Skip to content
Haul Handbook logoHaul Handbook

Arizona trucking

Arizona trip and fuel permits

A truck can run Arizona legally without apportioned plates or an IFTA license, but only on the state's own temporary permits, bought before the trip. Here is each trip permit and fuel permit, what it stands in for, what the state charges, and where to buy it, every fact sourced.

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

Arizona sells up to three separate temporary credentials to a foreign-based interstate carrier entering without Arizona or IRP registration and a fuel tax license: a registration permit priced by axle count and miles, a motor carrier fee permit for vehicles of 12,000 pounds GVWR or more, and a use fuel permit for heavy diesel units. Single-trip permits expire after 96 hours or on leaving the state, whichever comes first. Carriers that enter often can instead buy 30, 60, or 90 day registration permits and 30, 90, or 180 day use fuel permits. All of them sell online through ADOT ePRO, through national permit services, by mail, at ports of entry, and at the Central Commercial Vehicle Permit Office.

The trip permit (registration side)

This credential answers for registration. Without it, a vehicle whose cab card does not list Arizona has no legal registration standing in the state.

Permit
Single-trip registration permit
Stands in for
Arizona registration or IRP apportioned registration that includes Arizona
Fee
Priced by axle count and distance in Arizona, one dollar per axle for each 50-mile increment, with vehicles of one or two axles charged as two and more than six axles charged as seven. ADOT's table runs from $2 (one or two axles, up to 50 miles) to $63 (over six axles, 401 to 450 miles); a five-axle unit is $5 up to 50 miles and $45 for 401 to 450 miles. No single figure applies, so none is recorded here.
Valid for
96 hours (four days) or until the vehicle leaves Arizona, whichever occurs first
Who needs it
A foreign-based interstate carrier entering Arizona without evidence of valid Arizona registration or an IRP credential that covers Arizona. ADOT's Motor Carrier Services page adds that a nonresident owner-operator who does not want IRP can use Arizona's Interstate (Nonresident) Registration instead.
Where to buy
Online through ADOT ePRO (adotepro.azdot.gov); A national permit service; By mail, with the single-trip permit application (96-0192); In person at an Arizona port of entry; In person at the Central Commercial Vehicle Permit Office
Statute
ADOT's Single-Trip Permits page publishes the axle and mileage table without naming the statute behind it, so no section is recorded for this permit.

The fuel permit (tax side)

This credential answers for the state's highway or fuel tax when there is no IFTA license (or, in the weight-distance states, no tax account) behind the truck.

Permit
Single-trip use fuel permit, more than 50 miles in Arizona
Stands in for
An IFTA license
Fee
$65 ($65 for more than 50 miles of travel in Arizona and $16 for 50 miles or less (A.R.S. 28-5739; ADOT Single-Trip Permits page).)
Valid for
96 hours or until the vehicle leaves Arizona, whichever occurs first
Who needs it
A use fuel (diesel) road tractor, truck tractor, truck, or passenger vehicle with a GVWR over 26,000 pounds and more than two axles that enters Arizona without IFTA credentials. Entering Arizona without a valid Arizona fuel tax permit or IFTA credentials is a class 2 misdemeanor.
Where to buy
Online through ADOT ePRO (adotepro.azdot.gov); A national permit service; By mail, with the single-trip permit application (96-0192); In person at an Arizona port of entry; In person at the Central Commercial Vehicle Permit Office
Caught without one
ADOT's Motor Carrier Services FAQ makes entering Arizona without a valid Arizona fuel tax permit or IFTA credentials a class 2 misdemeanor; no dollar fine is published on the pages read.
Statute
A.R.S. 28-5739

Other temporary permits in Arizona

Short-term credentials Arizona issues beside the trip and fuel permits, for situations those two do not cover.

Motor carrier fee trip permit
For a vehicle or combination with a GVWR of 12,000 pounds or more that is subject to Arizona registration and has a valid registration permit: $12 for 50 miles or less and $48 for more than 50 miles in Arizona, valid 96 hours. It stands in for the annual Arizona motor carrier fee. (A.R.S. 28-5863)
Special 30-day motor carrier fee permit
$96 for 30 days, for a vehicle that is not in the commercial transportation business. (A.R.S. 28-5864)
30, 60, or 90 day registration permit
A multi-trip alternative to single-trip registration permits for a vehicle currently registered in another state or country. ADOT prices it by declared GVWR, vehicle year, and permit length and publishes no fixed table, and loaded weight in Arizona may not exceed the declared GVWR.
30, 90, or 180 day use fuel permit
A multi-trip alternative to the single-trip use fuel permit for the same heavy diesel units: $130 for 30 days, $390 for 90 days, $780 for 180 days. (A.R.S. 28-5739)
Temporary proportional registration
For an Arizona IRP fleet rather than an entering carrier: $1 for a 60-day temporary registration while a vehicle is added to an existing apportioned fleet, a registration is replaced, or a previous owner's out-of-service order is cleared. (A.R.S. 28-2239)

Worth knowing

The three single-trip permits are separate purchases: an entering diesel tractor with no Arizona credentials needs the registration permit, the motor carrier fee permit, and the use fuel permit together. Oversize and overweight permits are a different credential, covered on the Arizona oversize and overweight page.

Where these fit in the Arizona permit stack

Temporary permits are the exception path. The standing credentials they replace are IRP apportioned registration and the Arizona IFTA license. Oversize loads use a different permit family entirely, covered in Arizona oversize and overweight permits, and the full picture of every state permit lives in Arizona trucking permits.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Arizona permit cost?

The single-trip use fuel permit, more than 50 miles in arizona is $65, at the fees cited in the tables above. Those are the state's own charges; a third-party seller adds its own service fee on top.

Do I need a trip permit or a fuel permit for Arizona?

Usually both, and they are separate purchases. The trip permit stands in for apportioned (IRP) registration and the fuel permit stands in for the IFTA license. If your cab card lists Arizona and your IFTA decals are current, you need neither; the tables on this page carry each permit's terms with the official source.

When does buying temporary permits stop making sense?

Temporary permits price a single trip. A carrier running Arizona lanes on a regular schedule comes out ahead adding the state to its IRP cab card and holding an IFTA license, because permit fees repeat on every trip while the annual credentials do not.

Can I buy these permits after entering the state?

No. Each credential on this page must be in place before the vehicle operates on Arizona highways, and enforcement happens at roadside inspections and weigh stations. Buying from the state's own channel before the trip is the cheapest clean path.

Are permit-service prices the state fee?

No. Wire services and permit companies resell state permits with a service markup. The fees on this page are what Arizona itself charges on its primary pages; anything above that is the middleman's fee, not the state's.

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.