What a Indiana trucking company needs to run legal

Every registration a Indiana-based carrier deals with, named agency by agency — plus the per-mile programs waiting in nearby states.

The Indiana carrier stack at a glance

Every state wires carrier compliance differently, and Indiana is no exception. Below is what a carrier based in Indiana actually deals with — which agency issues the IFTA license, where apportioned plates come from, what applies if you never cross the state line, and the drive-through taxes waiting in nearby states.

• IFTA: Indiana Department of Revenue, Motor Carrier Services
• IRP (apportioned plates): Indiana Department of Revenue, Motor Carrier Services
• Intrastate program: Indiana intrastate motor carrier authority (DOR MCS)
• Workers' comp: Indiana Workers' Compensation Board

Interstate: IFTA and IRP for Indiana carriers

Your IFTA base jurisdiction is Indiana: the license and quarterly fuel-tax filings go through Indiana Department of Revenue, Motor Carrier Services, which issues one license and a set of decals per truck.

Apportioned plates and the cab card come from Indiana Department of Revenue, Motor Carrier Services under the International Registration Plan, with annual fees split across the states you run by mileage.

Running intrastate only in Indiana

Indiana runs a named intrastate carrier program — Indiana intrastate motor carrier authority (DOR MCS) — administered by Indiana DOR Motor Carrier Services. If you haul for pay only inside the state, register there before your first load and confirm the exact insurance minimums they require.

Workers' compensation in Indiana

Indiana requires workers' compensation coverage for employees. The authority on specifics is Indiana Workers' Compensation Board.

Permit states near Indiana

Regional carriers based in Indiana routinely cross states that charge their own road programs: Kentucky's KYU weight-distance tax. Each requires registration before you enter — trip permits at the port of entry cost far more. Long-haul carriers should treat all six drive-through programs (Oregon, New York, Kentucky, New Mexico, Connecticut, plus California's Clean Truck Check) as part of the setup list.

The federal baseline (every state)

None of the state items replace the federal floor: USDOT number, MC operating authority with a BOC-3 process agent for interstate for-hire work, primary liability insurance on file with the FMCSA, UCR registration, Form 2290 heavy-vehicle use tax, the MCS-150 biennial update, and driver-side items like medical cards and drug-and-alcohol consortium enrollment. The full picture, resolved for your specific operation, lives in CabCommand's compliance roadmap. Rather than keeping this page bookmarked, let the software carry it: CabCommand builds your Indiana roadmap item by item, watches the renewals, and flags permit-state routes before you roll.

Frequently asked questions