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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Kansas

Kansas splits trucking compliance across three agencies. The Kansas Corporation Commission grants intrastate authority and registers trucks through KTRAN, the Department of Revenue runs apportioned plates and IFTA, and KDOT sells oversize, trip and fuel permits through K-TRIPS. Each page below covers one piece, with every fee and limit tied to an official source.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Required

Weight trigger 10,001 lb GVWR, among others

State filing fee
Not confirmed

Kansas sets motor carrier fees in K.S.A. 66-1a01(b)(3), and there is no single application fee to report. A private carrier registration application is $100; a common carrier certificate, license or authority application is capped by statute at not more than $250, and the amount the KCC actually charges within that cap was not published on the KCC pages read, so it is not recorded. Every certificate and registration then renews annually at $10 per vehicle. Since October 1, 2025 KTRAN adds a payment processing fee of $1.50 per ACH payment or 2.5 percent of the total for credit card payments.

USDOT number
Required first

Issued by Kansas Corporation Commission, Transportation Division (1500 SW Arrowhead Road, Topeka, KS 66604; (785) 271-3145)

Credential KCC intrastate operating authority: certificate of public service (for-hire property), certificate of convenience and necessity (household goods and passengers), private carrier license or permit

What these terms cover

USDOT number: K.A.R. 82-4-8h requires each Kansas-based motor carrier to obtain a USDOT number meeting the identification report and marking requirements of 49 CFR 390.21, and the KTRAN account for an out-of-state carrier is created against its USDOT number.

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Sep 27, 2026.How we verify

Everything Kansas requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

Identical in every state, and not part of the Kansas 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

How Kansas organizes trucking compliance

Three agencies, three portals. The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) Transportation Division issues intrastate operating authority, collects the yearly per-truck registration, sets the Form E insurance floor, and enforces the adopted federal safety rules, all through KTRAN. The Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) runs IRP apportioned registration in KCoVRS and IFTA in its Customer Service Center. KDOT handles oversize and overweight permits, turnpike access, and temporary fuel and registration permits in K-TRIPS.

Kansas also skips two things other states add. It issues no branded state carrier number, since the USDOT number is the identifier, and it levies no weight-distance tax.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page covers who needs KCC authority, the three credential types, the fee schedule set by statute, and the insurance filings. The permits pages cover legal size and weight limits, single-trip and annual permits, escorts, and travel rules. The IFTA and IRP pages cover base-state licensing, quarterly returns, and calendar-year apportioned plates.

Every figure on those pages is a data field tied to the statute, regulation, or agency page it came from. Where Kansas publishes no figure, we say so plainly instead of guessing.

Kansas filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover Kansas

Frequently asked questions

Does Kansas require its own operating authority?

Yes. The KCC requires intrastate authority for for-hire carriers of property, household goods movers, passenger carriers, and most private carriers of property. The type of credential depends on what you haul and for whom, and a set of statutory exemptions covers short local hauls and some farm work.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Kansas?

The Kansas Corporation Commission handles operating authority, truck registration under that authority, insurance filings, and UCR for Kansas-based carriers. The Department of Revenue handles IRP and IFTA. KDOT handles oversize, overweight, trip, and fuel permits. Plan on an account with each.

Does Kansas issue a state carrier number?

No. Kansas issues no separately branded carrier number. The KCC keys its KTRAN accounts to your USDOT number, and Kansas-based carriers must hold one under the KCC's own regulation. The KCC then issues credentials for each registered truck.

Does Kansas have a weight-distance tax?

No. Kansas levies no weight-distance or highway-use tax. The distance-based charges a Kansas carrier pays are IRP apportioned registration fees and fuel use tax under IFTA.

Sources

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

  1. K.S.A. 66-1,114b, Public motor carrier of property other than household goods or passengers; certificate of public service · Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes
  2. Transportation (Transportation Division home page, KTRAN payment processing notice) · Kansas Corporation Commission, Transportation Division
  3. Procedures for Safety Compliance (KCC Transportation Division, October 2021) · Kansas Corporation Commission, Transportation Division

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.