 billion or nearly 20% more than a gasoline tax does.
In Oregon, where their experiment with a vehicle-miles-traveled fee has been hailed nationally as a bold step toward what may eventually become a reality, lawmakers are considering a bill that would require owners of new, fuel-efficient cars and trucks to pay a fee for every mile they drive beginning in 2026.
Oregon has estimated its highway fund, of which 40% comes from gas tax revenues, will be insolvent by 2024 without significant action.
However, current gas taxes are simple to administer at the pump and can be adjusted using existing mechanisms while a VMT tax would require installing new telematic devices in all personal and commercial vehicles to track distance traveled.
Many assume that this would require every vehicle owner to periodically (or automatically) report distance tax and create a new bureaucracy auditing these reports, which could eat up any gains in tax revenue.
The Oregon House Bill addresses these concerns as the fee would apply only to owners of new 2027 vehicles that don’t use gas or get 30 miles or more per gallon of gasoline and drivers would be able to opt out of tracking their mileage and pay a flat annual fee of $400. However, the flat fee provision would expire in 2030.
California and Washington are considering linking a drivers’ VMT fee to a formula that factors in the fuel efficiency of their vehicles, which Tesla—the electric vehicle company—testified as their suggestion, as well as this “provides an incentive for people to buy more efficient vehicles and to drive them more efficiently.”
We will have to wait to see what happens in Pennsylvania, but the discussion is heating up and there is pressure to solve the lost gas tax revenues quickly.
Need help with your Fuel Tax Reporting?
CNS is a full-service tax provider that can manage the entire process for you from start to finish and offers custom simple solutions for companies of all sizes.
Our fuel tax specialists will work with you to collect your data, ensure your fuel and mileage match, prepare your filings, and even file the paperwork for you directly.
What CNS fuel tax team will do and what is needed from you.
For more information, contact us at 888.260.9448 or info@cnsprotects.com.
Tips For New Drivers Rushing To Become Owner-Operators
Truckload rates for flatbeds, refrigerated and dry vans are at record highs right now and are expected to remain historically high next year as we ease out of pandemic and online shopping stays at record levels and businesses are stocking back up.
This demand, as well as drivers getting out of the independent contractor mess, has led to a record 59,000 authorities being applied for by new motor carriers in 2020 and this year looks no different as around 51,000 motor carriers have already received carrier authorities.
Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president-trucking, who presented findings during a company webinar last week, said “the applicants were not driver newbies, but company drivers who have gone out on their own or owner-operators that had been working under a lease arrangement with larger carriers but became fully independent either voluntarily or after being cut loose during 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the nation’s economy.”
While many of these new carriers have driving history, going on your own brings a new set of complications to become successful.
How To Start Off On The Right Foot
To receive your authority, you must have insurance on file. To avoid paying for insurance coverage you do not yet need, talk to your insurer to have it become effective approximately two weeks into the start-up process.
Getting your own operating authority is usually a straightforward process but there are many steps needed before and after you get your authority, which will take 21 days or more to get approved. We can assist you with each step individually or as part of a full compliance program which we will discuss more in a moment.
The following are some if the items you will need to complete:
- Register for a company name
- Obtain a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Obtain insurance
- Set up IFTA and mileage tax accounts
- Obtain intrastate authority, if applicable
- Obtain Hazmat permits, if applicable
- File the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)
- File the IRS Heavy Vehicle Use Tax
- Establishing driver qualification Files, equipment maintenance schedules, and equipment files
- Pass your first annual vehicle safety inspection
When you are ready to start moving freight, cash flow is often a problem because it may take 45 to 60 days before getting paid for your first load. It is best practice for new carriers to have operating capital to sustain your business for up to two months.
As a new entrant, it is required to follow Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations and they will want to see some established records and processes during your New Entrant Safety Audit that will happen within the first 12 months of operation to complete the New Entrant Program.
