By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 4, 2026
The launch sequence
Federal first, then Rhode Island. The federal side is identical in every state and is covered in depth by how to get your own authority; the state facts below come from our sourced Rhode Island data.
- Form the business and get an FEIN. Register the entity and get a Federal ID number. The Division's authority application, the IFTA application and the IRP Office all ask for it, and the authority packet also wants every partner, officer and director listed under oath.
- Apply to the Division of Public Utilities and Carriers. File the property carrier application with the Motor Carriers Section in Warwick, with the filing fee by check or money order. Contract carriers apply for a permit instead of a certificate.
- Attend the public hearing. The Division advertises your application in the Providence Journal and holds a hearing where you prove you are fit, willing and able to run the service.
- Meet the approval conditions. Register each truck with the Division for its identification device, file proof of insurance at the state minimums, and mark both sides of every truck with your certificate name, address and number.
- Add federal credentials if you cross state lines. Get a USDOT number from FMCSA and federal operating authority for interstate for-hire work, and register under UCR. Rhode Island does not require a USDOT number for intrastate-only work.
- Set up IRP and IFTA. Open an IRP account at the DMV's IRP Office in Cranston, then license for IFTA with the Division of Taxation, which charges nothing for the license or decals.
- Renew every year. Calendar the year-end certificate renewal, the yearly identification devices, the agent recertification if you are based out of state, and the IFTA renewal.
The order that works in Rhode Island
Business first. The authority application asks for your Federal ID number, every partner, officer and director, a financial statement and your industry experience, all sworn before a notary, so settle the entity and the paperwork before you file.
Then authority. File the Division's application with its filing fee, wait for the hearing notice to run in the newspaper, and attend the hearing. The approval order lists conditions, usually registering each truck with the Division and filing proof of insurance within a set window.
Then federal credentials, fuel and plates. Interstate carriers get a USDOT number, open an IRP account at the DMV's IRP Office and license for IFTA with the Division of Taxation. Oversize permits come last, only if your loads need them.
Where Rhode Island differs from other states
Four things catch new Rhode Island carriers. The certificate has no weight floor, so a pickup or cargo van doing paid local deliveries needs it too. The insurance minimum is the state's own split-limit schedule with a cargo floor, not the federal table.
The certificate renews every year by a fixed year-end date, and a certificate holder must keep a Rhode Island office or a Rhode Island agent for service on file. And the IFTA license and decals cost nothing, which surprises carriers coming from states that charge for both.
The Rhode Island facts you will need
- State agency
- Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers (DPUC), Motor Carriers Section, 89 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02888, phone 401-941-4500
- State filing fee
- $250 ($250 application filing fee for a common carrier certificate, set by § 39-12-6 and stated on the application packet (check or money order only). A contract carrier permit application is $100 (§ 39-12-9). After approval the Division's order generally gives 90 days to register each vehicle ($20 per vehicle) and file proof of insurance ($10 per insurance filing). Certificates and permits renew by December 31 each year at $100. A transfer application is $250 and each tariff filing is $50; see the fee schedule.)
The complete tables live on the dedicated pages: intrastate authority, IRP registration, IFTA, and trucking permits.
Budget the launch before you file
The trucking startup cost calculator builds a line-item estimate from the sourced fee data, and the cost pillar explains every line. Neither replaces a quote for your truck and insurance, which are the two biggest variables.
Common mistakes when launching in Rhode Island
Assuming small vehicles are exempt
Rhode Island's certificate has no weight floor. A van or pickup hauling property for pay between Rhode Island points needs it unless a listed exemption applies.
Treating a USDOT number as Rhode Island authority
The federal number does not license intrastate for-hire hauling. The Division's certificate is a separate requirement.
Buying insurance to the federal minimum only
Rhode Island sets its own split bodily injury and property damage limits plus a cargo minimum. A policy written to the federal table alone may not satisfy the Division's filing.
Stopping after the hearing
Approval comes with conditions. Until each truck is registered with the Division and the insurance filing is in, the certificate does not issue.
Missing the year-end renewal
Certificates and contract carrier permits must be renewed every year before close of business on the statutory deadline, with the renewal fee.
Assuming a RIDOT permit covers every crossing
RIDOT permits stop at state-maintained roads. The Mount Hope and Newport bridges need Bridge Authority permits, and the Washington Bridge on I-195 bars oversize loads.