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State guide

Start and run a trucking company in Illinois

Illinois spreads trucking compliance across four agencies with no shared front door. The Commerce Commission issues intrastate operating authority, the Department of Transportation issues oversize permits, the Department of Revenue runs fuel tax, and the Secretary of State registers apportioned fleets. The pages below walk each piece, with every figure tied to an official agency page or statute.

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

The short answer

State authority
Required
State filing fee
From $50

Issued by Illinois Commerce Commission, Transportation Division

Credential Public Carrier Certificate

What these terms cover

State filing fee: The application fee is $50.00 for an initial application and is non-refundable. Reinstating a revoked certificate costs $50, as does reinstating a certificate after a temporary suspension has expired; reinstatement during the temporary suspension period is free. Intrastate cab cards are $5 per vehicle per year and equipment lease filings are $15 each. Checks are payable to Illinois Commerce Commission/TRF.

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

Everything Illinois requires, in order

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

First, the federal side

Identical in every state, and not part of the Illinois 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 Illinois organizes trucking compliance

Four agencies split the job, and none of them hands off to the next. The Illinois Commerce Commission licenses intrastate for-hire property carriers and sells the yearly cab card. The Department of Transportation issues oversize and overweight permits. The Department of Revenue administers fuel tax as the Motor Fuel Use Tax. The Secretary of State registers apportioned fleets through its Commercial and Farm Truck Division.

That means four accounts and four separate clocks. Permits run through the state's automated permit system, fuel tax runs through the state tax portal, the certificate is applied for at the Commission, and apportioned plates are filed on paper with the Secretary of State inside a fixed autumn window. Each Illinois page here tells you which agency owns the step you are on.

What you will find here

The intrastate authority page owns the Public Carrier Certificate answer: who needs it, the fee table, the insurance grid by commodity, and the cab card that recurs every year. The permits pages cover legal size and weight limits by highway class, single-trip and blanket permit pricing, escorts, and the movement windows that shrink around Chicago. The fuel tax and apportioned registration pages cover base-state licensing, quarterly returns, and how Illinois computes an apportioned fee.

Every figure on those pages is a stored field tied to the agency page or statute section it was read in. Where Illinois publishes nothing, we say so and leave the field empty rather than filling it with a number from somewhere else.

Illinois filing walkthroughs

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

Free calculators that cover Illinois

Frequently asked questions

Does Illinois require its own operating authority?

Yes. Hauling property for hire inside Illinois takes a Public Carrier Certificate from the Illinois Commerce Commission. The trigger is the activity rather than the truck's weight: for-hire transportation of property over public roads in intrastate commerce. Holding federal interstate authority does not substitute for it.

Which agencies handle trucking compliance in Illinois?

The Commerce Commission for intrastate authority and cab cards, the Department of Transportation for oversize and overweight permits, the Department of Revenue for fuel tax, and the Secretary of State for apportioned registration. Plan on a separate account and a separate renewal date with each one.

Do I need a USDOT number before the Illinois paperwork?

Not for the certificate itself. The Commission's application asks whether you hold a USDOT number but does not require one, and Illinois only pulls the federal identification rule onto an intrastate carrier that needs a hazardous materials safety permit. The fuel tax license is the step that does require one.

Where do the numbers on these Illinois pages come from?

Each one is a stored field tied to the agency page or statute section it was read in, with a source marker you can open. Where an agency states an amount but attributes it to a rule we did not read, the field says so. Anything Illinois leaves unpublished stays empty and labeled.

Sources for this page

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

  1. Public Carrier Certificate · Illinois Commerce Commission

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.