By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026
Arkansas apportioned registration is run by the DFA Office of Motor Vehicle IRP Unit in the Ragland Building in Little Rock. New accounts can be set up online through MyDMV (Self-Register IRP Account) or at the office. Fees are apportioned by the fleet's distance in each IRP jurisdiction, and the IRP Unit issues one apportioned plate and a cab card per power unit; registration decals are no longer issued. Since October 1, 2025 an Arkansas base requires an established place of business under a lease of at least 12 months, staffed at least 20 hours a week, and virtual or shared offices do not qualify.
Arkansas IRP administration
- Agency
- Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Revenue Division, Office of Motor Vehicle (IRP Unit)
- Office
- Office of Motor Vehicle / IRP Unit, Ragland Building, 1900 West 7th Street, Room 1100, Little Rock, AR 72201; open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, excluding holidays
- Process
- Establish the account online at MyDMV (select the CDL/IRP/IFTA link, then Register under Self-Register IRP Account) or in person at the IRP Unit. The IRP Unit (or the online user) calculates fees for Arkansas and every jurisdiction on the application and sends an invoice by fax, email, or mail; credentials issue once the invoice is paid by personal, company, or certified check payable to the Department of Finance and Administration, or by Comchek, T-Check, or EFS check, mailed to Office of Motor Vehicle, IRP Unit, P.O. Box 8091, Little Rock, AR 72203.
- Fee structure
- Apportionable fees are divided among IRP jurisdictions by the fleet's percentage of distance in each one, together with vehicle information such as model year, purchase price, and type, and maximum weight. Arkansas registration fees are prorated through the year on the manual's fee schedule; supplements are charged a full year unless a current IRP cab card for the vehicle is shown.
- Fees: trailer plate
- Arkansas issues a permanent trailer plate for a one-time $65 fee (non-transferable; a lost plate is replaced for $65).
- Fees: replacement plate
- A lost or stolen apportioned plate is replaced for $1.00 on a supplement with a written explanation.
- Fees: unladen weight permit
- Owner-operators not operating as lessors can buy an IRP unladen weight permit from the IRP Unit for $39.00.
- Fees: trip permit
- Out-of-state vehicles eligible for apportionment but not registered for Arkansas need a 72-hour trip permit, $33.00, sold at the first port of entry, at 134 state revenue offices, at Arkansas Highway Police weigh stations, and online through MyDMV (wire services add their own charge).
- Cab card
- One apportioned plate (when needed) and one cab card per fleet vehicle; the cab card lists each jurisdiction and the weight registered there. The original cab card, or an electronic version, must be kept in the vehicle and is the receipt for fees paid. Registration decals are no longer issued, and credentials issue only after all fees are paid.
- Process: documents
- Title or MSO and bill of sale for newly purchased equipment (out-of-state titles are converted to Arkansas titles, $10 or $10.50 with a lien), sales tax where due, proof of Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax for power units of 55,000 pounds or more, proof of liability insurance, proof of property tax assessment (for-hire carriers: the Public Service Commission annual motor carrier report and ad valorem proof; others: the county personal property assessment and paid receipt), any lease agreement, a mileage letter, the FEIN and USDOT number of the carrier responsible for safety, and proof of active operating authority in the applicant's name or a valid authority lease.
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 Arkansas IRP rules
- Temporary credentials: summary
- For vehicles added to an existing Arkansas apportioned fleet, the IRP Unit may issue temporary authority on request by 4:30 p.m. (Central), or the carrier can request it in an online supplement; registration must be completed within 30 calendar days. Temporary authority is not issued for renewals, new accounts, or previously registered vehicles.
- Contact: address
- 1900 West 7th Street, Room 1100, Little Rock, AR 72201 (payments: P.O. Box 8091, Little Rock, AR 72203)
- Contact: note
- The phone number is the Registration line in the IRP Unit's own contact table in the DFA IRP manual (fax (501) 682-4615; audit (501) 683-5966). The manual publishes no IRP email address. The toll-free numbers printed in the manual's trip permit section belong to private wire services that resell 72-hour trip permits, not to the IRP Unit.
Base jurisdiction, renewal, and audit in detail
The rules that decide whether Arkansas can be your base jurisdiction, what qualifies, and what happens at renewal and audit. Each one is sourced.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Summary
- An applicant may base in Arkansas where it has an established place of business, its fleet accrues distance in Arkansas, and fleet records are kept or made available there. Without an established place of business anywhere, an applicant may base on residence shown by an Arkansas driver's license or ID plus two listed proofs.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Business premises
- Effective October 1, 2025, the established place of business is an owned or leased physical structure (lease of at least 12 months) with clear company signage and posted hours, staffed at least 20 hours per week by permanent employees (not independent contractors) handling the general management of the trucking business. Virtual and shared office spaces do not qualify.