Motor carriers should not delay responding to the DOT auditor because ignoring their requests—especially the “no contact letter” or “demand letter” for scheduling an audit—could lead to fines of up to $10,000 and/or suspension of their operating authority.
Compliance Navigation Specialists is an industry leading compliance company that will help you stay in compliance and help provide records you will need to keep your commercial insurance rates as low as possible.
Our safety management programs are perfect for combining multiple services and focuses on Proactive Safety Management (PSM), a mindset that will ensure your fleet’s safety and compliance is always in order and ahead of the FMCSA.
Our PSM Motor Carrier Program includes:
- ELD management
- Driver Qualification File Management
- New driver on-boarding
- Driver safety meetings
- CSA score management
- Policies and handbooks
- Vehicle maintenance
- and more
Do you still need commercial trucking insurance?
It never hurts to get a quote and try saving money on your insurance premiums. Give our sister company Norther Insurance Specialists a call anytime to discuss getting a quote.
Before we can get you an estimate, we are going to need some information.
Fill out a complete quote or quick quote to get started.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call us at 800.724.5523 or email info@northernprotects.com.
PennDOT Extends Expiration Dates for Apportioned Vehicle Registrations to June 16, 2021
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced that the expiration date for apportioned vehicle registrations for Pennsylvania registrants that were set to expire between May 31, 2021 and June 16, 2021 are now extended through June 16, 2021.
Customers in need of apportioned registration renewals now have until on June 16, 2021 to complete the renewal process.
Apportioned registrants should mail their apportioned renewal applications or invoice payment to the Department for processing, or it may be dropped off at the Riverfront Office Center in Harrisburg, 1101 S. Front Street, Harrisburg.
Apportioned invoices may be paid in person by cash, certified check, cashier’s check or money order made payable to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Invoices can also be paid via wire transfer, please visit our website at www.dmv.pa.gov for more information.
For more information, contact us at 888.260.9448 or info@cnsprotects.com.
FMCSA Medical Review Board Advances Plan for Drivers with Monocular Vision
Last week, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Medical Review Board approved a proposal to eliminate the exemption process for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers with monocular vision.
When finalized, the amendment would permit an individual who cannot meet either the current distant visual acuity or field of vision standard or both, in one eye to be physically qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce under specified conditions.
Currently, a driver who does not have a correctable 20/40 vision in both their left and right eyes, by wearing prescription glasses or contact lenses, would be disqualified from operating a CMV in interstate commerce unless they received a vision exemption.
Specific automatic medically disqualified conditions can be found under 49 CFR Part 391.41.
The current standard requires drivers to have:
- A distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in each eye without corrective lenses or visual acuity separately corrected to 20/40 (Snellen) or better with corrective lenses.
- A distant binocular acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in both eyes with or without
corrective lenses. - A field of vision of at least 70 degrees in the horizontal Meridian in each eye.
- The ability to recognize the colors of traffic signals and devices showing standard red,
green, and amber.
FMCSA vision exemption program
The current FMCSA vision exemptionprogram is for monocular vision.
The waiver currently in place has been granting drivers with vision in only one eye since 1998 and is estimated that over 2,500 interstate drivers hold an FMCSA vision exemption.
The vision exemption is issued for a maximum of 2 years and is renewable. Provisions of the vision exemption include an annual medical exam and an eye exam by an ophthalmologist or an optometrist.
At the annual recertification exam, the driver should present the current vision exemption and a copy of the specialist’s eye exam report. The medical examiner will certify the qualified driver, usually for one year, and issue a medical exam certificate with the vision exemption marked on the form.
The driver is responsible to carry both the vision exemption and the medical exam certificate while driving and keeping both current and up to date.
What is changing with the FMCSA vision exemption program?
An alternative vision standard would involve a two-step process for physical qualification.
- A prospective driver seeking physical qualification would obtain a vision evaluation from an ophthalmologist or optometrist. The findings would provide specific medical information and opinions on a proposed Vision Evaluation Report.
