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Arkansas trucking

Arkansas trip and fuel permits

A truck can run Arkansas 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 27, 2026

Arkansas pairs a 72-hour trip permit for unregistered vehicles with a fuel rule for vehicles without an IFTA license. A vehicle with IFTA but no Arkansas IRP registration buys only the trip permit; a vehicle with IRP but no IFTA shows Arkansas fuel receipts; a vehicle with neither needs both; a vehicle with both needs nothing extra. The required Arkansas fuel purchase equals Arkansas miles divided by five miles per gallon, bought before the weigh station or as a fuel permit at the weigh station.

The trip permit (registration side)

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

Permit
72-Hour Trip Permit
Stands in for
Arkansas apportioned (IRP) registration
Fee
$33 ($33.00 per the Arkansas Highway Police FAQ and the DFA IRP manual. Wire services that resell the permit add their own service charge.)
Valid for
72 hours
Who needs it
Out-of-state vehicles eligible for apportioned registration but not registered for Arkansas. ARDOT's permit guide: a vehicle with IFTA only needs the trip permit; a vehicle with neither IRP nor IFTA needs the trip permit plus fuel receipts; a vehicle with both IRP and IFTA needs no trip permit.
Where to buy
Arkansas Highway Police weigh stations, including the first port of entry; 134 state revenue offices; Online through DFA MyDMV; Wire services, with an added service charge
Statute
The AHP FAQ, the DFA IRP manual, and ARDOT's permit guide publish the fee and rules without citing a statute, so none is asserted.

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
Arkansas fuel purchase (fuel receipts) or fuel permit at the weigh station
Stands in for
IFTA license
Fee
No flat fee is published. ARDOT sets the minimum Arkansas fuel purchase at miles traveled in Arkansas divided by five miles per gallon; the carrier buys that fuel in Arkansas before arriving at a weigh station, or buys a fuel permit at the weigh station. ARDOT's page states no price for the weigh-station fuel permit, so none is recorded.
Valid for
ARDOT's permit guide states no validity period for the fuel permit or receipts; the 72-hour limit it states applies to the trip permit.
Who needs it
Vehicles entering Arkansas without an IFTA license: a vehicle with IRP only needs fuel receipts, and a vehicle with neither IRP nor IFTA needs fuel receipts plus a trip permit. Fuel haulers entering Arkansas also need a load-specific Arkansas Import/Export Permit for every trip.
Where to buy
Fuel stations in Arkansas before the weigh station (fuel receipts); Arkansas Highway Police weigh stations (fuel permit)
Statute
ARDOT's permit guide cites no statute for the fuel purchase rule, so none is asserted.

Worth knowing

Questions go to ARDOT Internal Audit at (501) 569-2237 or the Arkansas Highway Police at (501) 569-2421. Oversize and overweight permits are a separate Highway Police Permit Section credential (the state permits page). Carriers making regular Arkansas trips license under IRP and IFTA instead (the state IRP page, the state IFTA page).

Where these fit in the Arkansas permit stack

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

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Arkansas permit cost?

The 72-hour trip permit is $33, 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 Arkansas?

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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas 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.