By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 4, 2026
A New Hampshire carrier hauling general freight only inside the state buys no operating authority and gets no state number. The state's real intrastate requirements are safety rules: Saf-C 901.02 adopts the federal motor carrier safety regulations (49 CFR 107, 382 and 385 through 397) for intrastate and interstate carriers alike, and the vehicle must be marked with the carrier's name. Movers are the exception: a for-hire carrier moving household goods between New Hampshire points needs a Household Goods Carrier certificate from the Department of Safety, with a $50 application fee and a $10 annual registration per vehicle.
The New Hampshire requirements table
- 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)
- Program name
- No state operating authority for general freight. Household Goods Carrier certificate (RSA 359-T) for for-hire intrastate movers only
- Application
- No New Hampshire application exists for general freight carriers. Household goods and passenger carriers apply to the Department of Safety on the forms the commissioner prescribes (RSA 359-T:5); the Household Goods Carriers page names no form number. Interstate carriers obtain their USDOT number from FMCSA (800-832-5660, as the DMV IRP FAQ lists it).
- Filing fee
- No fee for general freight: there is no authority to buy. The only state carrier certificate fees are for household goods carriers: $50 per certificate application and $10 per vehicle per year (RSA 359-T:18).
Authority fee schedule
New Hampshire 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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Who the requirement covers
- GVWR threshold
- 10,001 lbThere is no authority threshold because there is no authority. The 10,001-pound figure is where the State Police say the commercial vehicle safety rules start: a vehicle used in a commercial enterprise with a gross vehicle weight rating, gross weight or gross combination weight over 10,000 pounds, or one carrying 16 or more passengers for compensation, or a placarded hazardous materials load. Saf-C 902.02 adopts the 49 CFR 390.5 commercial motor vehicle definition, except vehicles carrying fewer than 16 passengers including the driver and farm-plated vehicles exempted by RSA 266:72-a, VI.
- For-hire only
- NoThe adopted safety rules reach private and for-hire carriers alike (Saf-C 901.01 applies them to all motor carriers and drivers of commercial motor vehicles in intrastate or interstate commerce). Only the household goods and passenger certificates are limited to for-hire carriage.
- Passenger carriers
- Any for-hire carrier transporting passengers between points in New Hampshire needs a Passenger Carrier certificate from the Department of Safety. Exempt: school transportation under school board control, taxicabs and other vehicles seating 7 or fewer (unless the department finds them competing with a scheduled common carrier), hotel shuttles to carrier stations, government work, U.S. mail delivery, and nonprofit vanpools of 8 to 15 people.
- Household goods
- RSA 359-T:2 bars a household goods carrier from transporting household goods between points in New Hampshire without a certificate from the Department of Safety. A household goods carrier is a common or contract carrier moving, for hire, personal effects and dwelling property, the furniture and fixtures of an establishment, or articles needing specialized handling. A business moving its own goods for sale, delivery or a trade other than transportation is not one (RSA 359-T:1). The certificate application fee is $50, each vehicle is registered annually for $10 with a distinguishing plate, and the carrier must keep a certificate of insurance on file, renewed with its annual report (RSA 359-T:8, 17 and 18).
New Hampshire insurance minimums
State minimums can differ from the federal filing levels; the federal side is covered in our insurance filings guide.
- Liability minimum
- New Hampshire sets no liability minimum of its own for intrastate carriers of non-hazardous property. Saf-C 908.01 applies the 49 CFR 387 minimums only to carriers in interstate commerce and, for hazardous materials, to interstate and intrastate carriers alike under 49 CFR 387.9. A purely intrastate general freight carrier therefore has no state-set floor.
- Cargo minimum
- RSA 359-T:8 requires a household goods carrier to file and keep in force a certificate of insurance in such form and reasonable amount as the department may require to protect the owners of the property carried. The statute sets no dollar figure and none appears on the DMV Household Goods Carriers page, so no amount is recorded.
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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More New Hampshire authority rules
- Vehicle marking: requirement
- Every self-propelled commercial vehicle must be marked on both sides with the legal name or single trade name of the operating motor carrier, and with the FMCSA-issued USDOT number if the vehicle runs interstate. Letters must contrast with the background and be legible from 50 feet in daylight while the vehicle is stationary; removable devices are allowed if they meet the same standard (49 CFR 390.21, as the State Police summarize it).
- USDOT prerequisite: note
- No New Hampshire page or rule read states that an intrastate-only carrier must obtain a USDOT number: the State Police marking guidance asks for the USDOT number only on interstate vehicles, and the DMV IRP FAQ ties USDOT display to vehicles over 10,000 pounds that leave the base jurisdiction. A New Hampshire IFTA license does require an active USDOT number for interstate operations.
| Title | Detail |
|---|---|
| No authority does not mean no federal rules | New Hampshire adopts the federal safety regulations for intrastate carriers by rule, so an intrastate-only truck over 10,000 pounds still answers to the federal qualification, hours of service, inspection and marking rules at a Troop G stop. |
| Movers are the one regulated freight business | Hauling household goods for hire between two New Hampshire points without a Household Goods Carrier certificate violates RSA 359-T:2, even though no other freight hauler needs state authority. |
| Intrastate drivers can be 18, except on hazmat | Saf-C 904.01 allows an intrastate commercial driver to be 18 unless the load is hazardous materials, hazardous substances or hazardous waste; interstate drivers must be 21. |
No authority to buy for general freight
A carrier hauling ordinary freight between New Hampshire points files no state application and pays no state authority fee. The state assigns no carrier number either. The trade-off is the safety rulebook: Saf-C 901.02 adopts the federal motor carrier safety regulations for intrastate and interstate carriers alike, private and for-hire, so the same driver, hours, inspection and marking rules apply at a Troop G stop.
Where the safety rules start
There is no authority threshold because there is no authority. The State Police apply the commercial vehicle safety rules to a vehicle used in business above a set weight rating, a vehicle carrying enough passengers for pay, or a placarded hazmat load. New Hampshire excludes farm-plated vehicles exempted by statute from that definition.
Intrastate drivers may be younger than interstate drivers, except on hazmat loads.
Movers need a Household Goods Carrier certificate
RSA 359-T bars a for-hire household goods carrier from moving goods between New Hampshire points without a Department of Safety certificate. The law reaches movers of personal effects, household property, the furnishings of an establishment and articles needing specialized handling. A business moving its own goods for sale or delivery is not a household goods carrier.
Each mover's vehicle is registered every year with a distinguishing plate, and the carrier keeps a certificate of insurance on file with its annual report. The statute sets the application and per-vehicle fees.
No state insurance floor for intrastate freight
New Hampshire sets no liability minimum of its own for intrastate carriers of non-hazardous property. Saf-C 908.01 applies the federal minimums to interstate carriers and to hazmat carriers whether they cross a state line or not. A mover's cargo coverage is set by the department, with no amount in the statute.
Passenger carriers
A for-hire carrier moving passengers between New Hampshire points needs a Passenger Carrier certificate from the Department of Safety. School transportation under a school board, small taxis, hotel shuttles, government work, mail delivery and nonprofit vanpools are exempt.
Where this fits in the New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire, 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.