- Qualifying vehicles: Scope
- Power units used or intended for use in two or more IRP jurisdictions to carry persons for hire or property.
- Qualifying vehicles: Two axle power unit
- Gross or registered gross vehicle weight over 26,000 pounds (11,793 kg).
- Qualifying vehicles: Three or more axles
- A power unit with three or more axles, regardless of weight.
- Qualifying vehicles: Exceptions
- IRP registration is not required for vehicles under separate reciprocity agreements, commercial vehicles used only within one jurisdiction, recreational vehicles, restricted plates with area, distance, or commodity limits, trailers, government vehicles, and eligible charter buses (each still needs a plate). Lighter trucks and chartered buses may elect apportionment.
- Renewal: Summary
- Arkansas uses staggered registration: each fleet can have its own expiration month, and the registration year runs from the first day of that month. Distance is reported for the July 1 to June 30 period; fleets renewing in October, November, or December report the most recent period. Unpaid UCR fees block any IRP renewal or supplement.
What the Arkansas 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 Arkansas inputs to that calculation, each with its official source.
- Trailer plate
- Arkansas issues a permanent trailer plate for a one-time $65 fee (non-transferable; a lost plate is replaced for $65).
- Replacement plate
- A lost or stolen apportioned plate is replaced for $1.00 on a supplement with a written explanation.
- Unladen weight permit
- Owner-operators not operating as lessors can buy an IRP unladen weight permit from the IRP Unit for $39.00.
Who needs apportioned plates
IRP covers power units used in two or more jurisdictions to haul property or passengers for hire. A two-axle truck qualifies above the weight line in the plan, any power unit with three or more axles qualifies regardless of weight, and so does a heavy combination. Lighter trucks may choose to apportion. Trucks that never leave Arkansas register normally.
Basing your fleet in Arkansas
You can base in Arkansas where you keep an established place of business, run miles in Arkansas, and keep fleet records here. The IRP Unit now defines that office strictly: an owned or leased building on a lease of the minimum length, with signage and posted hours, staffed each week by permanent employees who manage the trucking business. Virtual and shared offices do not qualify. Without a business location anywhere, residence can serve as the basis with an Arkansas license and two listed proofs.
Opening the account
Register online through MyDMV under Self-Register IRP Account, or at the IRP Unit in the Ragland Building. Bring the title or MSO, proof of heavy vehicle use tax for heavy units, liability insurance, a mileage letter, the FEIN and USDOT Number of the carrier responsible for safety, and proof of operating authority. The IRP Unit also wants proof of property tax assessment, which for for-hire carriers means the Public Service Commission motor carrier report and ad valorem proof.
The IRP Unit sends an invoice, and plates and cab cards issue once it is paid.
Fees and credentials
Apportionable fees are divided by your fleet's share of miles in each jurisdiction, using vehicle facts such as model year, price, and maximum weight. Arkansas prorates its own fees through the year. Trailers get a permanent plate for a one-time fee, and owner-operators who are not lessors can buy an unladen weight permit.
Each vehicle carries its cab card, paper or electronic, as the receipt for fees paid. Arkansas no longer issues registration decals.
Renewal, temporary authority, and audits
Arkansas staggers registration, so each fleet can keep its own expiration month, and mileage is reported for a fixed reporting period. Unpaid UCR fees block any renewal or supplement. New trucks added to an existing fleet can run on temporary authority requested through the IRP Unit or an online supplement, but registration must be finished within the set window.
Keep distance records ready. Failing to produce them on written request brings an assessment on the fees you paid.
Reach the Arkansas IRP office
Account problems, supplement filings and credential replacements all route through the office that holds the account. Everything below is the agency's own published channel; where it publishes no phone line, the note says so rather than pointing at a permit vendor's number.
- Mailing address
- 1900 West 7th Street, Room 1100, Little Rock, AR 72201 (payments: P.O. Box 8091, Little Rock, AR 72203)
- Notes
- The phone number is the Registration line in the IRP Unit's own contact table in the DFA IRP manual (fax (501) 682-4615; audit (501) 683-5966). The manual publishes no IRP email address. The toll-free numbers printed in the manual's trip permit section belong to private wire services that resell 72-hour trip permits, not to the IRP Unit.
What pairs with IRP
The same interstate operation that needs apportioned plates almost always needs an IFTA license through Arkansas, 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.