Do I need a USDOT number to operate intrastate in Texas?
A Texas-domiciled motor carrier operating only in intrastate commerce needs both a USDOT number (designated intrastate) and a TxDMV motor carrier registration — what TxDMV now calls the TxDMV Number, formerly the TxDOT Number. The USDOT number is obtained first; the TxDMV registration follows through TxDMV’s eLINC online system.
The TxDMV registration is required if any of the following apply to the operation:
- A CMV or combination with gross weight, registered weight, or GVWR over 26,000 lbs
- Transport of hazardous materials in placardable quantities
- A farm vehicle of 48,000 lbs or more
- A vehicle designed to transport more than 15 passengers including the driver
- A commercial school bus
- Transport of household goods for compensation, regardless of weight
The TxDMV Number runs alongside the USDOT number — it does not replace it. Carriers below the 26,000-lb threshold who do not haul hazmat, passengers, or household goods generally fall outside the TxDMV registration requirement, though USDOT thresholds still apply on their own terms for interstate operations. Seasonal operations can take a 7-day or 90-day TxDMV certificate rather than a full year; the certificate is non-transferable. The TxDMV Motor Carrier Handbook is the controlling document for thresholds, fee brackets, and renewal terms.
Which agencies regulate motor carriers in Texas?
Three Texas state agencies divide motor carrier regulation, and the lines between them matter when something goes wrong.
- Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), Motor Carrier Division issues the TxDMV Number, handles operating authority, IRP registration, and insurance filings (Form E). TxDMV explicitly notes that it does not handle driver licensing or safety audits.
- Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas DPS), Commercial Vehicle Enforcement bureau handles roadside inspections, weigh-station enforcement, safety audits including new-entrant audits, and the state’s drug-and-alcohol testing reporting program. DPS is the agency that will appear at an audit.
- Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts administers IFTA, motor fuel taxes, and the 10 percent Texas Emissions Reduction Plan surcharge on IRP-apportioned vehicles.
Texas does not have a public utility commission for trucking. The Railroad Commission of Texas regulates oil and gas, not motor freight.
What’s different about compliance in Texas?
Texas layers a handful of state-specific obligations on top of the federal motor carrier rules every domiciled carrier must already follow.
- Drug-and-alcohol testing results reporting to DPS. Every TxDMV-registered intrastate motor carrier must certify compliance with the federal D&A testing program in 49 CFR Part 382 and report drug-testing results to the DPS Drug Testing Unit in the manner DPS prescribes. The state-level reporting exists in addition to federal Part 382 — running a federal-compliant testing program does not, by itself, satisfy the Texas obligation.
- Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) surcharge. Apportioned IRP-registered trucks pay a 10 percent TERP surcharge on the Texas portion of the registration fee, remitted through the Texas Comptroller. It is a small line item per vehicle but a recurring one, and it is the most commonly missed Texas-specific cost in a new-entrant operating budget.
- Non-CMV vehicle safety inspection abolished. As of January 1, 2025, House Bill 3297 (88th Legislature) ended the annual safety inspection sticker requirement for non-commercial vehicles. The federal annual inspection requirement for commercial vehicles at or above 10,001 lbs GVWR under 49 CFR §396.17 remains in force unchanged. Carriers operating mixed light-duty and heavy-duty fleets sometimes assume the rule change covers both. It does not.
- Electronic-only medical examiner’s certificate filing. Effective June 23, 2025, Texas accepts only electronic submission of CDL and CLP medical examiner’s certificates to the FMCSA National Registry. Paper ME certificates submitted to Texas DPS or TxDMV are not processed.
- No state Employer Pull Notice equivalent. Texas does not run a state-level program that pushes MVR changes to carriers between annual reviews. The annual review of driving record under 49 CFR §391.25 is the federal floor and the practical ceiling.
What does intrastate operation cost?
Annual cost categories for a Texas-domiciled small carrier:
- Unified Carrier Registration (UCR). Per the UCR Plan’s board-approved 2026 fee schedule: $46.00 per entity for 0–2 vehicles, $138.00 for 3–5, and $276.00 for 6–20. Texas is a UCR participating state, so Texas-domiciled carriers file directly through Texas. Source: UCR Plan fee brackets.
- TxDMV Motor Carrier Registration. Available in 7-day, 90-day, 1-year, or 2-year increments and non-transferable. Specific dollar amounts are published in the TxDMV Motor Carrier Handbook fee schedule by weight class and authority type rather than as a single online price chart — carriers should consult the current Handbook or call TxDMV’s Motor Carrier Division at 800-299-1700 for the bracket that applies.
- TERP surcharge. 10 percent of the Texas portion of an IRP-apportioned vehicle’s registration fee, remitted to the Texas Comptroller.
- IRP (apportioned registration). Texas is a base jurisdiction. Fees are the proportion of fleet distance in each jurisdiction multiplied by that jurisdiction’s base registration schedule, plus the TERP surcharge on the Texas portion.
- IFTA. Administered by the Texas Comptroller. No license fee; quarterly returns are due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31.
- Weight-mile or ton-mile tax. None. Texas does not impose a per-mile tax on commercial trucks above and beyond fuel tax.
- Federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (Form 2290). Vehicles at or above 55,000 lbs gross weight owe HVUT to the IRS; proof of payment is a prerequisite for IRP registration of the vehicle.
How are state-level audits and inspections handled?
Texas runs both a state audit program and the country’s largest MCSAP enforcement operation. The two operate in parallel.
State audits. 37 Texas Administrative Code §4.15 authorizes Texas DPS to conduct new-entrant safety audits on Texas-domiciled interstate motor carriers under 49 CFR Part 385, Subpart D, and to run compliance reviews triggered by:
- An unsatisfactory federal safety score
- A complaint
- A follow-up on a prior audit finding
- A fatality crash
- An out-of-service order or notification
DPS can also issue an imminent-hazard order to cease operations outside the normal audit cycle when conditions warrant it. The new-entrant audit covers driver qualification (Part 391), hours of service (Part 395), vehicle maintenance and inspection (Part 396), drug-and-alcohol testing (Part 382 — including the Texas state-level reporting overlay), and operational compliance (financial responsibility, hazmat where applicable, accident register).
Roadside inspections. Texas DPS staffs 269 fully salaried CVE positions (88 commissioned) plus 144 civilian border inspectors, per the FY2024–2026 Texas Commercial Vehicle Safety Plan. Inspections concentrate along I-10, I-20, I-35, I-30, and I-45, and at the Laredo Port of Entry. For a small carrier, this means roadside exposure in Texas is materially higher than in most other states. The practical defenses are familiar: current annual inspection records (§396.17), a clean DVIR habit (§396.11) where applicable, a complete driver qualification file (§391.51), and accurate hours-of-service records (§395.8).
Texas does not run a state terminal-inspection program comparable to California’s BIT. Terminals are not inspected on a fixed schedule, only on event-driven cause.