State guide
Starting a Trucking Company in California: 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 California is the second layer: where you get apportioned plates, who issues your fuel-tax license, whether California wants its own registration for trucks that never leave the state, and which state office checks on you. Here is that layer for California, checked against the state's own pages in September 2026.
In California apportioned plates come from the California Department of Motor Vehicles while the IFTA license comes from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California also has its own registration for trucks that haul for hire without leaving the state: the California Motor Carrier Permit.
Interstate or California-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 California's job is plates, fuel tax and roadside enforcement. Stay inside California and you are an intrastate carrier: no federal authority is needed, and California'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 California-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 California
California's IRP office is the California Department of Motor Vehicles, IRP Operations Section (Sacramento). To base a fleet in California you have to show a real connection to the state: California will only accept IRP applications from carriers who provide proof of residency or an established place of business in California - a location owned, leased or rented by the registrant, with a street address, publicly listed phone, staff and accessible operational records; a home address qualifies for owner-operators. Applications are mailed to IRP Operations (P.O. Box 932320, MS H160, Sacramento, CA 94232-3200; 916-657-7971) with forms MC 2117 I, MC 2118 I, MC 522 I and REG 31 plus USDOT number, tax ID, proof of address and vehicle documents. Payment options: 100 percent California fees, apportioned fees plus other jurisdictions' fees, or flat monthly rates of $250 per vehicle ($300 for vehicles priced $200,000 or more).
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 California assigns you.
IFTA in California
IFTA lives at a different agency: the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). CDTFA issues the IFTA license; carriers whose interstate travel is limited to Mexico and California, or who are not based in an IFTA jurisdiction, get an Interstate User Diesel Fuel Tax license instead. No license or decal fee is shown on the overview page.
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 California
If the truck never leaves California you do not need federal operating authority (the $300 filing) - but California is one of the states that still wants in-state-only trucks to hold a USDOT number. California is on FMCSA's list of states requiring a USDOT number for intrastate registrants; the DMV IRP page also requires the USDOT number on applications. California's own carrier identifier is the CA number issued by CHP. The number is free, so get it early; almost every state form asks for it.
California also has its own registration for hauling other people's freight for hire inside the state: the California Motor Carrier Permit (MCP) from DMV, which requires a California Carrier Identification (CA) number from the California Highway Patrol, issued by the California DMV, Motor Carrier Permit Unit (916-657-8153); CA number from the California Highway Patrol. The MCP is required for anyone transporting property for compensation, operating a CMV over 10,001 lbs GVWR, hauling hazmat, or requiring a CDL; it is evidence the carrier has registered its CA number with DMV. Get the CA number from CHP first (online at canumber.chp.ca.gov or form CHP 362 to the nearest Motor Carrier Safety Unit). Intrastate MCPs renew annually; interstate carriers receive a non-expiring MCP and do not pay renewal fees.
Fee: $250 total for a for-hire carrier with 1 power unit ($120 base fee + $130 Carrier Inspection Fee), for both original application and renewal. Insurance: $300,000 to $5,000,000 combined single limit depending on vehicle type and what you haul (the exact figure for your operation is in the DMV's Motor Carrier Permit handbook).
UCR when you are based in California
California 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. Carriers that only haul inside the state do not register for UCR at all.
Other California permits and programs
Oversize and overweight permits come from the Caltrans, Office of Commercial Vehicle Operations - Transportation Permits (Permits Issuance Branch, Sacramento; CTPS online system, 916-322-1297) - every state wants its own permit for a load beyond the legal size or weight, and most now sell them online.
Other California-specific things a new one-truck carrier runs into:
- CARB Clean Truck Check (HD I/M): Applies to non-gasoline heavy-duty vehicles over 14,000 lbs GVWR operating in California, including out-of-state vehicles; owners must report the vehicle in CTC-VIS, pay an annual compliance fee ($32.13 per vehicle effective 1/1/2026) and submit passing periodic emissions tests.
- CA number (California Carrier Identification Number): The CA number is issued only by CHP and is used as the MCP number; apply online at canumber.chp.ca.gov or with form CHP 362. CHP also runs the Basic Inspection of Terminals (BIT) program and Motor Carrier Safety Units that inspect carriers.
- Motor Carrier Permit fee and Carrier Inspection Fee: For a 1-power-unit for-hire carrier the MCP costs $120 plus a $130 Carrier Inspection Fee ($250 total); the CIF is not apportioned or prorated.
Who checks on you in California
Roadside inspections in California are run by the California Highway Patrol, Commercial Vehicle Section (Motor Carrier Safety Units, roadside inspections, BIT program), 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 California Department of Motor Vehicles (or California commercial plates if the truck will never leave the state).
- Get your IFTA license and decals from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.
- Register for UCR at ucr.gov if you run interstate.
- If you will haul California-only loads, get the California Motor Carrier Permit 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 California
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 California pages
Based in California? 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 California 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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