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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Georgia

Georgia sells no general operating authority for freight. It gives you an identity instead: a USDOT number obtained as an intrastate carrier, marked with a GA suffix, plus an annual state registration with the Department of Public Safety. Fuel tax and apportioned plates sit at Revenue. Every figure below comes from an agency page.

By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 25, 2026

The short answer

State authority
Not required
USDOT number
Required first

State agency Georgia Department of Public Safety, Motor Carrier Compliance Division (Regulatory Compliance Section of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement)

Credential Georgia Intrastate Motor Carrier (GIMC) Registration, plus DPS motor carrier certificates for the regulated carrier classes

What these terms cover

USDOT number: A carrier operating solely within Georgia with vehicles rated 10,001 pounds GVWR or more must obtain a USDOT number from FMCSA, choosing the intrastate option on the application, before it can complete DPS registrations. The GIMC application asks for the USDOT number. The threshold is the same one recorded in triggers.gvwr_threshold_lb: a rating in excess of 10,000 pounds.

Every figure above is a sourced agency fact, checked Jul 25, 2026.How we verify

Everything Georgia requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

Identical in every state, and not part of the Georgia 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 Georgia splits trucking compliance

Three agencies own different pieces of your file, and none of them talks to the other two on your behalf.

The Department of Public Safety handles the carrier side: the annual Georgia Intrastate Motor Carrier registration, the certificates that only a few carrier classes need, and oversize and overweight permits through GAPROS. The Department of Revenue handles the money side: IFTA licensing and quarterly returns in the Georgia Tax Center, apportioned registration in the Georgia Trucking Portal, and the temporary trip and fuel permits. The Department of Driver Services handles the driver side and issues the CDL.

Count on separate logins for each. A new Georgia carrier normally ends up with the Public Safety registration account, GAPROS, the Georgia Tax Center, and the Trucking Portal open in different tabs during its first month.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page owns the Georgia answer: which carrier classes need a state certificate, what the GA-suffixed number is, and how the annual state registration works. The permits pages cover the legal dimension and weight lines, the flat permit types Georgia sells, escorts, and the travel restrictions that ride on every permit. The IFTA and IRP pages cover base-state licensing, quarterly returns, and apportioned plates through EZ IRP.

The guide pages fill the gaps around those: the CDL page carries the Driver Services fee lines and testing rules, the DOT number page carries the intrastate numbering rule and its marking format, and the trip and fuel permits page carries the two temporary credentials Revenue sells before a truck reaches the state line.

Every figure on those pages is a data field tied to the agency page it was read from. Where an agency publishes nothing, we say so instead of guessing.

Georgia filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover Georgia

Frequently asked questions

Does Georgia require its own intrastate operating authority?

Not for general freight. A for-hire property carrier that hauls only inside Georgia needs no state certificate. Public Safety issues certificates and permits only for household goods movers, passenger carriers, limousine carriers, non-consensual towing operators, and licensed ride share and taxi services.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Georgia?

Public Safety runs carrier registration, the certificate classes, and oversize and overweight permits. Revenue runs IFTA, apportioned registration, and the temporary permits. Driver Services issues the CDL. Plan on an account with each of them.

Do I need a USDOT number if I never leave Georgia?

Yes, once your vehicle passes the weight rating Georgia uses, or you carry passengers for pay, or you haul placardable hazmat. You apply to FMCSA as an intrastate carrier, then mark the number on both sides of the power unit in the format Public Safety publishes.

Where do the numbers on these Georgia pages come from?

Every fee, limit, and deadline is a data field tied to the Public Safety, Revenue, GDOT, or Driver Services page it was read from, with a source marker you can open. Facts an agency leaves unpublished are labeled as unconfirmed rather than filled in.

Sources for this page

The official pages behind the figures above. Fees and rules change, so check the source before you file.

  1. Georgia Department of Public Safety, CVE Regulations Compliance (which carriers need a Georgia certificate or permit) · Georgia Department of Public Safety, Motor Carrier Compliance Division

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.