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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Washington

Washington splits carrier compliance three ways. The Utilities and Transportation Commission still licenses intrastate freight, WSDOT issues every oversize and overweight permit, and the Department of Licensing runs IFTA and IRP from one unit. The pages below walk each piece, and every figure on them comes from an agency source.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Aug 9, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Required
State filing fee
From $275

Issued by Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission

Credential Common carrier permit

What these terms cover

State filing fee: $275 is the one-time application fee for permanent common carrier operating authority in any of the three commodity classes the rule names: general commodities, hazardous materials, and armored car service. Extending an existing permit to another class is $100, reinstating a cancelled permit within ten months is $100, and a change of name or business structure is $50. On top of the application fee, every common carrier pays an annual regulatory fee of 0.0025 times its gross intrastate operating revenue for the prior calendar year, filed with an annual report by May 1. Household goods carriers pay a different schedule, recorded in the fee schedule and in sector_authorities.

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Aug 9, 2026.How we verify

Everything Washington requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

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

Three agencies share the job, and one of them is a utility regulator. The Utilities and Transportation Commission issues the common carrier permit that makes hauling property for pay inside Washington lawful. WSDOT Commercial Vehicle Services issues oversize and overweight permits. The Department of Licensing runs IFTA and apportioned registration out of a single Prorate and Fuel Tax Services unit, with counters in Olympia and Vancouver.

The Washington State Patrol sits behind the safety side, and behind the state requirement to hold a department of transportation number. Each Washington page here names the agency that owns the step you are on.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page owns the common carrier permit answer: who it reaches, what the commission charges, and the insurance filings that have to be on file before it issues. The permits pages cover the legal size and weight envelope, single trip and continuous operation permits, escorts, curfews and superloads. The IFTA and IRP pages cover licensing, decals, quarterly returns and apportioned plates.

Every amount on those pages is a data field tied to the statute, rule or agency page it was read from. Where Washington publishes nothing, we say so instead of guessing.

Washington filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover Washington

Frequently asked questions

Does Washington require its own operating authority?

Yes. Hauling property for compensation between two points inside Washington takes a common carrier permit from the Utilities and Transportation Commission, and no weight threshold lets a smaller truck out of it. The commission grants the permit on fitness rather than on a contested public need case, so a complete application moves quickly.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Washington?

The Utilities and Transportation Commission for intrastate authority, brokers and household goods movers. WSDOT Commercial Vehicle Services for oversize and overweight permits. The Department of Licensing for IFTA and apportioned registration. The Washington State Patrol for commercial vehicle safety enforcement. Plan on separate accounts with each.

Does Washington charge a weight-distance tax?

No. Washington levies no weight-distance or weight-mile tax, which is one of the sharpest differences from Oregon next door. A Washington carrier's distance-based work is the quarterly IFTA return and apportioned IRP registration. Distance does price one Washington bill, the overweight special permit, and that is a permit fee rather than a tax.

Where do the numbers on these Washington pages come from?

Each amount, limit and deadline is a data field tied to the statute, rule or agency page it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Anything Washington leaves unpublished is marked unconfirmed instead of being filled in with 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. RCW 81.80.070, the intrastate common carrier and contract carrier permit requirement · Washington State Legislature
  2. Common Carriers · Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission
  3. WAC 480-14-140, the UTC common carrier application fee schedule · Washington State Legislature, Washington Administrative Code

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.