- A medical examiner would perform an examination and determine whether the individual meets the proposed vision standard along with FMCSA’s physical qualification standards. If the medical examiner determines that the individual meets the physical qualification standards, the medical examiner could issue a Medical Examiner’s Certificate for a maximum of 12 months.
With some limited exceptions, individuals initially physically qualified under the alternative standard would be required to complete a road test by a prospective employer motor carrier before operating a CMV in interstate commerce.
The approved proposal would grandfather provision for drivers currently operating under the vision waiver study program.
Why choose CNS for my DOT physical?
CNS offers DOT physical exams on-site at our Lititz, PA location with our Certified Medical Examiner (CME). For more flexibility, we offer mobile DOT physicals to companies that qualify. Find out if your company qualifies now.
We are efficient in scheduling appointments and respect your time, preventing you from having long wait times in crowded waiting rooms. We also have competitive rates, and we understand your budget and operating costs as a driver and/or company.
The CNS Occupational Medicine staff is experienced and friendly, and our CMEs are professionals that will effectively evaluate your status.
For more information, contact us at 888.260.9448 or info@cnsprotects.com.
FMCSA Proposes To Delay Four Medical Examiner Final Rule Provisions To 2025
In what looks to be a ten-year delay, part of which first took effect in January 2015, the rule will require FMCSA to electronically transmit exam results of drivers’ medical certifications to state licensing agencies.
The FMCSA’s latest supplemental notice proposes to extend the compliance date again for several provisions of its 2015 medical examiner’s certification integration final rule by another four years, until June 23, 2025, extending from the previous date of June 22, 2021.
In December 2017, the registry experienced an outage that lasted seven months. During that time, FMCSA suspended medical examiners’ uploading of driver examinations until that functionality was restored.
According to the new notice, “this action is being taken to provide FMCSA time to complete certain information technology system development tasks for its National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners and to provide the state driver’s licensing agencies sufficient time to make the necessary IT programming changes after the new national registry system is available.”
Since the hacking outage, the FMCSA says it has experienced additional setbacks in its efforts to launch the national registry replacement system that require an additional delay.
What Is Being Delayed
FMCSA looks to postpone four provisions having to do with the electronic transmission of certain records from the agency’s national registry website to state licensing agencies, and from state licensing agencies to the Commercial Driver’s License Information System.
These are:
- FMCSA to electronically transmit, from the national registry to the state licensing agencies driver identification information, examination results and restriction information from examinations performed for holders of commercial learner’s permits or commercial driver’s licenses (interstate and intrastate).
- FMCSA to electronically transmit to the state licensing agency medical variance information for all commercial motor vehicle drivers.
- State licensing agencies to post on the Commercial Driver’s License Information System driver record the driver identification, examination results, and restriction information received electronically from FMCSA.
- Motor carriers to no longer be required to verify that commercial learner’s permit/CDL drivers were certified by a certified medical examiner listed on the national registry.
Ultimately, once the rule is fully implemented, motor carriers will no longer be required to verify that CDL/CLP drivers were certified by a certified medical examiner listed on the National Registry.
A 30-day comment period is expected to follow.
For more information, contact us at 888.260.9448 or info@cnsprotects.com.
8 Counties Added To PA Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine for Spring 2021
Warm spring weather is just around the corner, and that means Spotted Lanternfly nymphs will begin hatching. This typically happens around mid-May, so there’s still time for two important projects – scraping egg masses and getting your circle traps ready.
Egg masses can literally be anywhere, as the adult lanternfly are pretty sneaky! Good places to look are on trees along the edges of forested land, on wooden or metal posts, the underside of patio furniture and in the wheel wells of vehicles that might not have moved over winter.
In March, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced that eight counties have been added to Pennsylvania’s Spotted Lanternfly quarantine zone, which now includes 34 counties, ahead of the 2021 spring hatch.
