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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in South Dakota

South Dakota runs one of the lightest compliance regimes in the country: no intrastate operating authority and no state carrier number. What carriers buy instead is a county commercial license, a one-stop Pierre office for IRP and IFTA, and Highway Patrol permits for big loads. Every figure below is sourced.

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

The short answer

State authority
Not required

State agency County treasurers (application and issuance) with the South Dakota Department of Revenue (forms and nonresident fees)

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

Everything South Dakota requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

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

No authority program exists. The state publishes operating authority only under interstate carriers on the SD Truck Info portal and says all forms, licenses, and information for intrastate trucking come from the county. The Public Utilities Commission lists no motor carrier jurisdiction.

So the work splits three ways. County treasurers sell the in-state commercial license: plates plus a commercial motor vehicle certificate priced by a statutory weight schedule. The Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Services section in Pierre is the one-stop office for IRP and IFTA, with one online system, one phone line, and one email. The Highway Patrol Permit Center handles oversize and overweight permits through the state's automated permitting system.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page owns the no-authority answer and the county registration that replaces it. The permits pages cover legal size and weight limits, the per ton-mile overweight charge, escorts, and spring load restrictions. The IFTA page covers the Pierre license, decals, and quarterly electronic filing, and the IRP page covers apportioned registration through Motor Carrier Connect.

Every figure on those pages is a data field tied to the statute or agency page it came from. Where the state does not publish a fact, we say so plainly instead of guessing.

South Dakota filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover South Dakota

Frequently asked questions

Does South Dakota require its own operating authority?

No. South Dakota requires no intrastate operating authority, issues no state carrier number, and keeps no motor carrier jurisdiction at its Public Utilities Commission. What an in-state carrier buys is registration: commercial plates and a commercial motor vehicle certificate from a county treasurer, priced by a statutory weight schedule.

Which offices handle trucking compliance in South Dakota?

Three. County treasurers issue the in-state commercial license. The Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Services section in Pierre runs IRP and IFTA as a one-stop office. The Highway Patrol Permit Center issues oversize and overweight permits, online through the automated permitting system or from any district office or inspector.

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

The state publishes no intrastate USDOT mandate. Its portal ties USDOT numbers to interstate commerce, and South Dakota is absent from the federal list of states that require intrastate registrants to obtain one. Crossing a state line for commerce triggers the federal requirement on its own.

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

Every fee, limit, and deadline is a data field tied to the statute or agency page it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Statutes were read on the legislature's own site. Anything unpublished is labeled unconfirmed rather than guessed at.

Sources

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

  1. Intrastate Carriers · SD Truck Info (South Dakota Departments of Revenue, Transportation, and Public Safety)

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.