105-449.44. How to determine the amount of fuel used in the State; presumption of amount used.

(a) Calculation. - The amount of motor fuel or alternative fuel a motor carrier uses in its operations in this State for a reporting period is the number of miles the motor carrier travels in this State during that period divided by the calculated miles per gallon for the motor carrier for all qualified motor vehicles during that period.

(b) Presumption. - The Secretary must check returns filed under this Article against the weigh station records and other records of the Division of Motor Vehicles of the Department of Transportation and the State Highway Patrol of the Department of Public Safety concerning motor carriers to determine if motor carriers that are operating in this State are filing the returns required by this Article. If the records indicate that a motor carrier operated in this State in a quarter and either did not file a return for that quarter or understated its mileage in this State on a return filed for that quarter by at least twenty-five percent (25%), the Secretary may assess the motor carrier for an amount based on the motor carrier's presumed operations. The motor carrier is presumed to have mileage in this State equal to 10 trips of 450 miles each for each of the motor carrier's qualified motor vehicles and to have fuel usage of four miles per gallon.

(c) Vehicles. - The number of qualified motor vehicles of a motor carrier that is licensed under this Article is the number of sets of decals issued to the carrier. The number of qualified motor vehicles of a carrier that is not licensed under this Article is the number of qualified motor vehicles licensed or registered by the motor carrier in the carrier's base state under the International Registration Plan.