(a) Update. Each fee established in this subpart may be updated, as deemed necessary by FMCSA.

(b) Publication and effective dates. Notice of updated fees shall be published in the Federal Register and shall become effective 30 days after publication.

(c) Payment of fees. Any person submitting a filing for which a filing fee is established must pay the fee applicable on the date of the filing or request for services.

(d) Method of updating fees. Each fee shall be updated by updating the cost components comprising the fee. However, fees shall not exceed the maximum amounts established by law. Cost components shall be updated as follows:

(1) Direct labor costs shall be updated by multiplying base level direct labor costs by percentage changes in average wages and salaries of FMCSA employees. Base level direct labor costs are direct labor costs determined by the cost study in Regulations Governing Fees For Service, 1 I.C.C. 2d 60 (1984), or subsequent cost studies. The base period for measuring changes shall be April 1984 or the year of the last cost study.

(2) Operations overhead shall be developed on the basis of current relationships existing on a weighted basis, for indirect labor applicable to the first supervisory work centers directly associated with user fee activity. Actual updating of operations overhead shall be accomplished by applying the current percentage factor to updated direct labor, including current governmental overhead costs.

(3)

(i) Office general and administrative costs shall be developed on the basis of current levels costs, i.e., dividing actual office general and administrative costs for the current fiscal year by total office costs for the office directly associated with user fee activity. Actual updating of office general and administrative costs shall be accomplished by applying the current percentage factor to updated direct labor, including current governmental overhead and current operations overhead costs.

(ii) The FMCSA general and administrative costs shall be developed on the basis of current level costs; i.e., dividing actual FMCSA general and administrative costs for the current fiscal year by total Agency expenses for the current fiscal year. Actual updating of FMCSA general and administrative costs shall be accomplished by applying the current percentage factor to updated direct labor, including current governmental overhead, operations overhead and office general and administrative costs.

(4) Publication costs shall be adjusted on the basis of known changes in the costs applicable to publication of material in the Federal Register or FMCSA Register.

(e) Rounding of updated fees. Updated fees shall be rounded as follows. (This rounding procedure excludes copying, printing and search fees.)

(1) Fees between $1 and $30 shall be rounded to the nearest $1;

(2) Fees between $30 and $100 shall be rounded to the nearest $10;

(3) Fees between $100 and $999 shall be rounded to the nearest $50; and

(4) Fees above $1,000 shall be rounded to the nearest $100.