By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026
A Montana carrier hauling general freight inside the state needs no state operating authority. It does need a USDOT number: Montana adopts the federal safety rules for intrastate commercial motor vehicles of 26,001 pounds or more, and MDT assigns intrastate carriers a USDOT number that is marked on the truck followed by MT. The Public Service Commission certificates only garbage haulers (Class D), regular-route carriers running between fixed points at set rates (Class A) and ride-hail networks (Class E). Its consumer page describes its transportation oversight as garbage hauling, fixed-rate or fixed-route shuttles and ridesharing companies.
The Montana requirements table
- 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)
- Program name
- 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)
- State carrier number
- USDOT number followed by MT for intrastate carriers; a PSC number (PSC NO.) for Class A and Class D certificate holders
- Application
- No Montana application exists for general freight authority. An intrastate carrier completes the MCS-150 before it begins operating (ARM 18.8.1502(2)(c)); MDT's MCSAP section provides USDOT numbers for Montana intrastate carriers at (406) 444-3300. Class A and Class D applicants file the PSC's written PCN application with a $500 fee, a W-9 and at least one shipper witness affidavit; the PSC publishes notice, bills the applicant for it, and must issue an order within 180 days of a complete application unless the applicant asks for more time.
- Filing fee
- General freight carriers pay no state authority fee because no authority exists. Neither ARM 18.8.1502 nor the MDT pages state a fee for the intrastate USDOT number, so none is recorded. PSC certificates are priced separately: a $500 application filing fee (with $300, less legal notice costs, refunded on a written withdrawal at least two business days before hearing), plus the cost of legal notices, plus an annual $5 per-vehicle registration fee for Class A and D carriers.
- Renewal
- The intrastate USDOT number is updated by filing the MCS-150 every 24 months on the 49 CFR 390.19 schedule (ARM 18.8.1502(2)(c)). PSC certificate holders pay the annual per-vehicle fee between October 1 and January 31 (69-12-421) and file a notarized motor carrier annual report by March 31, even a negative report if they made no regulated moves.
Authority fee schedule
Montana charges a fixed amount per filing rather than pricing registration by term. Each charge below is set by its own statute or rule section.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Sector licences that still apply
Montana 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.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Who the requirement covers
- GVWR threshold
- 26,001 lbFor intrastate commerce, ARM 18.8.1501(2)(a) defines a commercial motor vehicle as one with a GVWR, GCWR, GVW or GCW of 26,001 pounds or more (whichever is greater), one designed or used to carry more than 15 passengers not for compensation or more than eight for compensation, or one of any size carrying placardable hazardous materials. Mont. Code Ann. 61-10-154(2)(c) sets the same 26,001-pound intrastate line and excludes farm vehicles operating solely in Montana. This threshold governs the intrastate USDOT number and safety rules, not an operating authority.
- For-hire only
- NoThe intrastate USDOT and safety rules in ARM 18.8.1502 apply to for-hire and private motor carriers alike (Mont. Code Ann. 61-10-154(2)(a)). PSC certificates apply only to for-hire carriage of passengers, household goods or garbage (69-12-101(12)).
- Property carriers
- NoGeneral property is outside the PSC's certificate program: the statutory motor carrier definition names only passengers, household goods and garbage. A property carrier needs a Class A certificate of public convenience and necessity only if it runs between fixed termini or over a regular route under regular rates (69-12-301(2), 69-12-311(1)(b)).
- Passenger carriers
- Regular-route passenger carriers need a Class A certificate of compliance, and transportation network carriers a Class E certificate of compliance (69-12-101(3), 69-12-311(1)(a)). For intrastate safety purposes a vehicle designed or used to carry more than eight passengers for compensation is a commercial motor vehicle (ARM 18.8.1501).
