By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 27, 2026
Maryland IRP administration
- Agency
- Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration, Motor Carrier & Electronic Services Division (Motor Carrier Services)
- Office
- Motor Carrier Services, Room 145, MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration, 6601 Ritchie Highway N.E., Glen Burnie, Maryland 21062. Maryland became the 37th IRP jurisdiction on March 31, 1987. All IRP transactions run through the myMVA Business Portal or by appointment at an IRP branch processing office.
- Process
- Create an e-Services account in the myMVA Business Portal (mymva.maryland.gov/TAP/BUS/), select actions for Motor Carrier, select Register IRP, answer the required questions and submit; the MVA replies within 5 days or sooner. Applications are also available on paper as Maryland Schedule A/C (Form IRP-A/C, equipment and jurisdictions) and Schedule B (Form IRP-B, mileage schedule), plus the IRP Record Keeping Requirements form, which must also be submitted at every renewal. Titling transactions must be completed before apportioned registration is issued.
- Fee structure
- Apportioned registration fees are computed by distance percentage: the base jurisdiction collects each jurisdiction's full-year registration fee multiplied by the fleet's distance percentage in that jurisdiction. The worked example in the IRP Manual for a Maryland tractor at 80,000 pounds operating 25 percent each in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina: Maryland full-year fee $1,800.00 yields $450.00, Pennsylvania $1,687.50 yields $421.88, Virginia $1,320.00 yields $330.00, North Carolina $963.00 yields $240.75, total $1,442.63, of which Maryland keeps $450.00 and disburses the rest.
- Fees: full reciprocity
- Under the Full Reciprocity Plan, first-year registrations pay based on the estimated distance chart composite fee derived from the average distance traveled in each jurisdiction by all current registrants in the base jurisdiction; renewing fleets pay based on actual distance traveled in the previous year. All apportioned vehicles are granted full reciprocity in all member jurisdictions, cab cards list all jurisdictions, and trip permits for jurisdictions not listed are no longer required.
- Fees: staggered period
- The IRP registration period is staggered on a quarterly or monthly basis; fees are calculated for 12 months, and vehicles added or deleted mid-year are prorated from the month of transaction to the end of the fleet's registration month.
- Cab card
- Power units are issued an apportioned cab card (registration card) and registration plates and stickers. The base plate and cab card are the only registration credentials required to operate interstate or intrastate in member jurisdictions; the cab card lists the jurisdictions and weights. Enforcement personnel look at the original cab card to verify registration, note the complete vehicle identification number on the vehicle and the cab card, and treat a vehicle without current credentials, a valid temporary authorization permit or a valid trip permit as in violation.
- Cab card: display
- When displaying new stickers before the expiration date, both old and new cab cards must remain in the vehicle; after the first of the month in the new registration period the old cab card may be discarded.
- Process: documents
- Provide 3 proofs in the same name and address; each vehicle must be titled in Maryland. For vehicles of 55,000 pounds or more gross weight, submit a receipted copy of IRS Schedule 1 (Form 2290) for the tax period July 1 through June 30 of the year immediately preceding registration; credentials will not be processed without HVUT proof or exemption.
- Process: payment
- Online portal payment by credit card or check (checks carry a 3 to 5 business day hold). In person or by mail: cash, credit cards, cashier's check, certified check or money order payable to MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration; no company or third-party checks.
- Process: related titling fees
- Title fee $200; excise tax of the purchase price applies to trucks only, with tractors and buses exempt, and $20 per lien recorded on a Maryland title. The IRP Manual prints the rate as 'six (6.5) percent', an internal inconsistency between word and numeral; the rate is not restated as a clean figure here because the checked page does not resolve it.
To work through your mileage inputs, calculate each jurisdiction’s share of your fleet miles. The estimator apportions any full-year fees you enter; it does not contain state fee schedules or issue an official quote.
More Maryland IRP rules
- Temporary credentials: trip permit: detail
- Vehicles eligible for apportioned registration but not apportioned with Maryland must purchase a 72-hour permit for $15 before entering Maryland; the permit allows interstate and intrastate operation. Maryland trip permits are sold directly on the myMVA Business Portal under the Motor Carrier panel, and also through authorized wire-service vendors (Comdata, Custom Permit, J.J. Keller, Nova Permits, State Permits, T-Check Systems, Highway Permits, West Coast Services). The vendor phone numbers belong to the wire services, not to the MVA.
- Temporary credentials: hunters permit: detail
- When the lease is terminated on a vehicle registered in Maryland in the name of a lessee carrier, the owner-operator may apply for a permit to operate at the unladen weight of the vehicle for 20 days for a fee of $10, purchased on the business portal under the Motor Carrier panel.
