What does FMCSA charge for operating authority?

$300, per authority type, so applying for two authority types costs $600. FMCSA does not refund application fees, even for mistaken or dismissed applications.

Is there a separate fee for the USDOT number itself?

FMCSA pages list no application fee for the USDOT number on its own, so this site treats that fee as unconfirmed rather than quote a number. FMCSA does state that updating your registration information later is free.

How much is UCR each year for a small fleet?

The 0 to 2 vehicle bracket applies, at the smallest annual fee on the 2026 bracket table. Six annual fee brackets (B1 through B6) based on the number of vehicles owned or operated: 0-2, 3-5, 6-20, 21-100, 101-1,000, and 1,001 or more. Brokers and leasing companies pay the lowest bracket fee regardless of size. The UCR fees page shows every bracket amount.

How much is the heavy vehicle use tax?

Between $100 and $550 per taxable truck per tax year, based on taxable gross weight. It applies to highway vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more and is reported on IRS Form 2290.

What do truck insurance premiums cost?

No official source publishes premiums, so this page does not estimate them. FMCSA sets the liability minimums an insurer must file on your behalf; the premium you pay for that coverage depends on your operation, radius, cargo, and driver history. Collect quotes from licensed insurers.

Which startup costs depend on my state?

IRP apportioned plates, the IFTA fuel tax license, intrastate operating authority, oversize permits, and any weight-distance tax accounts are all priced by the state. Our state reference tables carry those figures with sources.

Startup costs

How much does it cost to start a trucking company?

Plan on $300 to FMCSA for each operating authority you request, an annual UCR fee of $46.00 at the smallest fleet size, and $100 to $550 per truck in heavy vehicle use tax. Insurance premiums, apportioned plates, and state registrations sit on top, and those move with your state, radius, and record.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 18, 2026

The federal filings, line by line

Every interstate for-hire carrier pays the same federal filings no matter the state. Here is each one, with the figure rendered straight from the agency source. The wider walkthrough of the filings themselves lives in how to get your own authority.

Operating authority (MC docket): $300, per authority type, so applying for two authority types costs $600. FMCSA does not refund application fees, even for mistaken or dismissed applications. Details on the docket itself are in our MC number guide.
USDOT number: FMCSA pages list no application fee for the USDOT number on its own, so this site treats that fee as unconfirmed rather than quote a number. FMCSA states directly that updating your information is free. See who needs a USDOT number and the MCS-150 biennial update.
BOC-3 process agent: For a fee, many commercial companies will arrange a process agent in any state, and some offer blanket coverage that designates agents in all states through one filing. FMCSA publishes no standard amount for that service, so confirm the price with the agent you choose. The filing rules are in our BOC-3 guide.
Unified Carrier Registration (annual): $46.00 per year at 0 to 2 vehicles. Six annual fee brackets (B1 through B6) based on the number of vehicles owned or operated: 0-2, 3-5, 6-20, 21-100, 101-1,000, and 1,001 or more. Brokers and leasing companies pay the lowest bracket fee regardless of size. The full bracket table is on our UCR fees page, and the filing steps are in UCR registration.
Heavy vehicle use tax (Form 2290): $100 to $550 per truck per tax year for highway vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. Filing mechanics live in our Form 2290 guide.
Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse queries: $1.25 per query. Employers must run a query as part of every pre-employment driver investigation and at least annually for every CDL driver they employ. Setup steps are in our Clearinghouse guide.

Insurance: the floor is federal, the price is not

A financial responsibility provider (insurance or surety company) must file the required forms on the applicant's behalf. Applicants may not file insurance forms for themselves. What FMCSA sets is the minimum coverage that filing must show, not what the policy costs you.

Public liability minimums FMCSA requires on file for property carriers, per 49 CFR Part 387 (property carriers 387.303, brokers and freight forwarders 387.307, endorsements 387.15), as displayed on FMCSA's insurance filing requirements page.
Operation	Vehicle	Liability minimum
For-hire property carrier, non-hazardous	GVWR under 10,001 lb	$300,000
For-hire property carrier, non-hazardous (general freight)	GVWR 10,001 lb or more	$750,000
For-hire carrier of certain hazardous materials	any	$1,000,000
For-hire and private carriers of explosives, poison gas, or radioactive materials	any	$5,000,000
For-hire carrier of household goods	GVWR 10,001 lb or more	$750,000

Household goods carriers also keep $5,000 of cargo coverage on file (BMC-91, BMC-91X, or BMC-82, plus BMC-34 or BMC-83).

No official source publishes what a new carrier pays in premium for that coverage, so this page does not estimate it. Insurers price on radius, cargo, driver history, and years in business. Get quotes with these minimums in hand, and read how the BMC-91 and BMC-34 filings work before you bind a policy.