Spotted Lanternflies can potentially hitch a ride on products and vehicles, thus moving into a new area and spreading the infestation. So, businesses who ship products inside and out of quarantined zones are required to have a Spotted Lanternfly Permit.
These permits demonstrate the businesses have working knowledge of this pest and the best practices to prohibit its spread.
Every Pennsylvanian needs to keep their eyes peeled for signs of this bug, scrape every egg mass, squash every bug, and report every sighting.
The new eight counties include:
- Cambria
- Cameron
- Franklin
- Lackawanna
- Montour
- Pike
- Wayne
- Westmoreland
Last spring Pennsylvania quarantined 12 counties with isolated infestations, and those counties have not been overrun because of the heightened awareness a quarantine brings. With continued aggressive treatment and monitoring, and an actively engaged community, we can help ensure families and businesses in these new counties are not inconvenienced by widespread infestation.
Currently the following counties are under quarantine in Pennsylvania:
- Allegheny
- Beaver
- Berks
- Blair
- Bucks
- Cambria
- Cameron
- Carbon
- Chester
- Columbia
- Cumberland
- Dauphin
- Delaware
- Franklin
- Huntingdon
- Juniata
- Lackawanna
- Lancaster
- Lebanon
- Lehigh
- Luzerne
- Mifflin
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Montour
- Northampton
- Northumberland
- Perry
- Philadelphia
- Pike
- Schuylkill
- Wayne
- Westmoreland
- York
There are also quarantine counties or zones in the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia.
It is time to begin spring inspections
If you suspended inspections during the winter months, April 1st marks the day to begin inspections for the year.
- Inspections should be completed before:
- Moving vehicles, goods, etc. within or from the quarantine
- Entering PA from another area that has an SLF population
- Documentation is required and must:
- Identify the person conducting the inspection
- Demonstrate an inspection was performed to prevent spread of the pest
- Show the control measures taken if live SLF were found (e.g. destruction of SLF)
- There is no required template for vehicle inspections.
- If possible, incorporate SLF inspections into existing activities, such as daily inspections or safety checks, rather than keeping additional logs.
- Examples of inspection logs can be found on the PDA SLF Business web page.
- Electronic records are acceptable if you can make them available during a verification checkpoint or audit.
Check out the program FAQs for more details.
Permit Renewal Information
All Pennsylvania SLF permit holders should have a permit with an 11-digit permit number preceded by PA, e.g. PA-20190400045.
Permits are free, but online training is required to obtain them. Managers and/or supervisors who demonstrate working knowledge and understanding of this insect and the quarantine requirements may obtain a permit.
A renewal notice and a replacement paper permit were sent to all permit holders who were originally issued hangtags and/or decals. If you have not received your paper permit, please email slfpermit@pa.gov.
- The new paper permit is valid until the permit holder receives a renewal notification. This timeframe may exceed one year. Renewal notifications will be sent via email or letter.
- No additional training is required at this time.
- Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) no longer issues hangtags or decals.
If you have not received your permit or gone through the required training, CNS is trained on the Spotted Lanternfly Permit requirements.
“Look Before You Leave” – Best Practices for Containing Spotted Lanternflies
When driving in and out of quarantined areas, drivers should inspect vehicles before moving. Other tips for avoiding unintentional spread of this insect include these strategies:
- don’t park in or under tree lines
- keep windows rolled up
- know the life stages of the spotted lanternfly
- know the spotted lanternfly season and when to look for these insects
- report sightings of the spotted lanternfly
- Destroy any you find. Watch: How To Remove Spotted Lanternfly Eggs. Remember that every egg mass you scrape removes 30-50 lanternfly from the population!
How Can CNS help?
CNS is trained on the Spotted Lanternfly Permit requirements from the PA Department of Agriculture. We offer training for your drivers to identify and help contain and eventually stop the spread of this insect.
The CNS course is a 35-45 min training. Please note a supervisor from your company will still be required to take the permitting course from the Penn State Extension Website.
For more information, contact us at 888.260.9448 or info@cnsprotects.com.