Trucking companies in Miami follow FMCSA safety rules for interstate work and Florida’s version of those rules for trips that stay in the state.
Our Miami office helps carriers set up and keep the records both require: driver qualification files, drug and alcohol testing, hours of service, and vehicle maintenance, so they are ready for a DOT audit.
The federal rules apply when you run a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Under 49 CFR 390.5T, that is a vehicle of 10,001 pounds or more, one that carries more than 8 passengers (including the driver) for pay or more than 15 without pay, or one hauling hazardous materials in placarded amounts.
Those carriers need a USDOT number, and FMCSA lists Florida among the states that also require one from intrastate commercial vehicle registrants. The number must be marked on your trucks, as our guide on how to mark a commercial motor vehicle explains.
Staying in Miami-Dade does not make a load intrastate. The federal definition of interstate commerce includes transportation between two places in one state “as part of trade, traffic, or transportation originating or terminating outside the State or the United States.” An import container moving from PortMiami to a warehouse in Doral can fall under the federal rules even though the truck never leaves the county.
Under Florida Statutes 316.302, Florida applies the federal safety rules (49 CFR parts 382 to 386 and 390 to 397) to trips that stay in the state, with exceptions for drivers who don’t haul placarded hazmat: the minimum age is 18 instead of 21, drivers may drive 12 hours within 16 hours on duty, and the weekly on-duty limit is 70 hours in 7 days, or 80 hours in 8 days for carriers that run every day. Florida-only trucks under 26,001 pounds skip most of those rules but still follow parts 382, 392, and 393 and two inspection and maintenance rules. Our Florida DOT compliance page covers the state rules in full.
The port and the airport. Much of Miami’s truck freight is international, and each gateway adds its own requirements on top of FMCSA’s.
A trucking company needs a PortMiami business permit before its drivers can work the port. The cartage and trucking permit asks for:
Once the permit is approved, each driver applies for a PortMiami ID card, with a TWIC card where applicable, and the trucking company must provide proof of insurance for every driver. A permit renewal not received by the expiration date is late, and the processing fee is charged again. Our Miami commercial truck insurance page explains the coverage behind these limits.
Five sets of records. A safety audit reviews your safety management systems and a sample of your records in these areas (49 CFR 385.311):
Our DOT safety compliance page explains what each program requires and how we run it.
A new carrier is monitored for 18 months, and FMCSA runs a safety audit once the company has operated long enough to have records to review, generally at least 3 months (49 CFR 385.307).
Some violations fail the audit on their own. 49 CFR 385.321 lists 16, including having no drug and alcohol testing program or no random testing program, operating without the required insurance, and knowingly using a driver without a valid CDL.
If you fail, FMCSA sends a notice, and you have 60 days to fix the problems, or 45 days if you carry passengers or placarded hazmat. Otherwise your new entrant registration is revoked and your operations are placed out of service (49 CFR 385.319). Our new entrant safety audit checklist lists what to have ready, and our audit guidance and support service prepares you and stays with you through the audit.
We work from our office at 7500 NW 52nd St, Suite 100, and support carriers across the country. Our compliance programs come in three levels:
Across the programs, the work ranges from driver qualification file management and CSA monitoring to mock audits and hours-of-service management. We also handle trucking permits, IFTA, UCR, and commercial truck insurance, so your authority, filings, and coverage stay in step.
Use the form below to tell us about your company. Include your USDOT number, or let us know you don’t have one yet, and our team will follow up with the right program.
Yes. Our Miami office is at 7500 NW 52nd St, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33166. We also have offices in Rancho Cucamonga, Houston, and Dallas.
No. We don’t haul freight. We work for trucking companies, handling DOT and FMCSA compliance, truck insurance, permits, and taxes so carriers can keep their trucks moving.
Florida is one of the states that FMCSA lists as requiring intrastate commercial vehicle registrants to get a USDOT number. Florida also applies most federal safety rules to trucks of 26,001 pounds or more that stay in the state.
A PortMiami cartage and trucking permit, which requires proof of your MC number, $1 million in auto liability, $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate in general liability, and workers’ compensation. Each driver then needs a PortMiami ID card, plus a TWIC card where applicable.
The rules and figures on this page come from these official sources, checked on September 25, 2026.