By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Jul 25, 2026
The Illinois requirements table
- Application
- Form PCC-1, Application for Public Carrier Certificate (Revised 10/27/2021). The Commission accepts online applications through its Public Carrier Certificate page; the paper form must be mailed with payment to the Illinois Commerce Commission, ATTN: Processing and Information, 527 East Capitol Avenue, Springfield, Illinois 62701. Faxed, emailed, and telephone applications are not accepted.
- Renewal
- There is no renewal cycle for the certificate itself. A Public Carrier Certificate is valid indefinitely so long as the carrier stays in compliance with the Illinois Commercial Transportation Law and its rules. What does recur is the cab card: intrastate-only carriers buy one per vehicle before January 1 each year. A carrier may voluntarily surrender the certificate on Form CS-1, or place it in temporary suspension for up to one year.
Authority fee schedule
Illinois charges a fixed amount per filing rather than pricing registration by term. Each charge below is set by its own statute or rule section.
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Who the requirement covers
- GVWR threshold
- NoneIllinois sets no weight threshold for the Public Carrier Certificate. The trigger is the activity: for-hire transportation of property over the public roads in intrastate commerce. A vehicle's weight rating changes the insurance limit that applies, not whether the certificate is required.
- For-hire only
- YesThe Commission defines a for-hire motor carrier of property as a person engaged in the transportation of goods for compensation (625 ILCS 5/18c-1104(11)), and its FAQ frames the duty to hold a certificate around that definition. Private carriage reaches the same result through the exemption at 625 ILCS 5/18c-4102(j) for transportation incidental to and within the scope of a primary business that is not transportation.
- Property carriers
- YesThe Public Carrier Certificate page describes the license as covering for-hire transportation of property other than household goods in intrastate commerce.
- Passenger carriers
- Not covered by this file. The Public Carrier Certificate is a property authority; passenger operations are regulated separately by the Commission.
- Household goods
- Household goods movers hold a separate Commission authority. The Commission's Authorities index lists Household Goods Movers as its own license type alongside the Public Carrier Certificate.
Illinois 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 ($750,000 is the minimum liability and property damage limit for non-hazardous property hauled in freight vehicles rated over 10,000 pounds GVWR. Carriers using only vehicles at or under 10,000 pounds GVWR carry $300,000 for ordinary commodities. Hazardous commodities raise the limit; the full grid is in insurance_by_commodity.)
- Cargo minimum
- $5,000 (Unprocessed agricultural commodities, milk in bulk, commodities in dump-type vehicles, and ordinary livestock carry a $5,000 requirement per vehicle at any one time with no separate aggregate. A carrier that does not and will not haul cargo worth more than $5,000, and will not perform a for-hire drive-away of a vehicle worth more than $5,000, may file a Cargo Insurance Waiver Affidavit instead of Form H.)
Minimum liability by operation type
General freight is not the floor for every carrier. Hazmat and larger passenger operations carry higher minimums; buy against the row that matches what you haul.
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Other Illinois insurance requirements
Insurance filing forms
Your insurance company makes these filings with the state, not you.
More Illinois authority rules
- Exemptions: summary
- Fourteen classes of transportation sit outside Commission jurisdiction, including United States mail, agricultural cooperative hauling, farm-to-farm livestock movement in vehicles registered at 28,000 pounds or less, law-enforcement-ordered towing, newspaper delivery, transportation incidental to a primary business that is not transportation, emergency movement of wrecked or disabled vehicles, and potable water in containers of 1,600 gallons or less.
- Exemptions: how to claim
- A carrier relying on an exemption files a Petition for Certificate of Exemption, Form COE-1.
- USDOT prerequisite: note
- Form PCC-1 asks whether the applicant holds a USDOT Number and, if so, to list it, but it does not condition the certificate on having one. The form's ILCC Number instructions expressly tell applicants not to enter a USDOT or MC number in the ILCC Number field. A USDOT number is required for an Illinois IFTA license (see the state IFTA page), which is a different credential.
- Vehicle credentials: cab card
- Every motor vehicle used in for-hire transportation on Illinois public roads carries a current, executed cab card with the current Illinois intrastate identifier. Intrastate-only carriers buy cab cards through the Commission on Form SO-1 before January 1 each year; the Commission typically opens purchasing the preceding October. Carriers that also run interstate and therefore buy Unified Carrier Registration are exempt from Illinois cab cards.
