Sometimes what seems like it might be too good to be true turns out to be just a good deal. A case in point is the current Hazardous Materials Registration fee refund.
Some carriers thought they might have been targeted for a new online when they received a letter recently telling them that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration was offering a quick and easy way to get the Hazmat Registration fee refund. All the carriers had to do was go to a special web site and sign up.
PHMSA announced the refund on April 19, after the agency temporarily lowered the Hazmat Registration fee for the 2013-2014 year. Registrants were told in the PHMSA letter that they would receive a refund from the US Treasury Department once they signed up on line.
It all turned out to be true and PHMSA is just trying to do something nice for the industry. The PHMSA letter was sent by David Donaldson, PHMSA manager of the Hazardous Materials Registration Program.
"I can understand why people are suspicious, but this is not a scam," he says. "Almost 14,000 companies paid for the 2013-2014 registration year in advance at the then current rate and as a result of the lowered fees for this year are eligible to receive a refund of the difference ($125 for a small business or not-for-profit organization and $1,275 for an other-than-small business. Our IT staff has made the on-line refund request internet site as secure as possible."
PHMSA certainly deserves kudos for being proactive on the refund effort.