- Temporary credentials: temporary apportionment authorization: name
- Temporary Apportionment Authorization (TA)
- Temporary credentials: temporary apportionment authorization: detail
- Valid for 60 days from issuance and not beyond the current registration period, a TA lets a Maryland-based carrier add a vehicle to the fleet or increase a vehicle's weight while the permanent credentials are processed. The TA constitutes registration and obligates the carrier to complete registration and pay all applicable fees; fees paid on a TA are fully earned and not refundable.
- Replacements: detail
- Duplicate, lost or stolen cab cards, plates and annual stickers are replaced with Form VR-9 and the following fees: cab card $5.00, expiration year sticker $5.00 each, license plates $20.00, license plate and year sticker $20.00. Replacement credentials can be purchased through the portal by selecting a change on the vehicle.
- Income tax credit: detail
- Owners of Class F tractors registered in Maryland may apply for a Maryland income tax credit certificate from MDOT MVA in the year the vehicle was registered, issued for $400 per vehicle with a limit of $10,000 (maximum 25 vehicles) per taxpayer, first-come first-served with a limit of 1,250 certificates per year. The MVA page states credits were issued for tax years 2017 through 2019, so this is a closed historical program recorded to prevent readers paying for advice to claim it now.
- Contact: office
- MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration, Motor Carrier Services, Room 145, 6601 Ritchie Highway N.E., Glen Burnie, Maryland 21062
- Contact: address
- MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration, Motor Carrier Services, Room 145, 6601 Ritchie Highway N.E., Glen Burnie, Maryland 21062 (office hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, closed Saturdays, Sundays and State holidays)
- Contact: note
- The IRP phone line is published in the MVA's own IRP Manual and corroborated by the SHA contact list (Motor Carrier Services Section of MVA, 410-787-2971). The general MVA Contact Center number 410-768-7000 appears on the IRP web page. Wire-service trip permit vendor numbers belong to the vendors, not to the MVA IRP unit.
Base jurisdiction, renewal, and audit in detail
The rules that decide whether Maryland can be your base jurisdiction, what qualifies, and what happens at renewal and audit. Each one is sourced.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Established place of business
- The Schedule A/C application requires the Maryland address where the registrant has an established place of business and will maintain or make records available for audit; the business address cannot be a post office box. The Schedule B mileage schedule records actual miles generated between July 1 and June 30 of the preceding year in every jurisdiction traveled.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Prism
- Maryland participates in PRISM: the USDOT Number and Taxpayer Identification Number of the Motor Carrier Responsible for Safety must be identified for every vehicle registered; the MCRS cannot be classified as Intrastate; unsafe carriers are subject to sanctions and FMCSA-prohibited carriers may be denied or suspended registration.
- Qualifying vehicles: Scope
- A vehicle qualifies for IRP registration if it travels in Maryland and in other IRP jurisdictions, is used for the transportation of persons for hire or is designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property, and meets one of: a power unit with two axles and a gross vehicle weight in excess of 26,000 pounds; a power unit with three or more axles regardless of weight; or used in combination when the combination exceeds 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight.
- Qualifying vehicles: Optional
- Two-axle vehicles or combinations of 26,000 pounds or less may be issued apportioned registration at the option of the registrant.
- Qualifying vehicles: Exemptions
- Government-owned vehicles; buses used in the transportation of chartered parties; recreational vehicles; vehicles displaying a restricted plate.
- Qualifying vehicles: Tow trucks
- The apportioned tow truck plate is for vehicles over 26,000 GVW that may operate in capacities other than towing. Vehicles displaying a Class TT plate need to apportion, regardless of weight, only if used for other than towing for repair, storage or removal from the highway.
- Qualifying vehicles: Charter buses
- The IRP exemption for buses used in transportation of chartered parties has been removed by plan amendment: buses traveling outside the state must register under IRP or obtain a 72-hour interstate permit.
- Renewal: Summary
- Renewals may be processed online via the portal 60 days in advance of the expiration date, and are typically processed and mailed within 5 days. The IRP Record Keeping form must be signed, dated and uploaded at renewal, and actual mileages entered under the Distances tab for the reporting period. Renewal messages from the Motor Carrier Division appear in the portal account.
- Renewal: Enforcement dates
- Credentials must be displayed by midnight of the expiration month, with enforcement beginning the first day of the following month: January expiration (enforcement February 1), April expiration (May 1), July expiration (August 1), October expiration (November 1).
- Audit: Detail
- Apportioned carriers must preserve the operational records the registration application is based on plus the operational records for the three prior mileage reporting periods. Acceptable source documents include Individual Vehicle Distance Records carrying the trip dates, origin and destination, route, odometer readings, total and in-jurisdiction distance, unit number, VIN, fleet number and driver name; monthly, quarterly and yearly summaries must be prepared from them. If records are kept outside the base jurisdiction, Maryland may require reimbursement of auditor per-diem and travel. A carrier refusing to comply with mileage reporting is not entitled to apportioned registration privileges.
