Skip to content
Haul Handbook logoHaul Handbook

State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Montana

Montana issues no operating authority for general freight. What a Montana carrier does need is a USDOT number, which MDT assigns to intrastate carriers and which goes on the truck with an MT suffix. MDT Motor Carrier Services also runs IRP, IFTA and oversize permits, and every fee here comes from a statute or agency page.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Not required
USDOT number
Required first

State agency Montana Public Service Commission, Transportation Division (Class A, D and E certificates); Montana Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services Division (intrastate USDOT number and safety rules, ARM 18.8.1502)

Credential Intrastate USDOT number with MT suffix (ARM 18.8.1502), plus PSC certificates for regular-route carriers (Class A), garbage haulers (Class D) and transportation network carriers (Class E)

What these terms cover

USDOT number: For an intrastate freight carrier the USDOT number is itself the Montana requirement: MDT assigns one to each intrastate motor carrier and it must be marked with the MT suffix. MDT's permitting FAQ adds that whether a carrier is listed as intrastate or interstate, Montana has adopted the federal regulations, so all carriers must file their biennial MCS-150 updates.

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

Everything Montana requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

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

Two agencies share the work, and one of them does most of it. The Montana Department of Transportation's Motor Carrier Services Division assigns intrastate USDOT numbers through its safety section, issues apportioned plates and the IFTA license, collects UCR, and sells oversize, overweight and trip permits through its MT eTRIPS system and its weigh stations. IFTA returns go to a second MDT office, the Revenue Services Bureau, through the same ePART online system.

The Public Service Commission certificates only a narrow set of carriers: garbage haulers, carriers running fixed routes at set rates, and ride-hail networks. Montana also adds its own gross vehicle weight fee to truck registration and levies no weight-distance tax.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page explains why general freight needs no Montana authority, which carriers the PSC does certificate, and how the intrastate safety rules and insurance floor work. The permits pages cover legal size and weight, the trip and term permit fees, escorts, holiday and night limits, and superloads. The IFTA and IRP pages cover licensing, quarterly filing in ePART, and the Montana base rules.

The newer guides round out the set: the insurance page walks the state liability floor and the PSC filings, the DOT number page covers who needs one and how the truck is marked, the CDL page prices the interstate and intrastate licenses, and the trip and fuel permit page covers the short-term credentials for trucks not licensed in Montana.

Every figure on those pages is a data field tied to the statute, rule or agency page it came from. Where an agency does not publish a fact, we say so plainly.

Montana filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover Montana

Frequently asked questions

Does Montana require its own operating authority?

Not for general freight. Montana's Public Service Commission certificates only garbage haulers, regular-route carriers and ride-hail networks. A freight carrier running a commercial motor vehicle inside Montana needs a USDOT number from MDT instead, marked on the truck with an MT suffix.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Montana?

MDT Motor Carrier Services handles the intrastate USDOT number, IRP plates, the IFTA license, UCR and oversize permits, and MDT's Revenue Services Bureau takes the IFTA returns. The Public Service Commission certificates garbage haulers and regular-route carriers.

Is there a weight-distance tax in Montana?

No. Montana levies no weight-distance tax. What it does charge is a gross vehicle weight fee on every Montana-registered truck, truck tractor and bus, set by the declared loaded weight and paid on top of registration.

Is Montana a UCR state?

Yes. Montana takes part in the Unified Carrier Registration program, and MDT Motor Carrier Services collects it from carriers running in interstate or international commerce. UCR must be paid before Montana issues IRP credentials. Intrastate-only carriers do not owe it.

Where do the numbers on these Montana pages come from?

Every fee, limit and deadline is a data field tied to the Montana Code Annotated section, administrative rule, MDT manual or PSC form it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Where no agency publishes a figure, the page says so instead of guessing.

Sources

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

  1. Motor Carrier Compliance · Montana Public Service Commission

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.