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Start and run a trucking company in North Dakota

North Dakota asks little of a new carrier: no intrastate operating authority, no state carrier number, and no USDOT number for most purely in-state work. What it does ask centers on weight, weather, and one Bismarck office that runs both IRP and IFTA. Every figure on these pages comes from a sourced state record.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Not required

State agency No authority-issuing agency. Vehicle registration: North Dakota Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division, and its branch offices

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Sep 27, 2026.How we verify

Everything North Dakota requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

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

The Highway Patrol's motor carrier handbook says it plainly: North Dakota has no operating authority requirement for intrastate commerce, and the old Public Service Commission motor carrier chapter of the Century Code is repealed. An in-state carrier registers each truck with the NDDOT Motor Vehicle Division or a branch office, and that registration is the whole state credential.

The rest of the work splits between two agencies. The NDDOT Motor Carrier Section in Bismarck runs IRP and IFTA together, with one online system and one phone line for both. The Highway Patrol runs E-Permits for oversize, overweight, trip, and fuel permits, and its troopers and inspectors enforce size, weight, and safety rules at the roadside.

Where North Dakota differs

Weight is the big one. State highways allow far more gross weight than the interstate, under North Dakota's own bridge formula, and divisible-load permits go heavier still on designated routes. Spring load restrictions then cut axle weights on restricted roads each year, and harvest and winter weight exemptions sell by the month.

Two more quirks catch newcomers. County roads in the coal, oil, and gas counties need a separate county permit from the Western Dakota Energy Association. And several underpasses on state highways and city streets sit below the legal height, so a legal-height load can still meet a low bridge.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page owns the no-authority answer and the weight-based registration that replaces it. The permits pages cover legal limits, the single-trip fee ladder, escorts, and movement windows. The IFTA and IRP pages cover the Bismarck office, the email-only new account setup, quarterly returns, and fixed renewal dates. Separate guides cover insurance, the USDOT number, the CDL, and trip and fuel permits for visiting trucks.

Each figure is a data field tied to the statute or agency page it came from. Where the state publishes nothing, the page says so.

North Dakota filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover North Dakota

Frequently asked questions

Does North Dakota require its own operating authority?

No. The Highway Patrol's handbook states that North Dakota has no operating authority requirement for intrastate commerce, and the state issues no carrier number. An in-state carrier registers each truck by weight with the NDDOT Motor Vehicle Division and carries the liability policy every vehicle must have.

Which offices handle trucking compliance in North Dakota?

Three. NDDOT Motor Vehicle Division branch offices register in-state trucks. The NDDOT Motor Carrier Section in Bismarck runs IRP and IFTA from one office. The Highway Patrol issues oversize, overweight, trip, and fuel permits through E-Permits, by phone, or from any trooper or motor carrier inspector.

Do I need a USDOT number to truck only inside North Dakota?

Usually no. The handbook says intrastate carriers need one only if they require a federal hazardous materials safety permit, and North Dakota is absent from the federal list of states that impose an intrastate mandate. Crossing a state line for commerce brings in the federal rule, farm trucks included.

Where do the numbers on these North Dakota pages come from?

From the Century Code on the legislature's own site, the Highway Patrol's handbook and permit pages, and NDDOT's IRP and IFTA manuals. Each fee, limit, and deadline is a data field with a source marker you can open, and anything the state does not publish is labeled that way.

Sources

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

  1. 2026 Motor Carrier Handbook, Section 07: Carrier Registration, Vehicle Identification, Operating Authority and Insurance · North Dakota Highway Patrol, Motor Carrier Operations

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.