Does Texas require its own operating authority?

Yes. Texas requires motor carrier registration, the TxDMV Number, issued by the TxDMV Motor Carrier Division. The registration triggers turn on vehicle weight, passenger capacity, placarded hazmat, and household goods moves, so most working carriers need it. Our Texas intrastate authority page walks the triggers, terms, and fees with sources.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Texas?

The TxDMV Motor Carrier Division handles motor carrier registration, oversize and overweight permits, and apportioned registration. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts administers IFTA. Plan on separate accounts with each.

Do I need federal registration before the Texas paperwork?

Yes. TxDMV requires a valid USDOT Number before you can apply for a TxDMV Number, even if you never plan to leave the state. Interstate carriers also need federal operating authority before the state steps make sense.

Where do the numbers on these Texas pages come from?

Every fee, limit, and deadline is a data field tied to the TxDMV or Comptroller page it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Anything the agencies leave unpublished is labeled as unconfirmed rather than guessed at.

Start and Run a Trucking Company in Texas

The Texas intrastate authority answer, at a glance

This is the short version; the Texas intrastate authority page owns the complete answer, including triggers, insurance minimums, and renewal.

State authority required: Yes
Agency: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division
Program: Motor Carrier Registration (TxDMV Number)
Filing fee: $100 (Annual term: $100 application fee plus $10 per vehicle plus a $100 insurance filing fee (Form E). Other terms: 7-day ($5 application), 90-day ($25 application), biennial ($100 application with $20 per vehicle). The $10 per-vehicle fee applies to the 7-day, 90-day, and annual terms; the $100 insurance filing fee applies to all terms. Household goods movers pay an additional $100 filing fee for each of Forms H and I.)

How Texas organizes trucking compliance

Two agencies share the job. The TxDMV Motor Carrier Division issues the TxDMV Number, oversize and overweight permits, and apportioned plates. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts runs IFTA on its own, with its own forms and its own filing system.

Expect four separate online portals along the way: eLINC for the initial motor carrier application, MCCS for managing that registration afterward, TxPROS for permits and routing, and TxFLEET for apportioned plates. Each Texas page on this site tells you which portal owns the step you are on.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page owns the TxDMV Number answer: who needs it, the term options, the fee table, and the insurance filings. The permits pages cover legal size limits, single-trip and annual envelope permits, escorts, and curfews. The IFTA and IRP pages cover base-state licensing, quarterly filing, and apportioned plates through TxFLEET.

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

Texas compliance, page by page

Start a trucking company

Federal steps plus this state, in order

Intrastate authority

State operating authority: rule, agency, fee

Trucking permits

Every state permit a carrier may need

Oversize permits

Legal limits, permit fees, escorts

IFTA

Fuel tax license, decals, filing

IRP registration

Apportioned plates and cab cards

The federal steps (same in every state)

Texas paperwork sits on top of the federal spine. If you have not finished the FMCSA side yet, start there:

Get your own authority

USDOT, MC number, BOC-3, insurance filings, in order

Startup costs

The federal cost line items, each with its source

USDOT number

Who needs one and how registration works

Form 2290 (HVUT)

The heavy vehicle use tax that follows your plates

Free calculators that cover Texas

Trucking startup cost calculator estimates your launch budget by state.
IFTA calculator applies the current quarterly rates to your miles and gallons.
Oversize permit cost estimator prices a permit by state and dimensions.

Frequently asked questions

Does Texas require its own operating authority?: Yes. Texas requires motor carrier registration, the TxDMV Number, issued by the TxDMV Motor Carrier Division. The registration triggers turn on vehicle weight, passenger capacity, placarded hazmat, and household goods moves, so most working carriers need it. Our Texas intrastate authority page walks the triggers, terms, and fees with sources.
Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Texas?: The TxDMV Motor Carrier Division handles motor carrier registration, oversize and overweight permits, and apportioned registration. The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts administers IFTA. Plan on separate accounts with each.
Do I need federal registration before the Texas paperwork?: Yes. TxDMV requires a valid USDOT Number before you can apply for a TxDMV Number, even if you never plan to leave the state. Interstate carriers also need federal operating authority before the state steps make sense.
Where do the numbers on these Texas pages come from?: Every fee, limit, and deadline is a data field tied to the TxDMV or Comptroller page it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Anything the agencies leave unpublished is labeled as unconfirmed rather than guessed at.

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.