The Michigan intrastate authority answer, at a glance
This is the short version; the Michigan intrastate authority page owns the complete answer, including triggers, insurance minimums, and renewal.
- Agency
- Michigan State Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (MSP/CVED), Regulatory and Credentialing Section
- Filing fee
- $100 (Two separate charges apply. MCL 478.1 sets a $100 application fee for an original certificate of authority and a $50 fee for a renewal application, payable whether or not the certificate is granted. On top of that, MCL 478.2(1) levies an annual fee of $100 for each self-propelled intrastate motor vehicle operated by or on behalf of the carrier, reduced to $50 for a vehicle first placed in operation after June 30 of the fee year. Trucks and tractors used exclusively to transport household goods, and vehicles used for intrastate nonconsensual towing by a UCR motor carrier, pay $50 a year. Replacement identification is $10, a temporary 72-hour permit is $10, and replacement decals and cab cards are $5 each under the administrative rules. A renewal application filed after December 1 draws a $50 per-month late penalty under MCL 479.10(1).)
How Michigan splits the work
Four agencies, four logins. The Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division issues intrastate operating authority and runs Unified Carrier Registration, a job it inherited from the Public Service Commission by executive reorganization. The Department of Transportation issues oversize and overweight permits. The Department of Treasury runs fuel tax. The Department of State runs apportioned registration.
Each one has its own portal: the CVED Authority Portal behind MiLogin for authority, MiTRIP inside the MDOT Permit Gateway for permits, the IFTA Processing Consortium for fuel tax, and IRP e-Services for plates. Every Michigan page here tells you which agency owns the step you are on.
The weight law that makes Michigan different
Michigan controls axle loadings instead of gross vehicle weight, which is why a properly configured Michigan truck legally carries far more off the interstate system than the federal number allows. The trade is axles: the ceiling is reachable only with the full complement MDOT publishes, most of them lightly loaded, and the arrangement survives under the federal grandfather clauses.
The same law turns against you every spring. From March through May the allowable axle load drops on every road type, the wheel load allowance falls with it, and MDOT stops issuing overweight permits on its own routes except in a public emergency. Plan heavy work around that window rather than through it.
What you will find here
The intrastate authority page owns the CVED Authority answer: who the certificate reaches, the statutory fee lines, the insurance filings, and the renewal calendar. The permit pages cover legal limits, single-trip and extended permits, escorts, curfews, and the spring restrictions. The IFTA and IRP pages cover licensing, quarterly filing, apportioned plates, and the record-keeping Michigan audits.
Every figure on those pages is a typed field tied to the MSP, MDOT, Treasury, or Secretary of State document it came from. Where an agency publishes nothing, we say so plainly instead of guessing.
Michigan compliance, page by page
Start a trucking company
Federal steps plus this state, in order
Intrastate authority
State operating authority: rule, agency, fee
Insurance requirements
State liability minimums and insurer filings
Trucking permits
Every state permit a carrier may need
Oversize permits
Legal limits, permit fees, escorts
IFTA
Fuel tax license, decals, filing
IRP registration
Apportioned plates and cab cards
DOT number
State USDOT triggers and carrier numbers
CDL
License fees, testing, endorsements
Trip and fuel permits
Temporary IRP and IFTA permits
Michigan filing walkthroughs
Step-by-step articles for the recurring Michigan filings, written against the same sourced records as the pages above:
Michigan IFTA Filing Walkthrough (Quarterly)
How a Michigan carrier licenses for IFTA in the IPC at no charge, files each quarter online, and clears the hard March 15 renewal cutoff.
Michigan Oversize Permit Cost: Worked Examples
Three worked Michigan permit moves: the flat statutory fee, the spring axle cut that can block it, and the county permit MDOT will not issue.
The federal steps (same in every state)
Michigan paperwork sits on top of the federal spine. If you have not finished the FMCSA side yet, start there:
Free calculators that cover Michigan
- 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 Michigan require its own operating authority?
- Yes. A for-hire motor carrier needs CVED Authority, a certificate of authority under the Motor Carrier Act, before operating on any public roadway in Michigan. It is not weight-triggered, so a light for-hire truck needs it too. A private carrier hauling its own property sits outside the scheme.
Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Michigan?
- The Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division for operating authority and UCR, the Department of Transportation for oversize and overweight permits, the Department of Treasury for IFTA, and the Department of State for apportioned registration. Expect a separate account with each.
Do I need a USDOT number before the Michigan paperwork?
- Above the published weight line, yes. MSP/CVED lists a valid USDOT number application among the approval requirements for intrastate-only carriers and for wrecker companies doing police-initiated tows. Interstate household goods carriers must hold one outright. Our Michigan DOT number page carries the trigger with its source.
Where do the numbers on these Michigan pages come from?
- Every fee, limit, and deadline is a typed field tied to the agency page, statute, or administrative rule it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Anything an agency leaves unpublished is marked unconfirmed rather than filled with a guess.
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.