Those of us who are old enough remember the back of trucks being a wall of license plates. A trucker had to purchase plates for every state. That was back when truckers had to manage their trucking businesses with ledger books! In the 21st century, we have computer software programs like TruckingOffice PRO to manage our trucking businesses and a single IRP plate on a truck on the back.

What is IRP?

IRP stands for International Registration Plan for trucking. It is an agreement that authorizes registration among the jurisdictions or US States where commercial motor vehicles, such as 18-wheeler trucks, operate. What that means is if a truck transports freight in multiple jurisdictions, the owner of the trucking company must report the mileage driven in each state. 

The company owner must also pay the correct amount in taxes for each jurisdiction. This needs to be completed on an annual basis.

Who is Required to Register an IRP?

You are required to register under an International Registration Plan if any of the following applies to you.

• Your vehicle’s GVW (gross vehicle weight) is more than 26,000 lbs.
• Your vehicle has three or more axles, regardless of the GVM, or
• Or, your vehicle is a power unit or trailer that has a combined GVM greater than 26,000 lbs., 

and

• Your vehicle is part of a declared fleet in the state of Florida or in at least one other jurisdiction

Are Any Vehicles Exempt from Registering for an IRP?

There are some vehicle owners that do not need to register an IRP, even if they meet one of the above qualifications. This includes owners of:

• Government-owned vehicles
• Vehicles operating intrastate miles only
• Buses used for chartered parties

To help you keep track of your IRP expenses, you should give TruckingOffice.com trucking management software a try.

The International Registration Plan, also known as IRP, is a reciprocity agreement between states in the United States, the District of Columbia, and some provinces of Canada that recognize the registration of commercial motor vehicles that are registered in other jurisdictions. It allows for payments to be made based on the collective number of miles traveled in each jurisdiction.

Both IRP and International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) accounts are required for vehicles traveling interstate and exceeding 26,000 pounds (gross vehicle weight) or have 3 or more axles.

What You Need To Apply

Keep in mind, your base jurisdiction is the state that your vehicle is registered in. This involves having a business in the jurisdiction with a street address, telephone number, and the names of the people who are conducting business at that location. Additionally, note: operational records have to be available.

Get a USDOT number. This is the number that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration uses in the identification of your vehicles.

Get FMCSA authorization. This permission will allow you to haul goods beyond your jurisdiction.

Get an IFTA permit. You’ll need to make sure that you are registered with the IFTA. This simplifies the reporting of fuel use by motor carriers operating in multiple jurisdictions. Furthermore, to do this, visit your state’s IFTA Department, or click here to find your state in the TruckingOffice IFTA Resource Center.

Complete these forms. Visit your local DMV, contact your jurisdiction, or ask a local IRP office for these three forms:

1. New accounts: Schedule A/E and Schedule B
2. Changes to an existing account: Schedule C
3. Adding jurisdictions: Schedule F

Reminders from TruckingOffice: Registering from IRP does not exempt you from town or city permit fees. IRP fees can range depending on the vehicle’s weight, jurisdictions traveled, etc. How do they determine fees? By multiplying the percent of miles traveled in each jurisdiction by their registration fees.

IRP Plates

You will get an Apportioned License Plate after both IRP and IFTA accounts are set up. This plate is for the power unit. You will also get an Apportioned Cab Card which lists all of the jurisdictions in which you are registered to operate.

Once you’ve received the decal, place it on the lower right corner of your front registration plate. In tractor-trailer cases, they will give decals for each trailer. They need to be on the lower right corner of the trailer’s plate.

If you registered with the IFTA for the first time throughout the course of this process, place the two stickers on each side of the cab’s exterior. The license has to be inside the cab at all times, so be sure to always have it on hand.

Renewing Your Plate

When it comes time to renew your IRP plates, be sure that you have kept track of all the miles that have been traveled in each jurisdiction.

If you’ve been tracking your miles for your IFTA tax filing, you’ve got what you need.

Each state has a different deadline for reporting the mileage for IRP renewal. So be sure to check the date that is on your IRP card. You’ll get a renewal notice about three months before it will be due.

Where Can You Go for Help?

Between all of the IRP and IFTA paperwork on a regular basis, large amounts of time and energy go away from the business itself and onto all this paperwork.

The software at TruckingOffice can help you track invoices, payments, dispatches, mileage, expenses, and more. Just enter the information into the software, and that’s it. Therefore, contact TruckingOffice today at (800) 253-9647 today to start your free trial.