By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026
West Virginia sells out-of-state carriers one combined ten-day trip permit online through the DMV, printed instantly, in place of both apportioned registration and fuel tax credentials for the trip. There is no separate fuel permit to buy on the DMV's site. West Virginia-based fleets use IRP, IFTA or the Motor Carrier Road Tax instead.
The trip permit (registration side)
This credential answers for registration. Without it, a vehicle whose cab card does not list West Virginia has no legal registration standing in the state.
- Stands in for
- West Virginia apportioned or full registration, and the motor carrier road tax identification marker (IFTA license and decals), for the vehicle and period on the permit
- Fee
- $34 (The 2025 Commercial Vehicle Manual states trip permits for out-of-state based carriers are valid for ten days at a cost of 34.00 dollars each. The DMV's Trip Permits page calls them combined ten-day trip permits. Permit services charge their own fees on top.)
- Who needs it
- Out-of-state based carriers traveling through West Virginia in a vehicle that is not apportioned for West Virginia or does not carry IFTA credentials. The manual's definition of a trip permit is a permit issued in lieu of apportioned or full registration, and a vehicle holding one may operate in inter-jurisdictional or intra-jurisdictional commerce for the permit period. The Tax Division's IFTA manual adds that a licensee missing a copy of its fuel tax license, or showing decals improperly, may be required to buy a trip permit.
- Where to buy
- Online through the DMV Trip Permits system (https://dmv.wv.gov/trip-permits; the Commercial Vehicle Manual gives the address http://www.wv.gov/tp), open 24 hours, printed instantly and emailed, reprintable by VIN and permit number; Through a commercial permit service, which the Commercial Vehicle Manual lists by name and phone number
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.
- Stands in for
- The Motor Carrier Road Tax, including the IFTA identification marker and quarterly mileage reporting, for the vehicle and period on the permit
- Fee
- No separate fuel permit price is published: the DMV sells one combined ten-day permit, priced in the trip permit entry. W. Va. Code 11-14A-7(b) sets the statutory fee for a road tax trip permit at 24 dollars for up to ten consecutive days, but no source read says how the combined price is divided, so no separate figure is recorded here.
- Who needs it
- A motor carrier subject to the Motor Carrier Road Tax that has no West Virginia identification marker (IFTA decal) from any jurisdiction. A carrier whose identification marker has been revoked, by West Virginia or another jurisdiction, cannot be issued a trip permit (W. Va. Code 11-14A-7(b)).
- Where to buy
- Included in the DMV's combined ten-day trip permit, bought online at https://dmv.wv.gov/trip-permits
- Caught without one
- The permit must be carried in the cab of the vehicle it was issued for at all times while in West Virginia. The permit fee stands in for the road tax on that vehicle for the permit period, so no mileage report is required for it. On an IFTA return, miles run on a temporary fuel trip permit are exempt; keep a copy of each permit with the records.
Other temporary permits in West Virginia
Short-term credentials West Virginia issues beside the trip and fuel permits, for situations those two do not cover.
- Temporary Evidence of Apportioned Registration (TEAR)
- Issued to a new IRP carrier or a vehicle added to a fleet while permanent credentials are pending: valid 40 days at 3.00 dollars per vehicle. Not issued for renewals, not transferable to another vehicle, and the carrier must pay the IRP invoice in full.
- Motor Carrier Road Tax license and MCR decal (intrastate-only West Virginia fleets)
- A West Virginia-based carrier whose qualified vehicles never leave the state does not register them for IFTA and has no use for a trip permit. It gets one Motor Carrier Road Tax license for the fleet and an MCR decal for each such vehicle through the DMV, renewed each calendar year, and files an annual return. (W. Va. Code 11-14A-7(a))
Worth knowing
Trip permit miles are handled differently on the two credentials: an IRP fleet that runs a trip permit in a jurisdiction where it is not apportioned reports those miles on its application, and on an IFTA return miles on a temporary fuel trip permit are exempt. Neither permit is a substitute for a CDL, operating authority where one applies, or insurance.
Where these fit in the West Virginia permit stack
Temporary permits are the exception path. The standing credentials they replace are IRP apportioned registration and the West Virginia IFTA license. Oversize loads use a different permit family entirely, covered in West Virginia oversize and overweight permits, and the full picture of every state permit lives in West Virginia trucking permits.