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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Maine

Maine issues no intrastate operating authority and no state carrier number. What it does require is a USDOT number on intrastate trucks above its own weight line, its own liability minimum on intrastate commercial trucks, and fuel tax licensing even for trucks that never leave the state. One Bureau of Motor Vehicles office in Augusta runs nearly all of it.

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Sep 28, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Not required
USDOT number
Required first

State agency Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Services (Operating Authority Unit for for-hire insurance filings and UCR); Maine State Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit (intrastate USDOT number rule)

Credential No state operating authority. Intrastate USDOT number (vehicles over 26,000 pounds) plus for-hire insurance on file with the BMV Operating Authority Unit

What these terms cover

USDOT number: For a Maine intrastate carrier the USDOT number is itself the state requirement once a vehicle exceeds 26,000 pounds, carries placarded hazardous materials, or is a bus.

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Sep 28, 2026.How we verify

Everything Maine requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

Identical in every state, and not part of the Maine 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 Maine organizes trucking compliance

Most states split trucking credentials across a DMV, a revenue department and a DOT. Maine puts them in one place. Motor Carrier Services at the Secretary of State's Bureau of Motor Vehicles runs IRP plates, IFTA and the state's own intrastate fuel license, the for-hire insurance filing, UCR and oversize permits. Commercial driver's licenses come from the same bureau's CDL Examination Section.

The Maine State Police owns the safety side. Its motor carrier rule adopts the federal safety regulations for intrastate carriers, sets the weight line for the intrastate USDOT number, and carries Maine's own exceptions for intrastate drivers.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page explains why Maine has no authority to buy and what replaces it: the USDOT rule, the liability minimums and the insurance filing forms. The permits pages cover the legal limits, the bracket-priced oversize fees, escorts and the holiday and summer Saturday travel bans. The IFTA page covers Maine Motor Carrier Connect filing and the Maine Only decal, and the IRP page covers staggered renewals and the town excise tax.

Every figure on those pages is a data field tied to the BMV page, rule or statute it came from. Where an agency leaves a fact unpublished, we say so plainly instead of guessing.

Maine filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover Maine

Frequently asked questions

Does Maine require its own trucking authority?

No. Maine repealed its operating authority license, so there is no state authority to apply for and no state carrier number. An intrastate carrier still needs a USDOT number once a truck crosses the Maine weight line, carries placarded hazmat or is a bus, and must meet the state's own liability minimums.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Maine?

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Services, handles IRP, IFTA and intrastate fuel licensing, for-hire insurance filings, UCR and oversize permits, and its CDL Examination Section licenses commercial drivers. The Maine State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit answers questions on the intrastate USDOT rule.

Do I need a USDOT number if I never leave Maine?

Only above the Maine line. Maine exempts intrastate trucks in a middle weight band that are not buses and haul no hazmat, so the number is required once a truck's weight rating tops that band, or at any weight for a bus or placarded hazmat. FMCSA issues the number; Maine has no application of its own.

Where do the numbers on these Maine pages come from?

Every fee, limit and deadline is a data field tied to the BMV page, Secretary of State rule or Maine statute it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Where the BMV page lags the statute, as with the new intrastate liability minimum, the page says so and follows the statute.

Sources

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

  1. United States Department of Transportation Number · Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Services
  2. For-Hire Insurance · Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Services
  3. Commercial Vehicles/Motor Carrier Services · Maine Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Services

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.