By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 2, 2026
The Nevada requirements table
Who the requirement covers
- GVWR threshold
- 26,001 lbNevada requires a USDOT number on all intrastate companies operating commercial vehicles rated 26,001 pounds or heavier (dmv.nv.gov New Motor Carriers).
- For-hire only
- NoThe MC 208 packet regulates common and contract carriers of property other than fully regulated carriers; it does not limit the written authority to for-hire operation only.
- Passenger carriers
- NoPassenger carriers are fully regulated carriers: they apply to the Nevada Transportation Authority instead of the DMV (MC 208).
Nevada insurance minimums
State minimums can differ from the federal filing levels; the federal side is covered in our insurance filings guide.
- Liability minimum
- $750,000 (MC 208 sets general insurance limits by weight: $300,000 for contract carriers running a vehicle or combination rated 10,001 to 26,000 pounds GVWR, and $750,000 for 26,001 to 80,000 pounds, each for bodily injury, death and property damage excluding cargo. Limits are greater for carriers authorized to transport hazardous substances, oil, Class A or Class B explosives, poisonous gas or radioactive materials under NAC 706.288.)
Other Nevada insurance requirements
Insurance filing forms
Your insurance company makes these filings with the state, not you.
Who needs the Letter of Authority
The MC 208 packet draws the line by carrier class: the DMV regulates common and contract carriers of property other than fully regulated carriers. You do not need the written authority if your vehicles carry apportioned (IRP) plates, and you apply to the Nevada Transportation Authority instead if you haul passengers, household goods only, or operate tow cars. Everyone else hauling property for a living inside Nevada falls under the DMV's written authority.
What the authority costs
The MC 208 packet lists no application fee, and no separate authority fee is published on the primary source. What Nevada requires instead is insurance: the packet sets liability limits by vehicle weight tier, with greater limits for carriers authorized to haul hazardous materials. The weight-tier table on this page carries the figures the packet publishes.
How the filing works
You complete the MC 208 application. Evidence of bodily injury and property damage insurance must reach the department on an Accord certificate, and the insurer files a Form E alongside it. Nevada issues the authority as a Letter of Authority rather than a branded carrier number, so nothing new gets painted on the truck.
The statutes behind it
The MC 208 packet itself names the enabling law: Chapter 706 of the Nevada Revised Statutes, and specifically the sections covering DMV regulation of carriers, licensing, liability insurance and the written approval requirement for common carriers of property. The statute block below lists them as the packet cites them.
Where this fits in the Nevada launch
A cell reading "Not confirmed" means the agency did not publish a figure we could verify, so we left it open rather than guessed. For the full launch order, work through start a trucking company in Nevada, then line up IRP registration and IFTA if you run beyond state lines. To compare every state at once, see the national intrastate authority table.