Everything Louisiana requires, in order
Each step is its own page, with the Louisiana figures read from the agency that publishes them.
First, the federal side
Identical in every state, and not part of the Louisiana sequence below: get your own authority, USDOT number, Form 2290, and what it all costs.
Before you file
- Start a trucking companyFederal steps plus this state, in order
- DOT numberState USDOT triggers and carrier numbers
- CDLLicense fees, testing, endorsements
State credentials
- Intrastate authorityState operating authority: rule, agency, fee
- Insurance requirementsState liability minimums and insurer filings
Plates, fuel tax and trip permits
- IRP registrationApportioned plates and cab cards
- IFTAFuel tax license, decals, filing
- Trip and fuel permitsTemporary IRP and IFTA permits
Permits and state taxes
- Trucking permitsEvery state permit a carrier may need
- Oversize permitsLegal limits, permit fees, escorts
How Louisiana splits trucking compliance
Four state bodies each own one piece. The Public Service Commission certificates intrastate carriers, but only in five classes: household goods movers, waste haulers, saltwater haulers serving oil well work, passenger carriers and non-consensual towing companies. The Department of Transportation and Development runs oversize and overweight permits through its Truck Permit Office. The Department of Revenue runs IFTA. The Office of Motor Vehicles runs apportioned registration and trip permits.
Expect four separate logins along the way: LaGeaux for permits, LaTAP for fuel tax, LA Trucks Online for apportioned plates, and paper for the Commission, which runs no online filing portal at all. Each Louisiana page here names the agency that owns the step you are on.
What you will find here
The intrastate authority page owns the Louisiana answer that surprises most carriers: who the Commission certificates, what the five regulated classes file, and why everyone else is left alone. The permits pages cover the state's double set of legal limits, single trip and annual permits, escorts and curfews. The IFTA and IRP pages cover base state licensing, quarterly filing, apportioned plates and the trip permit alternative.
Every amount on those pages is a data field tied to the agency page or statute it came from. Where an agency publishes nothing, this site says so plainly instead of guessing.
Louisiana filing walkthroughs
Step-by-step articles for the recurring Louisiana filings, written against the same sourced records as the pages above.
- Louisiana IFTA Filing Walkthrough (Quarterly)
How a Louisiana carrier opens an IFTA account in LaTAP on Form R-5678-L, files each quarter, and clears the February decal grace period.
- Louisiana Oversize Permit Cost: Worked Examples
Three worked Louisiana moves through the distance-by-weight permit table: the flat oversize fee, an overweight trip, and the ton-mile tail.
Free calculators that cover Louisiana
- Trucking startup cost calculator estimates your launch budget by state.
- IFTA calculator applies the current quarterly rates to your miles and gallons.
- Oversize permit cost estimator prices a permit by state and dimensions.
Frequently asked questions
Does Louisiana require its own operating authority?
Not for general freight. The Public Service Commission regulates intrastate motor carriers, but the statutory definition reaches household goods, passengers and waste, plus tow trucks. A carrier hauling building materials, machinery, produce or containers point to point inside Louisiana needs no Commission certificate and no state carrier number.
Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Louisiana?
Four. The Public Service Commission certificates the five regulated carrier classes. The Department of Transportation and Development Truck Permit Office issues oversize and overweight permits. The Department of Revenue administers IFTA. The Office of Motor Vehicles issues apportioned plates and trip permits. Plan on separate accounts with each.
Do I need a USDOT number if I only run inside Louisiana?
Louisiana does not appear on the federal list of states that make their intrastate registrants get one. The number becomes unavoidable the moment you want apportioned plates, because Louisiana is a PRISM state and every cab card barcode carries a USDOT number.
Where do the numbers on these Louisiana pages come from?
Each amount, limit and deadline is a data field tied to the agency page, application packet or statute it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Anything the agencies leave unpublished is labeled as unconfirmed rather than guessed at.
Sources for this page
The official pages behind the figures above. Fees and rules change, so check the source before you file.
- Transportation Division (Louisiana Public Service Commission carriers page) · Louisiana Public Service Commission
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.