- Vehicle credentials: marking
- An intrastate carrier may not operate unless the carrier's trade name (or recognized logo) and its license and registration number are painted or affixed to both sides of the cab or power unit. Vehicles under 9,000 pounds gross vehicle weight may instead display the same information so it is clearly legible from both sides at 25 feet while stopped. An interstate carrier operating intrastate, other than a household goods carrier, need not display the intrastate authority number.
- Vehicle credentials: documents carried
- Intrastate-only carriers carry a copy of the valid current Public Carrier Certificate, the executed intrastate cab card bearing the current Illinois motor carrier number, and, when running under an equipment lease, a copy of the executed lease.
- Leasing: summary
- A person who is not a licensed Illinois intrastate carrier may operate under another carrier's authority by executing and filing an Equipment Lease on Commission Form EL-1, at a $15 filing fee. The lease vests possession, use, control, and responsibility in the lessee while the vehicle is operated by or for the lessee, and the license holder must exercise full direction and control of all equipment and personnel used in its operations.
- Revocation: summary
- The Commission may suspend a certificate, and may revoke it for violations of the Illinois Commercial Transportation Law or its rules, failure to comply with Commission orders, or failure to pay fines or fees. A Notice of Pending Revocation gives 30 days to come into compliance, extendable by up to 60 days on request. A revoked certificate can be reinstated within one year by filing a new Form PCC-1 with the $50 reinstatement fee and curing the condition that caused the revocation.
- Verification lookup: summary
- A carrier's current licensing status is searchable in the Commission's Motor Carrier & Towers Search. An active Public Carrier Certificate displays as Common - Active under the Authority Status heading.
- Contacts: processing
- Processing and Information Section, Illinois Commerce Commission, 527 E. Capitol Ave., Springfield, IL 62701, phone (217) 782-4654, fax (217) 782-9244
- Contacts: credentials email
- [email protected]
| Vehicle class | Commodities | Minimum liability USD |
|---|---|---|
| Freight vehicles rated at or under 10,000 pounds GVWR | Any quantity of Class A or B explosives, any quantity of poison gas (Poison A), or highway route controlled quantity radioactive materials as defined in 49 C.F.R. 173.455 | 5,000,000 |
| Freight vehicles rated at or under 10,000 pounds GVWR | Commodities other than the explosives, poison gas, and radioactive materials listed above | 300,000 |
| Freight vehicles rated over 10,000 pounds GVWR | Property (non-hazardous) | 750,000 |
| Freight vehicles rated over 10,000 pounds GVWR | Hazardous substances as defined in 49 C.F.R. 171.8 hauled in cargo tanks, portable tanks, or hopper-type vehicles over 3,500 water gallons, or in bulk Class A or B explosives, poison gas (Poison A), liquefied compressed gas or compressed gas, or highway route controlled quantity radioactive materials as defined in 49 C.F.R. 173.455 (the form's Category B) | 5,000,000 |
| Freight vehicles rated over 10,000 pounds GVWR | Oil listed in 49 C.F.R. 172.101, hazardous waste, and hazardous materials and substances defined in 49 C.F.R. 171.8 and listed in 49 C.F.R. 172.101 that are not in Category B or D (the form's Category C) | 1,000,000 |
| Freight vehicles rated over 10,000 pounds GVWR | Any quantity of Class A or B explosives, any quantity of poison gas (Poison A), or highway route controlled quantity radioactive materials as defined in 49 C.F.R. 173.455 (the form's Category D) | 5,000,000 |
Who needs a Public Carrier Certificate
The trigger is what you haul and why, not how big the truck is. Illinois sets no weight threshold for the certificate: it attaches to for-hire transportation of property over public roads in intrastate commerce. A vehicle's weight rating changes which insurance limit applies, not whether the certificate is required.
Private carriage lands outside the requirement through an exemption for transportation that is incidental to a business other than transportation. Household goods movers hold a different Commission license, and passenger operations are regulated separately. There is no separate hazmat certificate; hazardous commodities raise the liability limit instead.
One point catches interstate carriers off guard. Federal operating authority does not substitute. A carrier that already holds FMCSA authority still needs the Public Carrier Certificate to haul a load that starts and ends inside Illinois.
Fees and what you actually file
The application is Form PCC-1. The Commission takes it online through its certificate page, or on paper mailed with payment to its processing section in Springfield. Faxed, emailed, and telephoned applications are not accepted, and checks are made out to the Commission's transportation fund.