The state layer: where the total really moves

Federal filings are flat and predictable. State charges are not: two carriers with identical trucks can pay very different amounts depending on the base state and the lanes they run. These tables carry the per-state figures, each cell with its own source:

IRP apportioned plates by state: registration cost follows your fleet weight and the miles you run in each jurisdiction.
IFTA fuel tax rates by state: the quarterly per-gallon rates your fuel tax return settles against.
Intrastate authority by state and state DOT number requirements: what your state adds if you also haul inside its borders.
Oversize permit costs by state: per-trip permits when a load runs past legal dimensions.
Weight-distance tax states: four states tax you per mile on top of fuel tax.
Best states to start a trucking company: how those state costs stack up against each other.

Want the math done for you? The trucking startup cost calculator stacks these sourced fees into an itemized estimate for your fleet size and base state.

Costs no official source publishes

Where a figure has no agency source, this site leaves it blank instead of guessing. Four items belong on your budget line anyway:

The USDOT number application fee, which no FMCSA page we verified states, as covered above.
The blanket process agent fee, set by each BOC-3 filing company.
Insurance premiums, quoted per carrier by licensed insurers.
Business formation and registered agent charges, set by your state and provider.

The order to pay things in

Sequence matters because several filings depend on the one before. Here is the order that avoids paying twice, with each step covered in depth in the authority guide. Wondering about the wait between steps? See how long authority takes.

Set up the business. Form the business entity your state requires and get an EIN from the IRS before you file anything with FMCSA.
Apply for your USDOT number and operating authority. First-time applicants use FMCSA's Unified Registration System (URS) online, for applicants who have never registered with FMCSA or received a USDOT number. The application fee is $300 per authority type, so applying for two authority types costs $600.
Have your insurer file proof of coverage. A financial responsibility provider (insurance or surety company) must file the required forms on the applicant's behalf. Applicants may not file insurance forms for themselves.
Get your BOC-3 process agent designation on file. The BOC-3 must be filed within 90 days of the date the operating authority application is published in the FMCSA Register. Missing the deadline results in dismissal of the application and loss of the application fee. FMCSA sends a warning letter if the filing has not arrived within 20 days.
Register for UCR. Every entity subject to UCR must register annually with its base state and pay the annual fee to that state. The fee bracket table covers motor carriers, freight forwarders, brokers, and leasing companies. The smallest bracket covers 0 to 2 vehicles; the current fee is on the UCR fees table for the 2026 registration year.
File Form 2290 if a truck is heavy enough. The federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (HVUT) is reported on IRS Form 2290 for highway motor vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. File by the last day of the month following the month of first use on a public highway. For vehicles first used in July, file between July 1 and August 31.
Add the state layer. Register for IRP apportioned plates and an IFTA license through your base state, and add intrastate authority or state permits where your state requires them.

Planning to arrange freight instead of hauling it? The cost stack is different; start with what a freight broker authority is.

Frequently asked questions

What does FMCSA charge for operating authority?: $300, per authority type, so applying for two authority types costs $600. FMCSA does not refund application fees, even for mistaken or dismissed applications.
Is there a separate fee for the USDOT number itself?: FMCSA pages list no application fee for the USDOT number on its own, so this site treats that fee as unconfirmed rather than quote a number. FMCSA does state that updating your registration information later is free.
How much is UCR each year for a small fleet?: The 0 to 2 vehicle bracket applies, at the smallest annual fee on the 2026 bracket table. Six annual fee brackets (B1 through B6) based on the number of vehicles owned or operated: 0-2, 3-5, 6-20, 21-100, 101-1,000, and 1,001 or more. Brokers and leasing companies pay the lowest bracket fee regardless of size. The UCR fees page shows every bracket amount.
How much is the heavy vehicle use tax?: Between $100 and $550 per taxable truck per tax year, based on taxable gross weight. It applies to highway vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more and is reported on IRS Form 2290.
What do truck insurance premiums cost?: No official source publishes premiums, so this page does not estimate them. FMCSA sets the liability minimums an insurer must file on your behalf; the premium you pay for that coverage depends on your operation, radius, cargo, and driver history. Collect quotes from licensed insurers.
Which startup costs depend on my state?: IRP apportioned plates, the IFTA fuel tax license, intrastate operating authority, oversize permits, and any weight-distance tax accounts are all priced by the state. Our state reference tables carry those figures with sources.

Sources

Primary statutes and official agency pages this guide relies on. Laws and fees change, so confirm against the current source before you act.

Get Operating Authority (Docket Number) · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S. DOT
Instructions for Form OP-1, Application for Motor Property Carrier and Broker Authority (Revised 01/10/2017) · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S. DOT
Do I Need a USDOT Number? · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S. DOT
Updating Your Registration or Authority · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S. DOT
Form BOC-3, Designation of Agents for Service of Process · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S. DOT
Insurance Filing Requirements · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S. DOT
UCR Fee Brackets · Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors
Trucking Tax Center · Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return (Rev. July 2026, period July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027) · Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Query Plans, FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse · Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), U.S. DOT

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.