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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Alaska

Alaska sells no trucking authority and belongs to neither IFTA nor IRP. An Alaska carrier needs a USDOT number even for intrastate-only work, carries the state's own split-limit insurance, and registers trucks with the DMV. Out-of-state trucks buy a short-term Alaska temporary registration, and fuel tax is paid at the pump.

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 4, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Not required
USDOT number
Required first

State agency Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Division of Measurement Standards and Commercial Vehicle Compliance (intrastate safety regulation and enforcement; no authority credential issued)

What these terms cover

USDOT number: 17 AAC 25.210(d): a motor carrier that operates only in intrastate commerce must file a motor carrier identification report with FMCSA and receive an intrastate USDOT identification before it begins operations; (e) requires an updated report every 24 months; (g) requires electronic filing; (i) lets an enforcement officer cite a carrier that fails to file or files false information. The (j) exemption is narrow: vehicles of 26,000 pounds or less operated by licensed commercial or sport fishing operators furthering fishing operations, outside the Municipality of Anchorage and the City of Fairbanks, and not carrying placarded hazmat or more than 15 people.

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Oct 4, 2026.How we verify

Everything Alaska requires, in order

Each step is its own page, with the Alaska figures read from the agency that publishes them.

First, the federal side

Identical in every state, and not part of the Alaska sequence below: get your own authority, USDOT number, Form 2290, and what it all costs.

Before you file

  1. Start a trucking companyFederal steps plus this state, in order
  2. DOT numberState USDOT triggers and carrier numbers
  3. CDLLicense fees, testing, endorsements

State credentials

  1. Intrastate authorityState operating authority: rule, agency, fee
  2. Insurance requirementsState liability minimums and insurer filings

Plates, fuel tax and trip permits

  1. IRP registrationApportioned plates and cab cards
  2. IFTAFuel tax license, decals, filing
  3. Trip and fuel permitsTemporary IRP and IFTA permits

Permits and state taxes

  1. Trucking permitsEvery state permit a carrier may need
  2. Oversize permitsLegal limits, permit fees, escorts

How Alaska organizes trucking compliance

Three agencies split the work. The DOT&PF Division of Measurement Standards and Commercial Vehicle Compliance writes and enforces the size, weight and safety rules in 17 AAC 25, sells oversize and overweight permits through SWOOP, and sells temporary registrations to trucks from outside the state. The Division of Motor Vehicles registers vehicles and licenses commercial drivers. The Department of Revenue collects motor fuel tax, mostly from wholesalers.

What Alaska skips matters as much. There is no state operating authority, no state carrier number, no IFTA license and no apportioned plate.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page explains why there is nothing to apply for and what replaces it: the intrastate USDOT number and the state insurance floor. The permits pages cover the legal limits, the flat SWOOP permit charges, escorts and holiday shutdowns. The IFTA page explains fuel tax in a non-member state, and the IRP page covers the temporary registration sold at Tok and online.

Every figure on those pages is a data field tied to the statute, regulation or agency page it came from. Where an agency publishes nothing, the page says so.

Alaska filing walkthroughs

Step-by-step articles for the recurring Alaska filings, written against the same sourced records as the pages above.

Free calculators that cover Alaska

Frequently asked questions

Does Alaska require its own trucking authority?

No. Alaska issues no intrastate operating authority and no state carrier number. The two chapters that once regulated carriers economically remain in the statutes as headings with no sections. Carriers answer to the safety rules the state adopts instead.

Do I need a USDOT number if I only haul inside Alaska?

Yes, in most cases. 17 AAC 25.210 requires an intrastate-only carrier to get an intrastate USDOT number from FMCSA before it starts operating and to update its report on a set cycle. A narrow exemption covers small fishing-operation vehicles outside Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Is Alaska part of IFTA or IRP?

Neither. Alaska issues no IFTA license or decals and no apportioned plates or cab cards. Trucks from outside Alaska buy an Alaska temporary registration instead, and fuel tax is collected from dealers at the wholesale level.

Where do the numbers on these Alaska pages come from?

Every fee, limit and deadline is a data field tied to the Alaska statute, regulation or agency page it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Facts no agency publishes, such as a cargo insurance minimum, are marked as not set instead of filled in.

Sources

The official sources used on this page. Check the current instructions before you file or pay.

  1. 17 AAC 25.210, Safe operation of commercial motor vehicles. · Alaska State Legislature (Alaska Administrative Code, akleg.gov)

Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.