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Texas trucking companies answer to three agencies: FMCSA for interstate work, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) for intrastate operating authority, and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), which applies the federal safety rules, with Texas exceptions, to trucks that stay in the state.
Our DOT compliance services in Texas keep all three sets of requirements current.
Most Texas carriers need both. FMCSA requires a USDOT number when you run a vehicle of 10,001 pounds or more, or one built or used to carry more than 8 passengers for pay, in interstate commerce. Texas is also on FMCSA’s list of states that require a USDOT number from intrastate commercial vehicle registrants.
A Texas-only carrier must register with TxDMV and get a TxDMV certificate (once called a “TxDOT number”) when it:
You need the USDOT number first, registered as INTRAstate if you will run only in Texas. New numbers are issued through FMCSA’s Motus system, and our guide to marking a commercial motor vehicle covers how to display the number.
A USDOT number identifies you; it is not operating authority. TxDMV’s certificate covers work that stays in Texas, while hauling for hire across state lines generally takes FMCSA operating authority (an MC number). If you do both kinds of work, you need both, because one does not cover the other.
Watch the in-state leg of a longer trip. FMCSA counts a move between two places in one state as interstate commerce when it is part of a shipment that starts or ends outside the state, such as an import container drayed from a Texas port. Our trucking authority packages cover intrastate and interstate setups.
You apply online in TxMCCS, TxDMV’s credentialing system. TxDMV reviews new applications within 24 to 48 business hours, plus 7 business days if you are linked to an earlier authority. Certificates run for 7 days, 90 days, one year, or two years.
After approval, your insurer files Form E electronically (plus Forms H and I for household goods movers). Most trucks over 26,000 pounds need at least $500,000 in liability coverage; our Texas commercial truck insurance page lists every minimum and filing.
Every TxDMV-registered carrier certifies that it follows FMCSA drug-testing rules, names its testing consortium or facility, and reports results to DPS as DPS requires.
| Fee | One-year certificate | Two-year certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Application (one time, if kept current) | $100 | $100 |
| Each vehicle | $10 | $20 |
| Insurance filing (Form E) | $100 | $100 |
Once insurance is filed and fees are paid, TxMCCS issues your certificate number. Keep the current insurance cab card, paper or electronic, in every truck.
An honest caveat: TxDMV points out that you can file for a certificate yourself and warns about solicitations that look official. Carriers hire us to handle the filings, deadlines, and follow-up alongside everything else on this page, not because the state requires a third party.
The federal ones, with Texas exceptions. Under 37 TAC 4.11, DPS adopts the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (parts 40, 380, 382, 385 to 387, 390 to 393, and 395 to 397, as amended through September 1, 2022) for intrastate vehicles over 26,000 pounds, farm vehicles of 48,000 pounds or more, vehicles carrying more than 15 passengers, and placarded hazmat loads. 37 TAC 4.12 then sets the Texas exceptions:
| Rule | Interstate (federal) | Texas only |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum driver age | 21 | 18 |
| Daily driving | 11 hours within a 14-hour window, after 10 hours off | 12 hours, and none after 15 hours on duty, after 8 hours off |
| Weekly limit | 60 hours in 7 days, or 70 in 8 days if the carrier runs every day; 34-hour restart | 70 hours in 7 days; 34-hour restart |
| Short-haul exception from logs | Within 150 air miles, released within 14 hours, 10 hours off between shifts | Within 150 air miles, released within 14 hours, 8 hours off between shifts |
Texas-only drivers still need an ELD unless an exemption applies. Intrastate drivers hauling oilfield equipment or used mainly for construction materials can restart their 7-day period after 24 hours off. Federal limits are in 49 CFR 395.3; our Texas CDL handbook guide covers the state’s licensing steps.
It depends on where you run. Trucks that cross state lines add apportioned plates, a fuel tax license, and UCR; any load over Texas legal limits needs a permit.
| Credential | Who needs it | Issued by |
|---|---|---|
| Apportioned (IRP) registration | Interstate carriers that want one plate for every member jurisdiction instead of buying trip permits | TxDMV, through TxFLEET |
| IFTA license and decals | Qualifying vehicles that travel in more than one U.S. state or Canadian province | Texas Comptroller |
| Interstate Trucker reports | Qualifying vehicles not under IFTA that travel only between Texas and Mexico | Texas Comptroller |
| Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) | Carriers that tell FMCSA they operate interstate, every year | UCR Plan, at ucr.gov |
| Oversize/overweight permit | Any vehicle or load over Texas legal size or weight | TxDMV, through TxPROS |
For fuel tax, a qualifying vehicle has two axles and over 26,000 pounds, three or more axles, or a combination over 26,000 pounds. IFTA returns are due on the last day of the month after each quarter, and a late or missing return costs $50 or 10% of the tax, whichever is greater. IRP fees follow the share of miles you run in each jurisdiction, and TxDMV needs proof of the federal heavy vehicle use tax (Form 2290) for vehicles of 55,000 pounds or more.
Without a permit, Texas allows 8 feet 6 inches of width, 14 feet of height, a 59-foot semitrailer, and 80,000 pounds gross (TxDMV size and weight limits). Our trucking permits team handles IRP, IFTA, UCR, and oversize permits.
Two inspections and two auditors. Federal rules require every commercial motor vehicle, including each trailer in a combination, to pass an inspection at least once every 12 months, with proof carried on the vehicle (49 CFR 396.17).
Texas adds its own. Safety inspections for non-commercial vehicles ended on January 1, 2025, but Texas DPS still requires every commercial vehicle, in every county, to pass a state safety inspection.
TxDMV does not run safety audits; DPS does. Under 37 TAC 4.15, DPS runs compliance reviews of intrastate carriers and of the intrastate operations of Texas-based interstate carriers, and a carrier rated Unsatisfactory may not operate commercial vehicles. DPS also conducts safety audits of interstate carriers in FMCSA’s new entrant program. Our Dallas DOT compliance page compares the federal and Texas audits in detail.
We have two Texas offices: Houston, at 6633 Portwest Dr, Suite 110, and Richardson, near Dallas, at 990 N Bowser Rd, Suite 900. Our compliance programs come in three levels:
The work ranges from driver qualification file management and CSA monitoring to mock audits and hours-of-service management. We also set up intrastate and interstate authority, IRP plates, IFTA, UCR, and oversize permits, and we stay by your side during a DOT audit.
Use the form below to tell us about your operation. Include your USDOT number, or let us know you don’t have one yet, and our team will follow up with the right next step.
They keep a carrier’s federal and state records in order: USDOT and TxDMV registration, insurance filings, driver files, drug and alcohol testing, hours of service, and vehicle inspections. Ours also include CSA monitoring, mock audits, permits, and support during an audit.
Yes, if they must register with TxDMV, for example to run trucks over 26,000 pounds or haul placarded hazmat. TxDMV requires a valid USDOT number, registered as intrastate, before you apply.
Only if you do both kinds of work. A TxDMV certificate covers hauling that stays in Texas, and FMCSA operating authority covers for-hire hauling across state lines; one does not replace the other.
Up to 12 hours of driving after 8 hours off, no driving after 15 hours on duty, and no more than 70 hours in 7 days, with a 34-hour restart. Interstate drivers follow the federal 11-hour and 14-hour limits.
Yes. Our Houston office is at 6633 Portwest Dr, Suite 110, Houston, TX 77024, and our Dallas-area office is at 990 N Bowser Rd, Suite 900, Richardson, TX 75081.
The rules and figures on this page come from these official sources, checked on October 5, 2026.