By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026
The launch sequence
Federal first, then Minnesota. 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 Minnesota data.
- Register the business with the Secretary of State. MnDOT's registration statement asks for the legal name, Minnesota business number and federal tax ID, so the entity has to exist first. An out-of-state business registers as a foreign entity.
- Get your USDOT number. MnDOT lists the USDOT number as step two of the certificate of registration, and DVS collects it when you register a truck above the state's weight line. FMCSA issues it through Motus at no charge.
- Line up the Form E and the workers' compensation certificate. Your insurer files the Form E with MnDOT, and the registration packet has to include the Certificate of Compliance with the Minnesota Workers' Compensation Law. MnDOT will not issue the certificate without it.
- File the notarized registration statement with MnDOT. The certificate of registration for general freight is free and does not expire. Wait for it to arrive before you haul for hire inside Minnesota.
- Finish MnDOT's IMCC education right away. An official with real control of the business completes the Initial Motor Carrier Contact program online. Miss the statutory deadline and the registration is void.
- Open an IRP account with DVS if you cross state lines. Check the business premises rule before you apply, since shared and virtual offices do not qualify, and allow up to three weeks for pre-approval of a new account.
- License for IFTA through e-Services for Business. New licences are processed at the DVS central office in St. Paul, and your account number is your FEIN. Returns are quarterly, even with no miles.
- Book CDL testing early if you are hiring or driving. DVS gives the CDL knowledge and road tests itself, and the learner permit has to be held for a set number of days before the road test. Book the road test through DVS online services.
- Calendar the recurring deadlines. IFTA returns fall due each quarter, IFTA licences expire at year end, IRP registrations expire at the end of February, and the IFTA renewal comes first.
The order that works in Minnesota
Business first. Register the company with the Minnesota Secretary of State, or as a foreign entity if you formed it elsewhere, because the MnDOT registration statement asks for the legal name, the Minnesota business number and the federal tax ID.
Federal next. Get the USDOT number, plus federal operating authority if you will haul for hire across state lines. Minnesota checks the USDOT number twice: MnDOT on the registration statement, and DVS when you register a truck above the state's weight line.
Then the certificate. File the notarized registration statement with the workers' compensation certificate, and have your insurer file the Form E. The certificate arrives free and does not expire, but a company official has to finish MnDOT's Initial Motor Carrier Contact education within the deadline or the registration is void.
Plates and fuel tax last. DVS issues apportioned plates and the IFTA licence from one office, and the IFTA renewal has to be done before the IRP renewal each winter.
Where Minnesota differs from other states
The certificate costs nothing and never renews, which is rare. What replaces the renewal is the education deadline: miss it and the registration is void, so treat it as part of the application.
The insurance floor is low. The Form E limits Minnesota sets for intrastate freight sit far below the federal interstate minimum, which means a policy written for intrastate work will not cover an interstate load. The moment you cross the state line, the federal limits apply.
The calendar is shared. Every Minnesota apportioned registration expires at the end of February, IFTA runs the calendar year, and DVS wants the fuel licence renewed before the plates. One more quirk: intrastate drivers may be younger than the federal age line, so a Minnesota-only hire can be someone an interstate carrier could not put behind the wheel.
What the state side costs
The certificate of registration for general freight carries no application fee and no per-vehicle fee. The state charges land elsewhere: the IFTA licence, filing and decal fees each year, and the apportioned registration bill with its cab card and technology charges.
Household goods movers are the exception on authority, with an application fee and an annual charge per vehicle. Oversize loads add permit fees and, when axle groups are overweight, a per-mile damage assessment. Each amount lives on the matching Minnesota page as a sourced field, because a fee we retype here is a fee that can drift.
The Minnesota facts you will need
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 Minnesota
Treating the IMCC education as optional
The certificate never renews, so carriers assume nothing else is due. The Initial Motor Carrier Contact program has a statutory deadline, and missing it voids the registration.
Buying intrastate insurance for interstate loads
Minnesota's Form E limits for intrastate freight sit far below the federal interstate minimum. A policy sized to the state floor does not cover a load that crosses the state line.
Sending the registration statement without the workers' compensation certificate
Minn. Stat. 176.182 bars MnDOT from issuing the certificate without proof of workers' compensation compliance, and the Department of Labor and Industry penalizes missing or false information.
Assuming a light truck is outside the rules
The certificate turns on hauling for hire, not weight, and for-hire carriers mark trucks with the USDOT number regardless of vehicle weight.
Renewing IRP before IFTA
DVS wants the IFTA renewal finished before the IRP renewal, and there is no grace period on apportioned fees due in March.
Basing IRP out of a virtual office
Minnesota requires a real, staffed place of business with signage and posted hours. Shared and virtual offices do not qualify as a base.
Planning an oversize move over a summer weekend
Loads above the holiday threshold cannot move on Friday and Sunday evenings from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, on fishing opener weekend, or around the major holidays.
Counting on a MnDOT permit for county roads
MnDOT permits cover trunk highways, U.S. highways and interstates only. The county or city has to approve its own roads on the route.
Mailing an IFTA return on the due date through a postage meter
Minnesota counts a mailed return as filed on its postmark date, and a meter mark does not count. File through e-Services or get a postmark.