- Household goods
- An intrastate household goods mover that does not run between fixed termini or over a regular route needs no Public Service Commission certificate. Household goods are still named in the statutory definition of a motor carrier (69-12-101(11) and (12)), but no certificate class now covers an irregular-route mover. Class B, the former class for carriers not operating between fixed termini or over a regular route, and its certificate in 69-12-312 were repealed by Chapter 512, Laws of 2021 (the Commission's rule notice names HB 365 as the bill), and 69-12-301 now lists only Class A (regular route), Class D (garbage) and Class E (transportation network carriers). The Commission then repealed its household goods rule, ARM 38.3.1101 (Transportation of Household Goods), effective November 6, 2021, stating that Class B carriers are no longer classified as motor carriers under Montana's Motor Carrier Act. Its current vehicle registration and liability insurance filing rules (ARM 38.3.201, 38.3.702) reach only Class A and D carriers, and its March 5, 2026 authority list holds only Class A and Class D certificates. A mover running a fixed route under regular rates would be a Class A carrier needing a certificate of public convenience and necessity (69-12-311(1)(b)). The PSC's 2015 household goods and garbage applicant guide, still linked from its motor carrier page, predates the 2021 repeal. Other duties still apply: a mover's vehicle over 10,000 pounds must show its name on both sides under 69-12-408, and the intrastate USDOT number rules apply at 26,001 pounds.
- Hazmat
- Any intrastate vehicle carrying hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placarding is a commercial motor vehicle regardless of weight, so the intrastate USDOT number and safety rules apply (ARM 18.8.1501(2)(a)(iv)).
- Waste transport
- Hauling garbage for hire requires a Class D certificate of public convenience and necessity from the PSC (69-12-314), and a carrier may hold one only if it actually hauls garbage on a regular basis as part of its usual business. Garbage in this chapter means ashes, trash, waste, refuse, rubbish and organic or inorganic matter taken to a licensed transfer station, landfill, municipal solid waste incinerator or disposal well; wastewater and waste tires are excluded.
- Towing and wrecker operators
- Commercial tow trucks designed and used exclusively for towing wrecked, disabled or abandoned vehicles are outside the PSC motor carrier chapter (69-12-102(2)).
- Farm vehicles
- Farm vehicles operating solely in Montana are excluded from the intrastate safety standards line in 61-10-154(2)(c); ARM 18.8.1501 defines a farm vehicle as one controlled by a farmer, used as a private carrier for agricultural products or farm supplies, not for hire and not placarded. Farm vehicles are also exempt from the name display rule in 69-12-408.
- Carriers already filed under UCR
- Montana participates in the Unified Carrier Registration program: MDT Motor Carrier Services tells carriers operating commercial motor vehicles in interstate or international commerce to register with Montana and pay an annual fleet-size fee, online through ucr.gov. UCR applies to interstate carriers, not to intrastate-only operations.
Montana insurance minimums
State minimums can differ from the federal filing levels; the federal side is covered in our insurance filings guide.
- Liability minimum
- Montana sets no single dollar liability minimum for intrastate general freight. ARM 18.8.1502(2)(b) applies the federal 49 CFR 387.7 and 387.9 minimums only to for-hire carriers in interstate or foreign commerce and to hazardous materials carriers, and names Mont. Code Ann. 61-6-103 as the minimum for for-hire carriers hauling nonhazardous material intrastate: $25,000 bodily injury to one person, $50,000 for two or more people and $20,000 property damage per accident. PSC-certificated Class A and D freight carriers must carry more under ARM 38.3.706: $500,000, or $100,000 for a cargo vehicle of 10,000 pounds GVWR or less.
- Cargo minimum
- $10,000 (ARM 38.3.703 requires each Class A intrastate carrier to file evidence of cargo insurance, and the PSC's MV-2 cargo endorsement limits the insurer's liability to $10,000 per loss at one time and place or per vehicle ($1,000 for cargo in a vehicle designed for seven passengers or fewer).)
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.
Scroll sideways to see every column.
Other Montana insurance requirements
Insurance filing forms
Your insurance company makes these filings with the state, not you.
More Montana authority rules
- Vehicle marking: requirement
- Each self-propelled commercial motor vehicle of an intrastate carrier must show the MDT-assigned USDOT number immediately followed by MT, plus the carrier's name or trade name, marked as 49 CFR 390.21 requires for a federal USDOT number. Separately, a vehicle over 10,000 pounds hauling passengers, household goods or garbage for hire must display on both sides the carrier's name or trade name with city and state, or its name with its PSC or MDT number, legible from 50 feet in daylight.
