By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 6, 2026
Alabama IRP administration
- Office
- Alabama Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division, 375 South Ripley Street, Montgomery, AL 36104. The department is the only issuer of Alabama apportioned plates.
- Process
- An Alabama-based carrier applies for apportioned registration electronically through the Alabama Motor Carrier portal and pays electronically. Alabama, as the base jurisdiction, processes the application and collects the fees for every member jurisdiction, then issues the license plate and a cab card showing the registered weight for each jurisdiction. Filing an application does not by itself authorize the vehicle to operate.
- Fee structure
- IRP fees follow the share of fleet miles run in each member jurisdiction. For each jurisdiction, take that jurisdiction's full-year registration fee for the vehicle and multiply it by the miles the fleet ran there divided by the total fleet miles. The apportioned fee is the sum across every jurisdiction in the registration, and Alabama collects it and pays each member its share.
- Cab card
- The cab card lists the registered weight of the vehicle for each member jurisdiction. That weight cannot exceed the maximum allowed in any jurisdiction, and the registrant is responsible for checking the cab card when it arrives.
- Process: requirements
- Before plates issue, the department requires evidence of sales, use or rental tax paid, evidence of ownership such as an Alabama title or title application, proof of ad valorem tax paid, proof of payment or exemption from the federal heavy vehicle use tax for a vehicle declared at 55,000 pounds or more, and the FMCSA documents required for interstate operation. Photocopies are accepted.
To work through your mileage inputs, calculate each jurisdiction’s share of your fleet miles. The estimator apportions any full-year fees you enter; it does not contain state fee schedules or issue an official quote.
More Alabama IRP rules
Base jurisdiction, renewal, and audit in detail
The rules that decide whether Alabama can be your base jurisdiction, what qualifies, and what happens at renewal and audit. Each one is sourced.
What the Alabama share of the fee is built from
An IRP bill is the base jurisdiction's own registration fee for the vehicle, apportioned by mileage, plus the same for every other jurisdiction on the cab card. These are the Alabama inputs to that calculation, each with its official source.
Who registers under IRP in Alabama
A carrier based in Alabama that runs apportionable vehicles in two or more IRP member jurisdictions registers apportioned plates with the Department of Revenue. Alabama, as the base jurisdiction, collects the fees for every member and pays each its share.
Applying for Alabama apportioned plates
Apply and pay electronically through the Alabama Motor Carrier portal, with proof of ownership, tax payments and the heavy vehicle use tax where it applies. For each jurisdiction, the fee is its full-year registration fee times your share of fleet miles there. A temporary registration can cover a new truck while the plate is on its way. The fee structure is a sourced field on this page.
Annual renewal
IRP registration renews every year. Your renewal application opens online on the first day of your renewal month.
What pairs with IRP
The same interstate operation that needs apportioned plates almost always needs an IFTA license through Alabama, and heavy power units owe the federal Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax before plates renew. To compare how other states run IRP, see the national IRP registration table.