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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Maryland

Maryland issues no intrastate freight operating authority. What it requires instead is a number: the Maryland USDOT Number, issued through FMCSA and enforced by the SHA Motor Carrier Division, displayed on both sides of the truck. Passenger-for-hire work is the exception, run by the Public Service Commission. Every fee or limit below comes from an official state page.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Not required
USDOT number
Required first

State agency Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration, Motor Carrier Division (intrastate motor carrier identification numbers); Maryland Public Service Commission, Transportation Division (intrastate for-hire passenger permits)

Credential Maryland intrastate motor carrier identification number (Maryland USDOT Number), plus PSC permits for intrastate for-hire passenger carriers

What these terms cover

USDOT number: The Maryland intrastate credential IS a USDOT number issued through FMCSA with Maryland intrastate designation, so the federal registration step is the program itself rather than a prerequisite.

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Sep 27, 2026.How we verify

Everything Maryland requires, in order

Each step is its own page, with the Maryland figures read from the agency that publishes them.

First, the federal side

Identical in every state, and not part of the Maryland sequence below: get your own authority, USDOT number, Form 2290, and what it all costs.

Before you file

  1. Start a trucking companyFederal steps plus this state, in order
  2. DOT numberState USDOT triggers and carrier numbers
  3. CDLLicense fees, testing, endorsements

State credentials

  1. Intrastate authorityState operating authority: rule, agency, fee
  2. Insurance requirementsState liability minimums and insurer filings

Plates, fuel tax and trip permits

  1. IRP registrationApportioned plates and cab cards
  2. IFTAFuel tax license, decals, filing
  3. Trip and fuel permitsTemporary IRP and IFTA permits

Permits and state taxes

  1. Trucking permitsEvery state permit a carrier may need
  2. Oversize permitsLegal limits, permit fees, escorts

How Maryland organizes trucking compliance

Four agencies share the job, and each owns a different credential. The State Highway Administration Motor Carrier Division enforces the identification-number regime and sells hauling permits. The Motor Vehicle Administration in Glen Burnie handles apportioned registration and trip permits. The Comptroller's Field Enforcement Bureau runs IFTA and the fuel tax. The Public Service Commission permits intrastate passenger-for-hire operations.

Expect four separate logins along the way: FMCSA's registration portal for the number itself, Maryland One for permits, the myMVA Business Portal for apportioned plates, and Motor Carrier Connect for fuel tax filings. Each Maryland page on this site tells you which system owns the step you are on.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page owns the state credential answer: who needs the Maryland USDOT Number, the display duty, the insurance rules Maryland sets by incorporating the federal schedule, and the passenger permit exception. The permits pages cover legal size limits, the overweight fee table, escort thresholds, curfews and the superload regime. The IFTA and IRP pages cover free base-state licensing, quarterly filing, and apportioned plates through the MVA.

Every figure on those pages is a data field tied to the SHA, MVA or Comptroller page it came from. Where an agency does not publish a fact, this site says so plainly instead of guessing.

Maryland filing walkthroughs

Step-by-step articles for the recurring Maryland filings, written against the same sourced records as the pages above.

Free calculators that cover Maryland

Frequently asked questions

Does Maryland require its own operating authority?

Not for freight. Maryland issues no intrastate operating authority for property carriers. The state requirement is the Maryland USDOT Number for qualifying vehicles, obtained through FMCSA and displayed on the truck. Intrastate passenger-for-hire operators are the exception: they need a Public Service Commission permit.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Maryland?

The SHA Motor Carrier Division handles the identification-number regime and hauling permits. The MVA Motor Carrier Services office handles apportioned registration and trip permits. The Comptroller's Field Enforcement Bureau administers IFTA. The Public Service Commission permits passenger-for-hire operations. Plan on separate accounts with each.

Do I need federal registration if I only run inside Maryland?

Yes, in a specific way: the Maryland intrastate credential is itself a USDOT number issued through FMCSA, with Maryland intrastate designation. There is no separate state application. Register with FMCSA once and the federal step and the state step are the same step.

Where do the numbers on these Maryland pages come from?

Every fee, limit, and deadline is a data field tied to the SHA, MVA or Comptroller page it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Anything the agencies leave unpublished is labeled as unconfirmed rather than guessed at, and the honest gaps are stated on the page that needs them.

Sources

The official sources used on this page. Check the current instructions before you file or pay.

  1. Maryland DOT Numbers (USDOT Numbers - Interstate & Intrastate) · Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration

Haul Handbook publishes educational information about trucking registration and compliance requirements. This is not legal, financial, or tax advice. Rules, fees, and deadlines change; confirm with the agency before you file or pay.