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About Haul Handbook
A free, neutral, sourced reference for starting and running a trucking company, state by state.
Last updated October 3, 2026
Haul Handbook exists to answer a question that is surprisingly hard to research: what does it actually take to start and run a trucking company in your state? The federal steps live at FMCSA, the state steps are scattered across DOT, DMV, and revenue department sites, and most of what ranks in search is written by companies selling a filing service. The rules read differently when the writer wants your credit card.
We put the free, neutral version in one place: the federal spine, from getting your own authority to the annual UCR filing, plus per-state facts like intrastate authority requirements and the quarterly IFTA fuel tax rates, with a source and a verification date on every fact.
Who is behind this site
Research and sourcing
The Haul Handbook editorial team compiles state and federal trucking compliance information from official agency publications and regulations. Each fact carries its source and verification date. The site provides educational information and does not provide legal or financial advice.
Haul Handbook is published by Amenti Labs LLC and maintained by Haul Handbook editorial team. The editorial work focuses on public agency data, with a source on every fact. If you spot an error, the fastest way to get it fixed is to email it.
What makes this site different
- Sourced. Every legal and financial fact links to the agency that owns it, a federal regulation, a state statute, or an official agency page, with the date we last verified it. The full standard is on the methodology page.
- Neutral. We do not file anything for you and we do not sell a course. We describe the public process plainly and let you decide who, if anyone, to pay.
- Current. Fuel tax rates change every quarter, and stale rates are the most common failure of trucking content. We re-verify the IFTA matrix on a fixed cadence, and an automated check blocks publishing when a rate table is out of date.
How we make money
The site is free. Some outbound links to commercial services, such as business formation or financing, may become affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. That never changes a fee, a rate, or a requirement on any page. See the affiliate disclosure and the editorial process for the details.
A necessary caveat
Haul Handbook publishes educational information, not legal, financial, or tax advice. Filing mistakes cost real money, and rules change. Always confirm the current requirement with the issuing agency before you file or pay, and read the full disclaimer.
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Contact
Found an error, or want to suggest a state or topic? Email support@haulhandbook.com or use the contact page. Corrections are welcome and we act on them quickly. We also publish an accessibility statement.