What the Maryland share of the fee is built from
An IRP bill is the base jurisdiction's own registration fee for the vehicle, apportioned by mileage, plus the same for every other jurisdiction on the cab card. These are the Maryland inputs to that calculation, each with its official source.
- Full reciprocity
- Under the Full Reciprocity Plan, first-year registrations pay based on the estimated distance chart composite fee derived from the average distance traveled in each jurisdiction by all current registrants in the base jurisdiction; renewing fleets pay based on actual distance traveled in the previous year. All apportioned vehicles are granted full reciprocity in all member jurisdictions, cab cards list all jurisdictions, and trip permits for jurisdictions not listed are no longer required.
Vehicle eligibility and the Maryland base
A vehicle qualifies when it runs in Maryland and other IRP jurisdictions for hire or for property transport and meets one of the published tests: two axles over the gross weight line, three or more axles regardless of weight, or operation in combination over the line. Lighter two-axle units can apportion at the registrant's option. Government vehicles, charter-party buses and recreational vehicles are exempt, though the charter-bus exemption was removed by plan amendment and out-of-state buses must now apportion or buy a trip permit. Tow trucks have their own plate logic tied to what else the unit does.
The Maryland base requires an established place of business on the application, and Maryland participates in PRISM, so the USDOT Number and taxpayer identification of the carrier responsible for safety must verify against federal records.
Setting up a Maryland IRP account
The portal path: create an e-Services account in the myMVA Business Portal, open the Motor Carrier actions, register for IRP, answer the questions and submit. The MVA replies within days. Paper exists too, as the equipment-and-jurisdictions schedule plus the mileage schedule and the record-keeping form, which must be resubmitted at every renewal.
Documents decide the timeline. Each vehicle must be titled in Maryland before apportioned registration issues, with proofs in the same name and address, and heavy vehicles need a receipted copy of the federal heavy vehicle use tax form for the preceding tax period or the credentials will not process. Payment runs by card or check online, with checks holding for business days, or in person and by mail with certified funds.
How fees work and what the cab card does
Apportioned fees follow distance: the base jurisdiction collects each jurisdiction's full-year registration fee multiplied by the fleet's distance percentage there, and Maryland keeps its share while disbursing the rest. The IRP Manual works a full example for a Maryland tractor spread across neighboring states, carried as a sourced field on this page. First-year fleets pay on an estimated distance composite under the Full Reciprocity Plan, renewing fleets on actual prior-year distance, and registration periods are staggered quarterly or monthly with mid-year additions prorated.
The cab card lists the jurisdictions and weights, and enforcement reads the original card against the vehicle identification number. New stickers can go up early, but both cab cards ride in the cab until the new period actually begins.
Trip permits and other temporary credentials
Three temporary credentials cover the gaps. A trip permit stands in for apportioned registration for a short window, bought before entering Maryland on the business portal or from wire-service vendors, and it allows interstate and intrastate operation. A hunter's permit covers unladen operation after a lease termination. A temporary apportionment authorization adds a vehicle or weight while permanent credentials process, and its fees are earned and not refundable.
The fuel side has its own temporary credential, the trip permit sold through the Comptroller's authorized vendors, priced by statute at the motor carrier tax on a set gallon count. Our Maryland trip and fuel permits page carries both sides together.
Renewal, audits and a credit
Renewals open in the portal well before expiration and typically process within days, with the record-keeping form signed and actual mileages entered. Credentials must be displayed by midnight of the expiration month, and enforcement begins the first day of the following month, so a lapsed card is a violation on a knowable date.
Apportioned carriers must preserve the operational records behind the application plus distance records, and the plan audits a share of renewed fleets annually. One offset exists for Maryland tractor owners: an income tax credit certificate is available for Class F tractors, carried as a sourced field.
Reach the Maryland IRP office
Account problems, supplement filings and credential replacements all route through the office that holds the account. Everything below is the agency's own published channel; where it publishes no phone line, the note says so rather than pointing at a permit vendor's number.
- Office
- MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration, Motor Carrier Services, Room 145, 6601 Ritchie Highway N.E., Glen Burnie, Maryland 21062
- Mailing address
- MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration, Motor Carrier Services, Room 145, 6601 Ritchie Highway N.E., Glen Burnie, Maryland 21062 (office hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, closed Saturdays, Sundays and State holidays)
- Notes
- The IRP phone line is published in the MVA's own IRP Manual and corroborated by the SHA contact list (Motor Carrier Services Section of MVA, 410-787-2971). The general MVA Contact Center number 410-768-7000 appears on the IRP web page. Wire-service trip permit vendor numbers belong to the vendors, not to the MVA IRP unit.
What pairs with IRP
The same interstate operation that needs apportioned plates almost always needs an IFTA license through Maryland, and heavy power units owe the federal Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax before plates renew. To compare how other states run IRP, see the national IRP registration table.