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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in South Carolina

South Carolina splits trucking oversight three ways. SCDMV Motor Carrier Services issues the Certificate of Compliance and runs apportioned registration, fuel tax, and the road use fee. The Public Service Commission certificates passenger, household goods, and hazardous waste movers. SCDOT permits oversize loads. Every figure on these pages comes from an agency page or the Code.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Aug 5, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Required
State filing fee
From $25

Issued by South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Services (Certificate of Compliance for general freight), with the Public Service Commission of South Carolina and the Office of Regulatory Staff for passenger, household goods, and hazardous waste for disposal carriers

Credential Certificate of Compliance (COC)

What these terms cover

State filing fee: $25 non-refundable filing fee for a new Certificate of Compliance. Renewal of an existing COC carries no fee. The Public Service Commission side prices differently: Class A, B, and C certificate holders pay $50 per vehicle annually before January 1 to the Office of Regulatory Staff, while Class D, E, and F holders (property, household goods, and hazardous waste for disposal) are assessed a share of the Office of Regulatory Staff Transportation Department's expenses rather than a fixed fee.

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Aug 5, 2026.How we verify

Everything South Carolina requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

Identical in every state, and not part of the South Carolina 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 South Carolina organizes trucking compliance

Three agencies share the work, and knowing which one owns your step saves weeks. SCDMV Motor Carrier Services in Blythewood issues the Certificate of Compliance for intrastate for-hire freight, and the same office runs apportioned registration, the IFTA licence, and the road use fee that replaced property tax on heavy trucks.

The Public Service Commission, working through the Office of Regulatory Staff, certificates passenger carriers, household goods movers, and haulers of hazardous waste for disposal. SCDOT permits oversize and overweight moves through its own permit office and its own online system. Safety enforcement belongs to a fourth body: the Transport Police Division of the Department of Public Safety holds exclusive authority over the commercial motor vehicle carrier laws in this State.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page owns the Certificate of Compliance answer: who needs one, the two classes SCDMV issues, the filing fee, and the insurance forms your insurer files before you may operate. The permits pages carry legal size and weight limits, single trip and annual permits, escort thresholds, and the travel-time rules that decide when a wide load may move.

The IFTA and IRP pages cover base-jurisdiction qualification, quarterly filing, and apportioned plates through the South Carolina Trucking Portal. Four more South Carolina pages sit alongside them for the intrastate DOT number, the CDL, trip and fuel permits, and the state's insurance minimums.

Every figure on those pages is a typed field tied to the SCDMV, SCDOT, or Code of Laws page it was read from. Where an agency publishes nothing, we record the gap and say why instead of guessing.

The road use fee, and why the tax bill looks different here

South Carolina took large commercial vehicles off the county property tax rolls and put them on a state road use fee instead, collected by SCDMV at registration in place of all ad valorem taxes and of any road use or vehicle fee a county or city might otherwise impose. The dividing line between a large and a small commercial motor vehicle is a gross vehicle weight the statute sets, and the fee is assessed on depreciated fair market value at a statutory assessment ratio rather than on distance travelled.

Trailers get their own treatment: a one-time fee paid before the trailer goes into service, in place of property tax and of the ordinary registration requirements, with a permanent tag displayed on the rear. Neither charge is a distance tax, so do not try to compute either one per mile.

South Carolina filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover South Carolina

Frequently asked questions

Does South Carolina require its own operating authority?

Yes, and which one depends on what you haul. An intrastate for-hire carrier moving general freight needs a Certificate of Compliance from SCDMV. A passenger, household goods, or hazardous waste for disposal carrier needs a Public Service Commission certificate instead. A private carrier hauling its own property needs neither.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in South Carolina?

SCDMV Motor Carrier Services handles the Certificate of Compliance, apportioned registration, IFTA, and trip permits. The Public Service Commission and the Office of Regulatory Staff handle passenger, household goods, and hazardous waste for disposal certificates. SCDOT permits oversize and overweight moves. The State Transport Police enforce the safety and size and weight laws.

Does South Carolina charge a mileage or weight-distance tax?

No. South Carolina levies no weight-distance or ton-mile tax. The charge people confuse with one is the road use fee, which SCDMV collects at registration on the depreciated value of a large commercial vehicle in place of county property tax. It is a registration-time charge, not a per-mile one.

Where do the numbers on these South Carolina pages come from?

Every fee, limit, and deadline is a typed field tied to the SCDMV, SCDOT, Office of Regulatory Staff, or Code of Laws document it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Anything the agencies leave unpublished is labelled as unconfirmed rather than filled in from a guess.

Sources for this page

The official pages behind the figures above. Fees and rules change, so check the source before you file.

  1. Certificate of Compliance · South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles
  2. Transportation (Regulated Utilities) · South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff

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.