- Vehicle marking: exemption
- The 69-12-408 display rule does not apply to farm vehicles or to vehicles being delivered from a manufacturer or between dealers, demonstrated to a buyer, or delivered to a buyer.
- Intrastate safety rules: detail
- ARM 18.8.1502 adopts 49 CFR parts 373, 375, 377 to 379, 382, 383, 385, 386 subpart F, 387, and 390 to 399 (as updated through March 10, 2026) for carriers MDT regulates under Mont. Code Ann. 61-10-154, with state modifications: intrastate carriers file the MCS-150 before starting operation and every 24 months on the 390.19 schedule; the federal financial responsibility minimums in 387.7 and 387.9 apply only to interstate for-hire and hazmat carriers; drivers on a type 2 CDL outside interstate commerce follow the state age and physical rules in ARM 23.3.505 and 23.3.506; and the planting and harvesting season for the 395.1(k) agricultural exemption runs all year.
- USDOT prerequisite: note
- 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.
| Title | Detail |
|---|---|
| No authority does not mean no number | Montana issues no freight operating authority, but an intrastate truck of 26,001 pounds or more is a commercial motor vehicle under the state safety rules, and MDT assigns the carrier a USDOT number that must be marked on the truck followed by MT. |
| The state liability floor is an auto policy | For intrastate for-hire nonhazardous freight, Montana's rule points to the ordinary 25/50/20 auto minimum rather than the federal $750,000. The same rule applies the federal 49 CFR 387 minimums to for-hire carriers in interstate commerce, so the first load that crosses a state line brings the federal schedule into force. |
| Garbage and fixed routes need a hearing-ready case | A Class A or D certificate is granted only on proof of public need through shipper witnesses and a showing that existing carriers cannot meet it; any protest triggers a contested hearing, and business entities must appear through a lawyer. |
Who needs a Montana certificate
Montana's motor carrier chapter reaches only carriers of passengers, household goods and garbage for hire, and the certificate classes that remain are Class A, Class D and Class E. Class A covers carriers running between fixed points or over a regular route at regular rates. Class D covers anyone hauling garbage for hire. Class E covers transportation network companies.
General property falls outside the program. A freight carrier needs a Class A certificate only if it runs a regular route under regular rates. Household goods movers no longer need a certificate unless they run a regular route. The statute still names them, but the 2021 Legislature repealed Class B, the class that covered irregular-route movers, and the Commission repealed its household goods rule the same year.
The USDOT number is the real requirement
Here is why the missing authority does not mean a missing credential. Montana adopts the federal motor carrier safety rules for carriers it regulates, and its definition of an intrastate commercial motor vehicle turns on weight, passenger count and placarded hazmat. Those carriers, private or for-hire, get a USDOT number assigned by MDT, file the MCS-150 before they start, and update it every other year.
Farm vehicles operating only in Montana are excluded from the intrastate safety line, and tow trucks built for wrecked or disabled vehicles sit outside the PSC chapter.
How a Class A or Class D application works
Class A and Class D applicants file the PSC's written application with a filing fee, a W-9 and at least one shipper witness affidavit. The Commission publishes legal notice at the applicant's cost, and the applicant must prove a public need that existing carriers cannot meet. Any protest brings a contested hearing, and a corporation or other business entity must appear through a lawyer.
Once certificated, the carrier registers each vehicle with the PSC every year and files an annual report, even a negative one.
Insurance for intrastate carriers
A general freight carrier files no insurance with Montana. Its intrastate floor for for-hire nonhazardous freight is the ordinary state auto liability policy, which Montana's safety rule names in place of the federal schedule. The federal minimums apply to interstate for-hire carriers and to hazmat carriers.
PSC-certificated carriers carry more and prove it with filings: Form E with the MV-4 endorsement for liability, Form H with the MV-2 endorsement for cargo, and Form K to cancel.
Marking the truck
Each self-propelled commercial vehicle of an intrastate carrier shows its USDOT number followed by MT, plus the carrier's name or trade name. A separate state display rule applies to heavier vehicles hauling passengers, household goods or garbage for hire, which show the carrier's name with its city and state or its PSC or MDT number on both sides.
Where this fits in the Montana 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 Montana, 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.