A load comes up that runs into a state your truck is not set up for. Your cab card does not list that state. Your fuel tax setup does not cover it. You have two choices. Buy a temporary permit for this one trip, or add the state to your registration and fuel tax account for the long run.
The answer depends on how often you go there. One run a year is a different problem from a weekly lane.
What IRP is and what apportioned plates cover
The International Registration Plan (IRP) is a registration reciprocity agreement. IRP, Inc. describes it as an agreement among the 48 contiguous US states, the District of Columbia and ten Canadian provinces.
IRP, Inc. says commercial motor vehicles with a combined gross vehicle weight of more than 26,000 pounds that travel in two or more jurisdictions are likely registered under IRP. Check with your base jurisdiction to confirm whether your truck must be.
Here is how it works:
- You register the truck in your base jurisdiction.
- Fees are based on the percentage of distance you travel in each jurisdiction, at each jurisdiction's own fee rates.
- You get an apportioned license plate and a cab card.
- The plate and cab card let the truck travel through the IRP member jurisdictions.
IRP is about registration only. It says nothing about fuel tax or the size and weight of your load.
What IFTA is and what the fuel-tax license covers
The International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) is the fuel tax side. It is run by its member jurisdictions, with IFTA, Inc. as the program body.
Under IFTA, a carrier holds one fuel tax license from its base jurisdiction instead of a separate fuel tax account in every state it drives through. The carrier reports its miles and fuel by jurisdiction on a return filed with the base jurisdiction, and the tax is settled among the member jurisdictions from there.
A truck can be apportioned under IRP and still lack fuel tax credentials, or the other way around. They are two programs with two sets of paperwork.
What trip permits and temporary fuel permits are, and who issues them
When a truck is not apportioned for a state, or has no IFTA license, a state can sell a short-term permit in place of those credentials. Most states split it in two:
- A trip permit stands in for registration (the IRP side).
- A temporary fuel permit stands in for the fuel tax license (the IFTA side).
Each state sets its own rules, and the issuing office varies. In some states the registration office sells both. In others a tax agency sells the fuel permit. Two examples from our verified state records:
- Missouri. Registration: 72-hour trip (IRP) permit, $10. Fuel: 72-hour IFTA permit, $10, or both together for $20. Issued by the Missouri DOT.
- Texas. Registration: 72-hour permit $25, or 144-hour permit $50, plus a $4.75 processing fee per permit, from TxDMV. Fuel: temporary fuel trip permit, $50, one entry, valid 20 days, from the Texas Comptroller.
The Missouri form lists a flat fee that is not based on weight. TxDMV requires a valid USDOT number for either of its permits, and it issues them only for commercial vehicles and buses owned by residents of the United States, Mexico or Canada.
The figure below shows what each credential covers, and what none of them covers.
How to decide: trip permit or apportion the state
Start with how often you go there.
Frequency. A trip permit is built for occasional travel. Texas puts a hard limit on it: the Comptroller sells a fuel trip permit in place of the interstate trucker or IFTA license only if there are no more than five entries into the state in a calendar year. Each permit is good for one entry. A trip from Arkansas through Texas to New Mexico and back through Texas counts as two entries and needs two permits, even if you finish inside 20 days. If a state is part of a regular lane, a trip permit is the wrong tool.
Cost. Add up what the trips would cost in permits over a year. Then compare that with what adding the state to your apportioned registration would cost. Your base jurisdiction calculates apportioned fees from your mileage in each state, so ask it for the figure.
Time on the road. Permits run on the clock. The Missouri permits last 72 hours. The Texas registration permits last 72 or 144 hours. TxDMV lets you buy several permits at once and run them back to back, with each one starting when the one before it ends. A slow load or a long wait can outlast a short permit.
Risk. Running without a permit is not a paperwork shortcut. The Texas Comptroller states that operating without a valid interstate trucker's license or trip permit may lead to a penalty under the Texas Motor Fuels Tax Code. A fine and lost time at the scale can cost more than the permit you skipped.
Paperwork the driver should carry
Keep these in the cab, and keep them current:
- Cab card. It shows which jurisdictions the truck is apportioned for. Check it before you accept a load into a new state.
- IFTA license. Carry proof the way your base jurisdiction requires.
- Trip permit. One for each state you are not apportioned for, with the valid dates and times in view.
- Temporary fuel permit. One for each state where you have no IFTA coverage and the state requires one.
- Oversize or overweight permit. If the load is over legal size or weight, this is a separate permit (see below).
- USDOT number. Texas requires one to buy its registration permits.
Check the dates before you roll. A permit that expired an hour ago is not a permit.
Common mistakes
Confusing the two permits. A trip permit covers registration. A fuel permit covers fuel tax. In Texas they come from two different agencies. In Missouri you can buy them together, but they are still two permits. Ask for both when you need both.
Assuming a trip permit covers oversize. It does not. A trip or fuel permit deals with registration and taxes. If the load is over legal width, height, length or weight, you also need the state's oversize or overweight permit, with its own route, hours and escort rules. See our state pages for those rules.
Buying at the scale. Do not wait until you reach the scale to sort it out. Each state has its own rules on where and when to buy, and some require the permit before the truck enters. TxDMV lets you buy in advance of the trip. Buy before you cross the line and keep the permit in the cab.
Running past the clock. A 72-hour permit ends at 72 hours, even if the delivery is late. Plan the run against the permit, or buy the next one before the first runs out.
Check your route before you dispatch
If you have a one-off run into states your truck is not set up for, use our trip permit estimator. Pick the states on the route and it totals the confirmed trip and fuel permit fees per truck. States without a confirmed fee are listed separately rather than guessed.
If the load is oversize, start with the state oversize permit pages. The Missouri and Texas pages cover the permit office, dimension limits, escorts and travel hours. Then confirm every figure with the issuing agency before you buy. Fees and rules change, and the agency's own page is the final word.
Related guides
Registration and fuel tax are one part of a run into a new state. These guides cover the rest:
- the federal bridge formula, explained
- pilot car basics and escort triggers
- how to read a state oversize permit