State guide

Starting a Trucking Company in Georgia: The State-Level Steps

Updated September 2026

Your USDOT number and operating authority come from FMCSA and work the same in every state. What changes when you are based in Georgia is the second layer: where you get apportioned plates, who issues your fuel-tax license, whether Georgia wants its own registration for trucks that never leave the state, and which state office checks on you. Here is that layer for Georgia, checked against the state's own pages in September 2026.

In Georgia both apportioned plates and the IFTA license come from the Georgia Department of Revenue, through two different units. Georgia also has its own registration for trucks that haul for hire without leaving the state: the GIMC registration.

Interstate or Georgia-only? Decide this first

Two different rulebooks apply depending on where the truck goes. Cross a state line for pay and you are an interstate carrier: FMCSA issues your USDOT number and operating authority (the $300 filing) and sets the insurance and BOC-3 rules, and Georgia's job is plates, fuel tax and roadside enforcement. Stay inside Georgia and you are an intrastate carrier: no federal authority is needed, and Georgia's own rules take over - covered in the in-state section below.

Most new owner-operators run interstate, so this page assumes that unless it says otherwise. If you are truly Georgia-only, you register the truck and its fuel with the state instead of IRP and IFTA, and the in-state section is the one to read closely.

Apportioned plates (IRP) in Georgia

Georgia's IRP office is the Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division - Georgia Trucking Portal (EZ IRP). To base a fleet in Georgia you have to show a real connection to the state: five proofs from the Established Place of Business list or three proofs from the Georgia Residency list; proofs cannot be mixed between lists and all addresses must match. Since July 3, 2023 all new IRP accounts are opened through EZ IRP (ezirp.dor.ga.gov); renewals and permits run through the enterprise portal (cmv.dor.ga.gov); allow five business days for a response; payment is required before a Temporary Apportioned Permit issues. No flat fee is shown - DOR points to an IRP fee estimator.

Bring what every IRP office wants: your USDOT number and EIN, the truck's title or lease, proof of insurance, and a stamped Form 2290 Schedule 1 if the truck is 55,000 lbs or heavier. Fees are split among the states by the share of miles you run in each, so nobody can quote a flat price up front - the states that publish an estimate put a first-year 80,000 lb plate at roughly $1,250 to $2,500. You renew every year in the month Georgia assigns you.

IFTA in Georgia

IFTA is handled by a different unit of the same department: the Georgia Department of Revenue (Georgia Tax Center). Register through the Georgia Tax Center (GTC) as a new Georgia business; DOR requires a vehicle that travels outside Georgia, a qualified motor vehicle (over 26,000 lbs or three or more axles), an established place of business in Georgia, the USDOT number if applicable, and SSNs for officers. No license or decal fee shown.

Once licensed you file a quarterly return - due April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31 - even for a quarter with zero miles. Keep every fuel receipt and your miles by state; the return is built from them. The license expires December 31 and is renewed every year.

Hauling only inside Georgia

If the truck never leaves Georgia you do not need federal operating authority (the $300 filing) - but Georgia is one of the states that still wants in-state-only trucks to hold a USDOT number. Georgia is on FMCSA's list. The DPS GIMC program covers intrastate carriers with vehicles of 10,001 lbs GVWR or more, and DPS reminds all USDOT holders (including intrastate carriers) to complete biennial MCS-150 updates or face deactivation. The number is free, so get it early; almost every state form asks for it.

Georgia also has its own registration for hauling other people's freight for hire inside the state: the GIMC registration (Georgia Intrastate Motor Carrier) with the Department of Public Safety, renewed yearly with a Form E insurance filing, issued by the Georgia Department of Public Safety, Motor Carrier Compliance Division - UCR/GIMC Section (844-238-8097). GIMC (effective July 1, 2015) applies to motor carriers operating only in Georgia with vehicles of 10,001 lbs GVWR or more, more than 10 passengers, or placarded hazmat; interstate carriers registered under UCR are exempt, as are covered farm vehicles, school buses and government vehicles. For-hire applicants file the GIMC application, Form E, a notarized Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance affidavit, a secure ID copy, proof of motor carrier safety training within 12 months, and payment. Household goods, passenger, limousine and non-consensual towing carriers need separate DPS certificates.

Fee: A per-vehicle registration fee set by DPS (its GIMC page lists $25 per vehicle - confirm the current amount when you apply). Insurance: Form E certificate of liability and property damage insurance filed by your insurer (DPS sets the amounts).

UCR when you are based in Georgia

Georgia takes part in the Unified Carrier Registration program. Interstate carriers register once a year at ucr.gov - $46 for 0-2 trucks in 2026, $55 in 2027. DPS's UCR/GIMC Section handles UCR for Georgia-based interstate carriers and GIMC for intrastate-only carriers. Carriers that only haul inside the state do not register for UCR at all.

Other Georgia permits and programs

Oversize and overweight permits come from the Georgia Department of Public Safety, Oversize Permit Unit - GAPROS (Georgia Permitting and Routing Optimization System, 844-837-5500) - every state wants its own permit for a load beyond the legal size or weight, and most now sell them online.

Other Georgia-specific things a new one-truck carrier runs into:

• GIMC registration and motor carrier safety training: Intrastate-only carriers with 10,001 lb+ vehicles register annually with DPS; for-hire applicants must show completion of motor carrier safety training within the past 12 months and file Form E insurance.
• Georgia intrastate ELD rule: DPS states that intrastate carriers operating solely in Georgia must comply with the ELD rule since January 1, 2019, with the usual short-haul (150 air-mile) and 8-days-in-30 exceptions.

Who checks on you in Georgia

Roadside inspections in Georgia are run by the Georgia Department of Public Safety, Motor Carrier Compliance Division (Commercial Vehicle Enforcement), working with FMCSA. Expect the New Entrant safety audit within your first 12 months of interstate operation - the walkthrough's audit checklist covers the 16 things that fail it automatically.

The order to do it in

• Form the business and get a free EIN from the IRS.
• Get your USDOT number (free) through FMCSA's Motus system - and apply for operating authority ($300) if you will ever cross a state line.
• Have your insurer file the federal proof of insurance and hire a process agent for the BOC-3.
• File Form 2290 with the IRS if the truck is 55,000 lbs or heavier and keep the stamped Schedule 1 - the plate office asks for it.
• Get apportioned plates from the Georgia Department of Revenue (or Georgia commercial plates if the truck will never leave the state).
• Get your IFTA license and decals from the Georgia Department of Revenue.
• Register for UCR at ucr.gov if you run interstate.
• If you will haul Georgia-only loads, get the GIMC registration before the first one.
• Put the deadlines in the Stay Legal calendar: MCS-150 update, IFTA quarters, UCR, Form 2290, medical card, annual inspection.

Always confirm with Georgia

Fees and forms move without notice. Before you pay anyone, open the official pages below and check the current figures - it takes ten minutes and prevents expensive surprises. HaulLegal is not the government, is not a law firm, and never files anything for you; you do every step yourself.

Official Georgia pages

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