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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in New Hampshire

New Hampshire sells no intrastate operating authority and issues no state carrier number. A general freight hauler working only inside the state answers to the federal safety rules the state adopts, not to a state license. Movers and passenger carriers need a state certificate, and interstate fleets add IRP and IFTA from one office in Concord.

By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 4, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Not required

State agency New Hampshire Department of Safety: Division of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Services (IRP, IFTA, UCR, household goods and passenger carrier certificates) and Division of State Police, Troop G (motor carrier safety enforcement)

Credential No state operating authority for general freight. Household Goods Carrier certificate (RSA 359-T) for for-hire intrastate movers only

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Oct 4, 2026.How we verify

Everything New Hampshire requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

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

The Department of Safety owns almost all of it. Motor Carrier Services at the Division of Motor Vehicles runs IRP plates, IFTA licenses and decals, UCR, and the household goods and passenger carrier certificates. The IRP and IFTA teams now share one office at the DMV in Concord. The DMV also licenses commercial drivers.

The State Police, Troop G, enforces the safety side: the federal rules the state adopts for intrastate and interstate carriers alike, vehicle marking, and size and weight. Oversize and overweight permits are the one piece outside the Department of Safety. They come from the Department of Transportation's permit office.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page explains why there is nothing to buy for general freight, who does need a certificate, and where the state sets no insurance floor. The permits pages cover the legal limits, the flat statutory permit fees, escorts, weekday-only oversize travel and the seasonal Saturday window. The IFTA page covers Motor Carrier Connect filing and the EIN rule, and the IRP page covers staggered renewals and the town permit.

Every figure on those pages is a data field tied to the DMV page, rule or statute it came from. Where an agency leaves a fact unpublished, the page says so plainly.

New Hampshire filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover New Hampshire

Frequently asked questions

Does New Hampshire require its own trucking authority?

No, for general freight. New Hampshire issues no intrastate operating authority and no state carrier number. A for-hire mover hauling household goods between New Hampshire points needs a Household Goods Carrier certificate, and a for-hire passenger carrier needs a Passenger Carrier certificate.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in New Hampshire?

The Department of Safety's Division of Motor Vehicles handles IRP, IFTA, UCR, the carrier certificates and commercial driver licenses. State Police Troop G enforces the safety rules. The Department of Transportation's Oversize/Overweight Permit Office issues size and weight permits.

Do I need a USDOT number if I never leave New Hampshire?

New Hampshire does not say so in any published source. It is not on FMCSA's list of states that require the number for intrastate carriers, and State Police marking guidance asks for it only on interstate vehicles. Intrastate hazmat that needs a federal safety permit is the exception. Our DOT number page explains the open question.

Where do the numbers on these New Hampshire pages come from?

Every fee, limit and deadline is a data field tied to the New Hampshire statute, administrative rule or agency page it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Facts no agency publishes, such as a state fuel trip permit price, are marked as unpublished instead of filled in from vendor sites.

Sources

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

  1. Motor Carrier Services · New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles
  2. Household Goods Carriers · New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles
  3. Troop G Motor Carrier Enforcement FAQs · New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of State Police

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.