By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026
Mississippi requires intrastate operating authority from the Mississippi Department of Transportation. A carrier hauling property (other than household goods) between points in Mississippi registers as a restricted motor carrier on MDOT's General Freight application: a one-time $50 filing fee plus $10 per vehicle, with a certificate of insurance on file showing $750,000 in liability for non-hazardous freight and $5,000 or $10,000 in cargo coverage depending on load size. Household goods movers and passenger carriers apply separately for a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity, which goes to a hearing.
The Mississippi requirements table
- Agency
- Mississippi Department of Transportation, Permit & Motor Carrier Division (Motor Carrier Section)
- Program name
- Mississippi Intrastate General Freight Operating Authority (restricted motor carrier registration); household goods and passenger carriers need a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity
- Application
- Application for Mississippi Intrastate General Freight Operating Authority, with the Receipt Application for General Freight (Form MSR-1), mailed with payment to Mississippi Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Section/66-05, P.O. Box 1850, Jackson, MS 39215-1850. Applicants not domiciled in Mississippi attach a BOC-3 process agent form.
- Renewal
- Renewal filings use the Intrastate MSR-1 Record (general freight) or MSR-1 Certificate (household goods and passenger) receipt forms, at $10.00 per vehicle, waived for carriers that have paid Unified Carrier Registration fees for the trucks claimed. MDOT's published forms do not state a renewal cycle or due date, so none is recorded.
Authority fee schedule
Mississippi charges a fixed amount per filing rather than pricing registration by term. Each charge below is set by its own statute or rule section.
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Sector licences that still apply
Mississippi licenses some kinds of carrier separately, whatever the general authority answer above. If you move household goods, carry passengers, or haul waste, the licence below is the one that binds you.
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Who the requirement covers
- GVWR threshold
- Not confirmedThe Motor Carrier Regulatory Law sets no weight floor in its definitions. Miss. Code Ann. 77-7-7(d) defines a motor vehicle as any vehicle, machine, tractor, trailer or semitrailer propelled or drawn by mechanical power and used on the highways to carry passengers or property, and 77-7-7(g) makes every carrier of property (except household goods) by motor vehicle for compensation a restricted motor carrier. MDOT's General Freight Guidelines and application state no weight threshold either. The 10,000-pound figure in 77-7-16 governs safety inspection, not operating authority. Section 77-7-21 applies to restricted motor carriers 'not exempted in this chapter', and the chapter's exemption provisions (such as 77-7-9) could not be read at an official host, so no threshold is recorded and its absence is not declared.
- For-hire only
- YesThe requirement covers carriers for compensation. Miss. Code Ann. 77-7-7(g) defines a restricted motor carrier as a carrier of property, except household goods, by motor vehicle for compensation; 77-7-11 bars any motor carrier from operating a vehicle to carry passengers or property for compensation except under the chapter; and 77-7-21 bars a restricted motor carrier not exempted in the chapter from intrastate operation unless it complies with the laws and regulations of the Transportation Commission and the Department of Public Safety. A private carrier hauling its own goods is not a restricted motor carrier under that definition, so MDOT's General Freight registration does not reach it. Safety rules are separate: 77-7-16 lets the state inspect commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds whether or not they haul for hire.
- Property carriers
- YesGeneral freight: motor carriers of property, except household goods and passengers, operating in intrastate commerce in Mississippi, file the General Freight application as a restricted motor carrier, choosing non-hazardous or hazardous material authority.
- Passenger carriers
- Passenger carriers need a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity from MDOT, applied for by letter and decided after a hearing (see sector_authorities).
- Household goods
- Household goods carriers need a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity from MDOT, applied for by letter and decided after a hearing (see sector_authorities).
Mississippi insurance minimums
State minimums can differ from the federal filing levels; the federal side is covered in our insurance filings guide.
- Liability minimum
- $750,000 ($750,000 for property (non-hazardous). Hazardous materials carriers need $1,000,000 or $5,000,000 depending on the material under 49 C.F.R. Part 387; see the operation-type table.)
Minimum liability by operation type
General freight is not the floor for every carrier. Hazmat and larger passenger operations carry higher minimums; buy against the row that matches what you haul.
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Other Mississippi insurance requirements
Insurance filing forms
Your insurance company makes these filings with the state, not you.
More Mississippi authority rules
- USDOT prerequisite: note
- The General Freight application asks for the carrier's U.S.D.O.T. number, its FHWA/MC numbers, and its FEIN or Social Security number, and MDOT's oversize permit manual requires a valid federal DOT number for every permit. The intrastate forms do not state in terms that the authority cannot issue without a USDOT number, so it is not recorded as a hard prerequisite.
- Contact: office
- Mississippi Department of Transportation, Permit/Motor Carrier Division (Mail Code 75-02); intrastate applications go to the Motor Carrier Section/66-05
Who needs Mississippi intrastate authority
Mississippi requires authority for restricted motor carriers, which Miss. Code 77-7-7 defines as carriers of property, except household goods, hauling for compensation. For-hire carriers complete MDOT's General Freight packet and choose non-hazardous or hazardous material authority. A private carrier hauling its own goods is not paid to carry them, so it falls outside that definition. The chapter's definitions set no weight floor, but its exemptions section could not be read at an official source, so no weight threshold is stated here.
A registration for freight, a hearing for movers and passengers
General freight carriers register without a hearing. Household goods movers and passenger carriers send MDOT a letter of application naming the routes or territory, the vehicles, a sworn statement of assets and liabilities, proof of insurance, and the carriers already serving the route. A hearing follows, and the certificate issues only if the operation is justified and the applicant fit, willing, and able.
How to apply
Mail the General Freight application and the MSR-1 receipt form with payment to MDOT's Motor Carrier Section in Jackson. Applicants based outside Mississippi attach a BOC-3 process agent form. MDOT takes credit cards other than American Express, cashier's checks, and money orders.
Fees and renewal
New carriers pay a one-time filing fee plus a per-vehicle fee. Renewals charge only the per-vehicle fee on the renewal MSR-1 form. Both per-vehicle charges are waived for trucks covered by a paid UCR registration. MDOT's forms state no renewal cycle or due date, so none is shown.
Insurance on file
MDOT wants a certificate of insurance on file with the Motor Carrier Section. Liability follows the federal tiers, higher for hazardous materials, and every general freight carrier also carries cargo coverage set by load size. The guidelines name no specific filing form.
Where this fits in the Mississippi launch
A cell reading "Not confirmed" means the agency did not publish a figure we could verify, so we left it open rather than guessed. For the full launch order, work through start a trucking company in Mississippi, then line up IRP registration and IFTA if you run beyond state lines. To compare every state at once, see the national intrastate authority table.