State guide
Starting a Trucking Company in Minnesota: 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 Minnesota is the second layer: where you get apportioned plates, who issues your fuel-tax license, whether Minnesota wants its own registration for trucks that never leave the state, and which state office checks on you. Here is that layer for Minnesota, checked against the state's own pages in September 2026.
In Minnesota one office handles both apportioned plates and the IFTA license - the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Minnesota also has its own registration for trucks that haul for hire without leaving the state: the Motor Carrier of Property Certificate of Registration.
Interstate or Minnesota-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 Minnesota's job is plates, fuel tax and roadside enforcement. Stay inside Minnesota and you are an intrastate carrier: no federal authority is needed, and Minnesota'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 Minnesota-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 Minnesota
Minnesota's IRP office is the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) - IRP/IFTA Office. DVS page describes IRP as an optional registration method for interstate fleets and links to the DVS IRP manual; contact 651-205-4141 / dvs.prorate@state.mn.us per the MnDOT regulations book.
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 Minnesota assigns you.
IFTA in Minnesota
The same office handles IFTA - the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) - IRP/IFTA Office. License and decal fee: $28 annual fuel license fee plus $11 annual filing fee plus $2.50 per vehicle decal fee (per MnDOT 2022 Commercial Truck and Passenger Regulations book).
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 Minnesota
If the truck never leaves Minnesota you do not need federal operating authority (the $300 filing) - but Minnesota is one of the states that still wants in-state-only trucks to hold a USDOT number. Minnesota is on FMCSA's list of states requiring USDOT numbers for intrastate carriers; MnDOT's 2022 regulations book says a USDOT number is required for intrastate vehicles and vehicles must be marked with company name and USDOT number. The number is free, so get it early; almost every state form asks for it.
Minnesota also has its own registration for hauling other people's freight for hire inside the state: the Motor Carrier of Property Certificate of Registration (Minn. Stat. 221.0251), issued by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations. Intrastate for-hire property carriers register with MnDOT; workers' compensation compliance is required and carriers must complete the Initial Motor Carrier Contact (IMCC) education within 90 days of the certificate.
Fee: $0 (application form: 'NEW APPLICATION (No Fee)'). Insurance: $100,000/$300,000 public liability and $50,000 property damage, certified by the insurer on a Form E to MnDOT.
UCR when you are based in Minnesota
Minnesota 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. MnDOT CVO hosts the UCR registration page (dot.state.mn.us/cvo/do-i-need-to-register.html). Carriers that only haul inside the state do not register for UCR at all.
Other Minnesota permits and programs
Oversize and overweight permits come from the Minnesota Department of Transportation - Oversize/Overweight Permits (online ordering) - every state wants its own permit for a load beyond the legal size or weight, and most now sell them online.
Other Minnesota-specific things a new one-truck carrier runs into:
- Initial Motor Carrier Contact (IMCC) education: New intrastate carriers must complete the IMCC education requirement within 90 days of being issued a certificate of registration.
- Minnesota Commercial Vehicle Resource Book 2026: MnDOT's free annual guide to Minnesota trucking rules (PDF download or mailed hard copy).
Who checks on you in Minnesota
Roadside inspections in Minnesota are run by the Minnesota State Patrol, Commercial Vehicle Section, 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 Minnesota Department of Public Safety (or Minnesota commercial plates if the truck will never leave the state).
- Get your IFTA license and decals from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
- Register for UCR at ucr.gov if you run interstate.
- If you will haul Minnesota-only loads, get the Motor Carrier of Property Certificate of 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 Minnesota
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 Minnesota pages
Based in Minnesota? The walkthrough puts all of this in order.
The HaulLegal walkthrough lays out every step from the business filing to your first safety audit, federal and state, with the real government fee beside each one - and the Stay Legal calendar turns your USDOT number and dates into a deadline list that emails you before each one. The first four steps are free, no signup.
One thing every Minnesota carrier needs no matter which state they are based in: a self-employed CDL driver has to be in a drug and alcohol random testing pool run by a consortium before the first mile, and having no program and no random pool are two of the sixteen automatic failures on the New Entrant safety audit.
Partner link - if you enroll through it we may earn a referral fee at no extra cost to you. We show the published price and never hide a cheaper official route.
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