By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 6, 2026
The New Mexico requirements table
- Program name
- Motor carrier operating authority (certificate or warrant) under the New Mexico Motor Carrier Act
- State carrier number
- New Mexico does not brand its intrastate credential as a standalone state carrier number the way California (CA number) or Texas (TxDMV number) do; the credential is the operating authority (a certificate or a warrant) issued by the NMDOT Transportation Regulation Bureau. A USDOT number is used for safety identification.
- Application
- Applications for motor carrier operating authority are processed by the Transportation Regulation Bureau Applications Unit; regulated carriers also file an annual report with the bureau (Annual Report Form, due March 1 each year, to TRB.AnnualReport@dot.nm.gov). Specific application packets are obtained from the bureau's Forms and Information page.
- Recorded fee
- The Transportation Regulation Bureau pages do not list the application, certificate or warrant fee, and 18.3.2.9 NMAC says only that application fees are provided by rule and must be paid before the application is considered. The statute that sets the fees could not be opened at the official New Mexico statutes site, so no fee figure is shown here. Confirm the current fee with the bureau before you apply.
Who the requirement covers
- GVWR threshold
- NoneNew Mexico intrastate authority is defined by the type of transportation service, not by a gross-weight threshold. Whether authority is required turns on whether the carrier performs a certificated or warranted service under the Motor Carrier Act rather than on vehicle weight.
- For-hire only
- YesThe Motor Carrier Act regulates for-hire motor carriers; the certificated and warranted service categories are for-hire transportation services.
- Property carriers
- YesTransportation of property (general freight) for hire is a warranted service under Section 65-2A-3 NMSA 1978, so an intrastate for-hire property carrier must hold a warrant from the Transportation Regulation Bureau. A warrant is issued on meeting insurance and fitness requirements and is not conditioned on a public convenience and necessity showing, unlike a certificate.
- Passenger carriers
- Passenger transportation is regulated: specialized passenger service (limousine), shuttle, tour and sightseeing, and taxicab are certificated services, and charter passenger service is a warranted service.
New Mexico 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 (18.3.3.10 NMAC requires motor carriers of property, towing services and household goods movers to carry the federal minimums in 49 CFR 387.9. For general freight in a vehicle of 10,001 lbs GVWR or more, that is 750,000 dollars. Oil and most hazardous materials raise it to 1,000,000 dollars, and certain bulk hazardous materials to 5,000,000 dollars. A separate, lower minimum applies only to private carriers buying an oversize or overweight permit under Section 66-7-413 NMSA 1978, and it is listed with the permit rules.)
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 New Mexico insurance requirements
Insurance filing forms
Your insurance company makes these filings with the state, not you.
More New Mexico authority rules
- Service categories: certificated services
- ambulance; household goods; shuttle; specialized passenger (limousine); taxicab; tour and sightseeing
- Service categories: warranted services
- charter passenger service; property (general freight) transportation; towing / wrecker
- Service categories: note
- Section 65-2A-3 NMSA 1978 divides operating authority into certificated services (which require a certificate) and warranted services (which require a warrant). The Transportation Regulation Bureau's own application list covers ambulance, household goods mover, non-emergency medical transport, limousine, tour and sightseeing, shuttle, taxi, and wrecker/tow authorities.
Certificates versus warrants
New Mexico's Motor Carrier Act sorts operating authority into two buckets. Certificated services, such as ambulance, household goods, shuttle, specialized passenger, taxicab, and tour work, need a certificate. Warranted services, such as general freight, charter passenger service, and towing, need a warrant. The split matters because the two are earned differently: a warrant is granted on meeting insurance and fitness requirements, while a certificate can carry a heavier entry showing.
For a general-freight carrier this is good news. Hauling property for hire is a warranted service, so you obtain a warrant on insurance and fitness rather than proving public convenience and necessity.
What triggers a certificate or warrant
New Mexico defines the requirement by the type of transportation service, not by a gross-weight threshold. Whether you need authority turns on whether you perform a certificated or warranted for-hire service under the Motor Carrier Act. Passenger work is regulated across specialized, shuttle, tour, taxicab, and charter categories, and household goods moving is certificated.
One honest gap: the bureau pages we read do not describe a separate intrastate hazardous-materials authority, so none is recorded here. Hazmat carriers still answer to federal PHMSA and FMCSA rules.
Applying and the annual report
The Transportation Regulation Bureau's Applications Unit processes operating-authority applications, and you pull the right packet from the bureau's Forms and Information page. New Mexico does not brand a standalone state carrier number the way California and Texas do; the credential is the certificate or warrant itself, and a USDOT Number carries the safety identity.
Regulated carriers also file an annual report with the bureau each year. Keep that deadline on the calendar, because the report is how you stay in good standing after the authority is granted.
Insurance minimums and the fee
New Mexico does not write its own liability amounts for property carriers. Its insurance rule adopts the federal minimums, so a general freight truck needs the same coverage here as it would on an interstate run, and hazardous loads need more. Household goods movers add a cargo minimum per shipper, and tow operators carry their own on-the-hook coverage. Your insurer files the proof directly with the department on the uniform forms, and authority can be suspended the moment that coverage is no longer on file.
The fee is the one figure still missing. The bureau pages do not list it, and the rule says only that fees are set by rule and due before the application is considered. Ask the bureau for the current amount before you apply.
Where this fits in the New Mexico launch
A cell reading "Not confirmed" means the stored record does not confirm the value. It does not establish that the agency publishes none. Read the field note and source for scope and exceptions. For the full launch order, work through start a trucking company in New Mexico, 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.