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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Arizona

Arizona has no state operating authority to buy. ADOT owns nearly every trucking credential: the Motor Vehicle Division registers trucks and runs IRP and IFTA on one application, and the Enforcement and Compliance Division sells oversize permits. The state's own charges ride on registration, led by an annual motor carrier fee set by weight.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Not required
USDOT number
Required first

State agency Arizona Department of Transportation (motor carrier safety rules under A.R.S. 28-5204, enforced with the Arizona Department of Public Safety; registration, IRP, and IFTA through the Motor Vehicle Division's Specialized Registration Services)

What these terms cover

USDOT number: ADOT's Motor Carrier Services page states that a carrier must obtain a USDOT number if it generates revenue transporting property (for-hire), or operates a vehicle or combination over 10,000 pounds in interstate commerce or over 26,000 pounds in intrastate commerce as part of its business. Intrastate-only carriers do not schedule the new-entrant safety audit.

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Sep 28, 2026.How we verify

Everything Arizona requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

Identical in every state, and not part of the Arizona 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
  3. Diesel emissionsAnnual smoke opacity test and penalties

How Arizona organizes trucking compliance

One department does almost all of it. ADOT's Motor Vehicle Division registers vehicles, and its Specialized Registration Services unit handles IRP and IFTA through a single joint application. The Enforcement and Compliance Division's Commercial Vehicle Permits office in Goodyear sells the standard oversize and overweight permits, and ADOT Maintenance Permits Services in Phoenix handles the largest loads.

Here is what that means for a new carrier. You deal with ADOT for registration, fuel tax, and permits, and with FMCSA for the USDOT number. The one outside agency on most carriers' list is the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, and only if the trucks are registered in metro Phoenix or Tucson.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page settles the authority question: there is no state credential, and ADOT asks Arizona-only carriers to confirm the operating authority on their USDOT profile instead. The permits pages cover legal limits, the Class A and Class C permit split, escorts, curfews, and holiday moratoria. The IFTA and IRP pages cover the joint application, the place-of-business rule, and quarterly filing through AZ MVD Now.

The guides round out the set. The insurance page walks Arizona's own liability tiers, the DOT number page settles who must register with FMCSA, the CDL page prices the license, the trip and fuel permit page covers the credentials an entering truck buys, and the diesel emissions page covers the metro smoke test.

Every figure on those pages is a data field tied to the ADOT page, ADEQ page, or Arizona statute it came from. Where an agency does not publish a fact, we say so plainly instead of guessing.

Arizona filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover Arizona

Frequently asked questions

Does Arizona require its own trucking operating authority?

No. ADOT's answer to a carrier that runs only in Arizona is that it is an intrastate motor carrier, it skips the federal new-entrant audit, and it should call ADOT to confirm the right operating authority is recorded on its USDOT profile. There is no state application, certificate, or fee.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Arizona?

ADOT handles nearly everything: the Motor Vehicle Division for registration, IRP, and IFTA, and the Enforcement and Compliance Division plus Maintenance Permits Services for oversize and overweight permits. FMCSA issues the USDOT number, and ADEQ runs emissions testing in metro Phoenix and Tucson.

Is there a weight-distance tax in Arizona?

No. Arizona levies no mileage tax. Its weight-based highway charge is the annual motor carrier fee paid with registration for vehicles over the weight line, a flat amount by declared gross weight rather than a per-mile rate.

Do I need a USDOT number if I only run inside Arizona?

Yes, once your truck or combination is over the intrastate weight line, or you haul for hire. ADOT's Motor Carrier Services page applies that test, and Arizona appears on FMCSA's list of states that require a USDOT number of intrastate registrants.

Where do the numbers on these Arizona pages come from?

Every fee, limit, and deadline is a data field tied to the ADOT page, ADEQ page, or Arizona statute it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Anything the agencies leave unpublished is labeled as unconfirmed rather than guessed at.

Sources

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

  1. What if I operate solely in Arizona? · Arizona Department of Transportation

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.