Overview
There are NO REFUNDS of filing fees.
Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 360.3(c), Fees not refundable, prohibits the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from issuing refunds for applications for motor carrier, broker, or freight forwarder authority. The relevant language is shown below.
“(c) Fees not refundable. Fees will be assessed for every filing in the type of proceeding listed in the schedule of fees contained in paragraph (f) of this section, subject to the exceptions contained in paragraphs (d) and (e) of this section. After the application, petition, or other document has been accepted for filing by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the filing fee will not be refunded, regardless of whether the application, petition, or other document is granted or approved, denied, rejected before docketing, dismissed, or withdrawn.”
Applicants are alerted that fees are not refundable in the “Filing Fees” section on the web page “Get authority to operate.” In addition, the statement, “Refunds are not permitted” is provided in the OP-1 instructions.
Furthermore, the FMCSA does not issue refunds in cases of “mistaken” or “inadvertent” application filings, regardless of subsequent actions by the applicants. The purpose of the rule is to compensate the Agency for time spent processing the applications or performing other work relating to the filings. The Agency will have performed that work even in cases of applications that the filers later determine were mistakes.