By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 25, 2026
Pennsylvania sells its two temporary credentials through two different agencies and, in both cases, through outside agents rather than over a state counter. PennDOT certificates permit agents who buy trip permits from the Department and resell them in place of apportioned registration, and the Department of Revenue publishes a list of vendors who sell the fuel trip permit that stands in for an IFTA license. Neither permit is bought directly from the Commonwealth, so the price a carrier pays includes an agent charge on top of the state fee.
The trip permit (registration side)
This credential answers for registration. Without it, a vehicle whose cab card does not list Pennsylvania has no legal registration standing in the state.
- Stands in for
- Apportioned registration under the International Registration Plan, or full Pennsylvania registration
- Fee
- $15 (67 Pa. Code § 65.8 sets the price an authorized permit agent pays the Department for each trip permit at $15, and caps what the agent may add: no service charge for issuing trip permits, hunter permits or telegrams of authority may exceed $10. PennDOT's own Payments and Fees page publishes no over-the-counter trip permit line, so the counter price is the state fee plus the agent's charge within that cap.)
- Valid for
- Neither 67 Pa. Code Chapter 65 nor PUB 181 publishes a validity period for the Pennsylvania trip permit, so none is recorded. The related credentials do carry published terms: the unladen weight hunter permit is a 20-day permit on PennDOT's fee page, and temporary evidence of apportioned registration runs 60 days from issuance.
- Who needs it
- A commercial vehicle that qualifies for apportioned registration but is not apportioned registered, and needs to leave Pennsylvania. PennDOT states that non-apportioned commercial vehicles may operate in another jurisdiction only with a temporary permit from the jurisdiction where travel is desired, and that a temporary permit is required for a registered commercial truck over 26,000 pounds, or a non-chartered bus, travelling outside Pennsylvania. Under the Full Reciprocity Plan an apportioned registrant does not need trip permits at all, because every IRP jurisdiction already appears on the cab card.
- Where to buy
- Authorized permit agents holding a PennDOT certificate of authorization under 67 Pa. Code Chapter 65; PennDOT contracted tag agents (Temporary Authority agencies) that collect apportioned fees and issue temporary registration for accounts in good standing
The fuel permit (tax side)
This credential answers for the state's highway or fuel tax when there is no IFTA license (or, in the weight-distance states, no tax account) behind the truck.
- Fee
- $73 (The Department of Revenue states the permit costs $73 and adds that this fee does not include processing or administrative fees charged by the permitting agency, so the delivered price is higher than the state figure.)
- Who needs it
- A carrier operating a qualifying motor vehicle who does not participate in IFTA and needs to travel through Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania defines a qualified motor vehicle as one with two axles and a gross or registered gross weight over 26,000 pounds, three or more axles regardless of weight, or a combination whose gross or registered gross weight exceeds 26,000 pounds.
- Where to buy
- One of the 16 permit vendors the Department of Revenue lists on its Trip Permit Information page, each with a phone number, website, email and fax
Worth knowing
Two neighboring credentials are worth knowing before buying a trip permit. The unladen weight hunter permit goes to an owner-operator who has ended a lease and surrendered the carrier's apportioned plate and cab card, so the truck can run empty while looking for the next job; PennDOT prices it at $10 as a 20-day permit on its fee page, while PUB 181 describes it as valid for ten days, and that gap between two PennDOT documents is left as published rather than resolved. Temporary evidence of apportioned registration, often called a temporary authority, is issued by an apportioned tag agent once the title and registration paperwork is collected and runs 60 days. Separately, the Department of Revenue's support material describes a 30-day temporary operating permit for an IFTA licensee in good standing whose decals have not yet arrived; that page was not checked directly, so its fee is not recorded here.
Where these fit in the Pennsylvania permit stack
Temporary permits are the exception path. The standing credentials they replace are IRP apportioned registration and the Pennsylvania IFTA license. Oversize loads use a different permit family entirely, covered in Pennsylvania oversize and overweight permits, and the full picture of every state permit lives in Pennsylvania trucking permits.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a trip permit or a fuel permit for Pennsylvania?
- Usually both, and they are separate purchases. The trip permit stands in for apportioned (IRP) registration and the fuel permit stands in for the IFTA license. If your cab card lists Pennsylvania and your IFTA decals are current, you need neither; the tables on this page carry each permit's terms with the official source.
When does buying temporary permits stop making sense?
- Temporary permits price a single trip. A carrier running Pennsylvania lanes on a regular schedule comes out ahead adding the state to its IRP cab card and holding an IFTA license, because permit fees repeat on every trip while the annual credentials do not.
Can I buy these permits after entering the state?
- No. Each credential on this page must be in place before the vehicle operates on Pennsylvania highways, and enforcement happens at roadside inspections and weigh stations. Buying from the state's own channel before the trip is the cheapest clean path.
Are permit-service prices the state fee?
- No. Wire services and permit companies resell state permits with a service markup. The fees on this page are what Pennsylvania itself charges on its primary pages; anything above that is the middleman's fee, not the state's.
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.