The fee side has more lines than the headline application fee. Reinstating a revoked certificate costs the same as applying, reinstating after a temporary suspension expires costs the same again, and reinstating during the suspension period is free. Cab cards are priced per vehicle per year, and each equipment lease filing carries its own fee. The sourced table on this page lists every line.
One honesty note about those amounts. The Commission's own frequently asked questions attribute each fee to a subsection of its fee rule, but that rule text was not read directly during our research pass, so the subsection labels are recorded as the Commission states them rather than as independently verified rule text.
Insurance minimums and filings
Illinois sets liability minimums by vehicle weight class and by what you haul, so there is no single number. Freight vehicles rated above the light-duty line carry the general property limit, lighter freight vehicles carry a lower one for ordinary commodities, and explosives, poison gas, and highway route controlled quantity radioactive materials jump to the top limit at any vehicle weight. The full grid is on this page as a sourced table.
Illinois also adds a cargo insurance filing that federal law does not ask of general freight carriers. A carrier that will never haul cargo worth more than the cargo threshold, and will not perform a for-hire driveaway of a vehicle worth more than that threshold, may file a cargo insurance waiver affidavit instead.
Your insurance company makes both filings, and it must be authorized to write insurance in Illinois. Letting coverage lapse can suspend the certificate; filing proof of insurance lifts that suspension at no charge.
Cab cards, markings, and what rides in the truck
Every truck used for hire on Illinois roads carries a current executed cab card showing the Illinois intrastate identifier. Intrastate-only carriers buy those cab cards from the Commission on its cab card form before the start of each calendar year, and purchasing typically opens the preceding October. A carrier that also runs interstate and pays Unified Carrier Registration is exempt from Illinois cab cards, which usually makes crossing the state line the cheaper path.
Marking is stricter than many carriers expect. An intrastate carrier may not operate unless its trade name, or a recognized logo, plus its license and registration number are painted or affixed to both sides of the cab or power unit. Light vehicles below the stated weight may display the same information so it reads clearly from both sides at the published distance while parked.
Intrastate-only carriers also carry three documents: a copy of the valid current certificate, the executed cab card with the current Illinois motor carrier number, and a copy of the executed lease when running under one.
Exemptions, leasing, and losing the certificate
Fourteen classes of transportation sit outside Commission jurisdiction, and several are oddly specific: United States mail, farm-to-farm livestock hauling in lighter registered vehicles, newspaper delivery, waste with no commercial value moving to a disposal site, emergency movement of wrecked vehicles, and potable water in small containers. Claiming one means filing a petition for a certificate of exemption rather than assuming it applies.
An unlicensed operator can run under a licensed carrier's authority only by filing an equipment lease with the Commission at the per-lease fee. The Commission can suspend a certificate and can revoke it for violating the transportation law or its rules, ignoring Commission orders, or not paying fines and fees. A notice of pending revocation gives thirty days to cure, extendable on request, and a revoked certificate can be reinstated within a year by filing a fresh application with the reinstatement fee.
Where this fits in the Illinois 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 Illinois, 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.
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois require intrastate operating authority for for-hire trucking?
- Yes. Illinois requires a Public Carrier Certificate for for-hire transportation of property over public roads in intrastate commerce, and it sets no weight threshold on that requirement. Private carriage reaches the opposite result through an exemption for transportation incidental to a business that is not transportation.
Do I need a USDOT number before the Public Carrier Certificate?
- No. Form PCC-1 asks whether you hold a USDOT number and, if so, to list it, but it does not condition the certificate on having one, and its instructions tell you not to enter a USDOT or MC number in the Illinois number field. A USDOT number is required for the Illinois fuel tax license instead.
What insurance does Illinois require for intrastate carriers?
- Liability coverage set by vehicle weight class and commodity, plus a cargo filing that federal rules do not ask of general freight carriers. Your insurance company files both, and it has to be authorized to write insurance in Illinois. The sourced grid on this page lists each class with its limit.
How often do I renew the Illinois certificate?
- Never, in the sense of an authority renewal. The certificate is valid indefinitely while you stay in compliance. The recurring item is the intrastate cab card, one per vehicle, bought before the start of each calendar year, unless you pay Unified Carrier Registration because you also run interstate.
How do I check whether a carrier's Illinois authority is active?
- The Commission publishes a motor carrier and towers search. An active Public Carrier Certificate shows as common and active under the authority status heading, which is the quickest way to confirm a broker or a leasing partner is licensed before you move freight for them.
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.