Kentucky Intra-State Motor Carrier Authority: If you carry loads for delivery in your van, truck, truck and trailer or semi-tractor and trailer inside the state of Kentucky - these loads are picked up and delivered in Kentucky without crossing state lines, you may need to register for Kentucky Intra-State Motor Carrier Authority. This is also refered to as a Kentucky DOT Number, KY DOT, Kentucky DOT, and DOT Kentucky.  

Private Carrier with Gross Weight / Combined Gross Weights up to 26,000-lbs: If you are a Private Carrier hauling your own products inside the state of Kentucky without crossing state lines in a van, truck, truck and trailer or semi-tractor and trailer and the loaded weight of either the vehicle or vehicle and trailer combination is 26,000-lbs or under, you are not required to register for a Kentucky DOT Number (Kentucky DOT, KY DOT, and DOT Kentucky) or USDOT number.  As a Private Carrier, you will also not be required to register for Kentucky Intra-State Motor Carrier Authority at these weights, but compliance with financial responsibility is required (you are required to carry Personal Injury / Property Damage liability insurance).

Private Carrier with a Gross Weight / Combined Gross weights 26,001-lbs and above: If you are a Private Carrier hauling your own products inside the state of Kentucky without crossing state lines in a van, truck, truck and trailer or semi-tractor and trailer and the loaded weight of either the vehicle or vehicle and trailer combination is 26,001-lbs or greater, you are required to register for a Kentucky DOT number (also known as Kentucky DOT, KY DOT and DOT Kentucky). As a Private Carrier, you will not need to register for Kentucky Intra-State Motor Carrier Authority, but compliance with financial responsibility is required (you are required to carry Personal Injury / Property Damage liability insurance). If the truck has a gross weight for 26,001-lbs or more, or the truck and trailer, or semi-tractor and trailer have gross weights of 26,001-lbs or more, you will be required to register for the Kentucky state fuel tax.

For-Hire Carriers: If you haul items or products of any kind as a For-Hire Carrier (you are being paid to haul these items or products) inside the state of Kentucky - picking up and delivering loads inside Kentucky without crossing state lines - in a van, truck, truck and trailer or semi-tractor and trailer at any weight, you are required to register for Kentucky Intra-State Motor Carrier Authority and a DOT number (also known as a Kentucky DOT Number, Kentucky DOT, KY DOT and DOT Kentucky). You are required to carry a minimum of $300,000 in Personal Injury / Property Damage liability insurance if the Gross Weight of the vehicle or Combined Gross Weights of the vehicle and trailer combination is 10,000-lbs or under.  If the Gross Weight of the vehicle is 10,001-lbs or greater, or Combined Gross Weights of both the vehicle and trailer are 10,001-lbs or greater, you are required to carry a minimum of $750,000-lbs in Personal Injury / Property Damage liability insurance. If the truck has a gross weight of 26,001-lbs or more, or if the truck and trailer, or the semi-tractor and trailer have combined gross weights of 26,001-lbs or more, you will be required to register for the Kentucky state fuel tax.

Crossing State Lines as a Private Carrier hauling your own products: If you cross state lines as a Private Carrier hauling your own products, you will need a USDOT number and will be subject to the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) process. But you will not need to register for ICC Authority, MC Authority, DOT Authority or Trucking Authority (they all mean the same thing).   If the vehicle crossing state lines has a Gross Weight of 26,000-lbs or less and has 2 axles, you will not be required to register for an IRP license plate, nor for IFTA fuel tax.  If the truck crossing state lines has 3 axles or more with a Gross Weight of 10,001-lbs or higher, or is pulling a trailer, you will be required to register for an IRP license plate and for the IFTA fuel tax with the state and for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) process.  If the truck or truck and trailer combination / semi-tractor and trailer weigh 26,001-lbs or more crossing state lines, you will need to register with the state of Kentucky for both an IRP License plate and for IFTA fuel tax and for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) process. If you are crossing state lines as a Private carrier in a vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 10,001-lbs or greater, or a vehicle pulling a trailer where the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Ratings are 10,001-lbs or greater, you will be subject to a New Carrier Entrant Safety Audit. If you are both crossing state lines with loads and picking up and delivering loads inside Kentucky without crossing state lines with these loads, you may need to register for a Kentucky DOT Number (also known as Kentucky DOT, KY DOT, and DOT Kentucky) 

Crossing State Lines as a For-Hire Motor Carrier hauling loads for pay: If you are hauling Exempt or Non-Exempt products for pay across state lines, you will need a USDOT number and will be subject to the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) process.  If you haul loads for pay inside the state of Kentucky - picking up and delivering these loads without crossing state lines, as mentioned above, you will need to register for Kentucky Intra-State Motor Carrier Authority (also known as a Kentucky DOT Number, Kentucky DOT, KY DOT and DOT Kentucky). If you haul loads across state lines for pay as a For-Hire Carrier hauling Non-Exempt loads, you will also need to register for MC Authority / ICC Motor Carrier Authority.  If you haul Exempt loads (grain, livestock, logs) across state lines as a For-Hire Carrier, you will not need to register for MC Authority / ICC Authority.  If the vehicle crossing state lines has a Gross Weight of 26,000-lbs or less and has 2 axles and is not pulling a trailer, you will not be required to register for an IRP license plate, nor for IFTA fuel tax.  If the truck crossing state lines has 3 axles or more with a Gross Vehicle Weight of 10,001-lbs or higher, or is pulling a trailer with Combined Gross Vehicle Weights of 10,001-lbs or more, you will be required to register for an IRP license plate and for the IFTA fuel tax with the state and for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) process.  If the truck or truck and trailer combination / semi-tractor and trailer weigh 26,001-lbs or more crossing state lines, you will need to register with the state of Kentucky for both an IRP License plate and for IFTA fuel tax and for the Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) process. If you are crossing state lines as a Private Carrier in a vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 10,001-lbs or greater, or a vehicle pulling a trailer where the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Ratings are 10,001-lbs or greater, you will be subject to a New Carrier Entrant Safety Audit.  Contact the Kentucky State Police with the phone number shown on the right.