By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 22, 2026
Texas splits its temporary credentials between two agencies: TxDMV sells 72-hour and 144-hour permits that stand in for registration, and the Texas Comptroller sells a fuel trip permit that stands in for the interstate trucker or IFTA license. The registration permits are sold online; the fuel permit is a mail-in cashier's check arrangement that must be squared away before the truck crosses the state line.
The trip permit (registration side)
This credential answers for registration. Without it, a vehicle whose cab card does not list Texas has no legal registration standing in the state.
- Fee
- $25 (25 dollars for the 72-hour permit or 50 dollars for the 144-hour permit, each plus a 4.75 dollar processing fee.)
- Who needs it
- Commercial laden trucks, truck-tractors, trailers, semitrailers, or motor buses operating in Texas without Texas or apportioned registration. A valid USDOT number is required to buy one.
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
- $50 (Paid by cashier's check or money order to the Texas Comptroller; the payment receipt serves as the permit.)
- Valid for
- One entry into Texas, valid 20 days from the date of entry; a round trip through Texas counts as two entries needing two permits
- Who needs it
- Carriers entering Texas with qualified motor vehicles who make no more than five Texas entries per year and hold no interstate trucker or IFTA license. It must be obtained before entering Texas.
- Where to buy
- Apply through the Comptroller's Webfile system under Temporary Fuel Trip Permit, then mail payment to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
Worth knowing
The one-trip permit (5 dollars plus the 4.75 dollar processing fee, 15 calendar days) covers a single movement of an unladen vehicle between set origin and destination points; it is sold at county tax offices and TxDMV Regional Service Centers only, not online.
Where these fit in the Texas permit stack
Temporary permits are the exception path. The standing credentials they replace are IRP apportioned registration and the Texas IFTA license. Oversize loads use a different permit family entirely, covered in Texas oversize and overweight permits, and the full picture of every state permit lives in Texas trucking permits.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a trip permit or a fuel permit for Texas?
- 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas 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.