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Maine trucking

How to start a trucking company in Maine

Start with the federal spine, because in Maine there is no state authority to buy. Get a USDOT number from FMCSA if your trucks cross the Maine weight line, carry the state's liability minimum, and license every qualifying truck for fuel tax, even one that never leaves Maine. Interstate carriers add IRP plates from the BMV in Augusta.

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Sep 28, 2026

The launch sequence

Federal first, then Maine. The federal side is identical in every state and is covered in depth by how to get your own authority; the state facts below come from our sourced Maine data.

  1. Check whether your trucks need a USDOT number. Maine's intrastate line sits above the federal one. Register with FMCSA online if a truck tops it, is a bus or hauls placarded hazmat, and mark the number on both sides of the truck.
  2. Buy insurance to the Maine minimum. Maine sets its own combined single limit for intrastate commercial trucks, private or for-hire. For-hire carriers also file proof with the BMV Operating Authority Unit.
  3. Add federal authority and UCR if you haul across state lines. Interstate for-hire carriers need federal operating authority, its insurance filings, and UCR with Maine as the base state. Purely intrastate carriers owe no UCR.
  4. License your trucks for fuel tax. IFTA if your trucks run out of state, a Maine Only license and decal if they never leave. Both come from the BMV Fuel Tax Unit.
  5. Open an IRP account if you run interstate. Pay the town excise tax first, then register with the IRP Unit in Augusta. Your fleet renews on its own month each year.
  6. Set up permits for oversize loads. Open a MoveMEMaine account or an overlimit billing account with the BMV if your loads run oversize, and plan around holiday weekends and summer Saturdays.
  7. Calendar the recurring deadlines. IFTA returns are due the last day of the month after each quarter, IFTA decals expire at year end and Maine Only decals mid-year, and IRP renews on your fleet's own month.

The order that works in Maine

Federal first. Register with FMCSA online for the USDOT number if any truck is over the Maine intrastate line, is a bus or hauls placarded hazmat, and mark it on both sides of each truck. If you haul for hire across state lines, add federal operating authority, the federal insurance filings, and UCR with Maine as your base state.

Then insurance. Maine's own statute sets a combined single limit for intrastate commercial trucks, private and for-hire alike, and for-hire carriers file proof with the BMV Operating Authority Unit.

Then fuel and plates. License each qualifying truck for fuel tax: IFTA if you run out of state, a Maine Only license if you do not. Interstate carriers open an IRP account with the IRP Unit, paying the town excise tax first. Oversize permits come last, only if your loads need them.

Where Maine differs from other states

Four things catch new Maine carriers. The intrastate USDOT line sits well above the federal one, so a mid-weight straight truck working only in Maine may need no number at all. The liability minimum is new: it reaches intrastate commercial trucks whether or not you haul for hire, and the BMV insurance page still shows the older, lower figure.

Fuel tax reaches carriers that never cross a state line, through the Maine Only decal. And IRP has no statewide renewal date: each fleet renews on its own month, with the town excise tax paid before the plates.

The Maine facts you will need

State authority required
No
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)
State filing fee
Maine publishes no filing fee for intrastate carriers: there is no authority to buy, and neither the BMV USDOT page nor the For-Hire Insurance page lists a fee. The USDOT number itself comes from FMCSA.

The complete tables live on the dedicated pages: intrastate authority, IRP registration, IFTA, and trucking permits.

Budget the launch before you file

The trucking startup cost calculator builds a line-item estimate from the sourced fee data, and the cost pillar explains every line. Neither replaces a quote for your truck and insurance, which are the two biggest variables.

Common mistakes when launching in Maine

  • Assuming no state authority means no state insurance minimum

    Maine sells no authority, but its statute now sets a liability minimum on intrastate commercial trucks, and it applies to private fleets as well as for-hire carriers.

  • Buying insurance to the figure on the BMV web page

    The BMV For-Hire Insurance page still shows the older, lower property figure. The statute controls, and a policy bought to the web page figure can fall short.

  • Using the federal weight line for an intrastate USDOT number

    Inside Maine, trucks in the middle weight band need no number unless they are buses or haul hazmat. Cross the state line and the federal line applies again.

  • Skipping the fuel license because the truck never leaves Maine

    Maine licenses intrastate carriers for fuel tax too. A qualified truck running only in Maine still needs a Maine Only license and decal.

  • Registering before paying the town excise tax

    Maine requires the municipal excise tax paid to the town where the truck is based before any registration or renewal, IRP included.

  • Scheduling an oversize move for a holiday weekend or summer Saturday

    Maine bars overdimensional travel on legal holidays and holiday weekends, including Patriots' Day and the Friday after Thanksgiving, and cuts Saturday travel short from spring through fall.

Frequently asked questions

Can I skip the USDOT number if I only run inside Maine?

Sometimes. Maine exempts intrastate trucks in a middle weight band that are not buses and carry no hazmat. Above that band, or at any weight for a bus or placarded hazmat, the number is required even inside Maine and must be shown on both sides of the truck.

What does it cost to start a trucking company in Maine?

Maine charges nothing for authority because it has none, and FMCSA issues the USDOT number. The state costs are fuel decals, IRP fees and the town excise tax if you run interstate, oversize permits when a load needs them, and the insurance premium to meet Maine's minimum. Each amount is a sourced field on our Maine pages.

Who handles fuel tax for Maine carriers?

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles Fuel Tax Unit, not the revenue department. It licenses IFTA carriers based in Maine and also licenses Maine-only carriers under the intrastate fuel tax program, with a separate decal.

Do I need a Maine office for apportioned plates?

You need an established place of business in Maine, meaning a physical site open for business and staffed during normal hours, or proof of Maine residence, plus distance run in Maine and records kept or available there. Renewing registrants certify this every year.

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.