Ready for Loads

States

Trucking rules by state

Updated

A load can count as interstate even when your truck never leaves one state, if the freight started or ends somewhere else. On top of federal rules, many states set their own authority or number, insurance minimums and, in a handful, a tax on the miles you drive. Each state page lists the rules we confirmed, linked to the agency that sets them.

All 4 states

Texas first, then A to Z. Sort by any column.

Showing all 4 states, Texas first, then A to Z.

Start hereHighway-use tax
Texas Vehicles or combinations above 26,000 pounds gross, registered or rated weightNot covered yet
Florida Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), intrastate movers and moving brokersNot covered yet
Michigan Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) authority before public-road operationsNot covered yet
Ohio Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) registration and current certificate before operatingNot covered yet

Each row comes from that state's own agencies and statutes, checked October 17 to 20, 2026.

At a glance

Covered
All 50 states and DC
Rules checked
636, each linked to its official source
Mileage-based truck taxes we verified
Connecticut, Kentucky, New Mexico, New York and Oregon, plus optional Illinois mileage plates
Texas guides
TxDMV authority, Form E, IFTA, IRP and oversize permits

Which rules apply to a load

Your truck's route doesn't settle it. FMCSA counts a load as interstate (opens in a new tab) when the freight started or ends in another state or country, even if your leg never crosses a state line.

What changes from state to state

  • Authority for in-state loads. Many states license carriers that haul for pay inside their borders, separate from your MC number. California generally requires a motor carrier permit for paid property hauling at any weight. Kentucky requires intrastate for-hire licensing even for cargo vehicles under 10,001 pounds hauling Kentucky-only loads.
  • A state number or your USDOT number. Some states use your USDOT number for intrastate trucks too. Others add their own, such as California's CA number from the Highway Patrol.
  • Insurance minimums. Some states set their own intrastate liability tiers, and some of those are lower than the $750,000 FMCSA requires for interstate nonhazardous for-hire freight at 10,001 pounds GVWR or more. Your insurer often files the state's own proof form, such as Form E.
  • Taxes on the miles you drive. Five states we checked charge a mileage tax: Connecticut, Kentucky, New Mexico, New York and Oregon. Each has its own weight trigger and filing. Illinois also offers optional mileage-tax plates for trucks that travel only in Illinois.
  • Oversize and overweight permits. Each state that publishes oversize and overweight rules issues its own permits through its transportation agency or permit office.

How we check

Every row on a state page comes from the agency's own page, a statute or an administrative rule, with the date we read it. Where we couldn't confirm a rule from an official source, the page lists it under "Not covered yet" rather than guessing.

States A to Z