By Haul Handbook editorial team· Updated Oct 8, 2026
The Michigan intrastate rule
Federal USDOT registration depends on the vehicle and operation. The rows below show what Michigan requires for carriers operating inside the state. Our state DOT number requirements table holds the same answer for every state. A field reading "Not confirmed" means this guide has no verified figure for that field.
The line is 26,001 pounds or more. MCL 480.11a(3) takes a vehicle operated in intrastate commerce out of Michigan's adoption of the federal motor carrier rules, which include the USDOT registration rules in 49 CFR part 390, unless it is a commercial motor vehicle under 49 CFR 383.5: a gross vehicle or combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, or a smaller vehicle designed to carry 16 or more passengers or used to haul hazardous materials. MSP/CVED's approval list for intrastate-only carriers and wrecker companies doing police-initiated tows asks for a valid USDOT number, if applicable, and words the line as GVWR over 26,001 lbs. Interstate carriers moving freight point to point within Michigan must hold a valid USDOT number outright.
Michigan runs two numbers on two different triggers, and only one of them turns on weight. The federal USDOT number is the weight-triggered one at the line above. State CVED Authority is not weight-triggered at all: it attaches to for-hire transportation of property on any public highway in Michigan at any vehicle weight, so a light for-hire truck can owe the state credential while sitting under the federal weight line. One more Michigan boundary matters for a small intrastate operator. MCL 480.11a(3) provides that the state's adoption of the federal motor carrier safety regulations does not apply to a vehicle that is not a commercial motor vehicle as defined in 49 CFR 383.5 and is operated in intrastate commerce, and that such a vehicle remains subject to 49 CFR parts 391 through 393. Michigan intrastate operation below the 383.5 threshold sits outside part 395 and the federal electronic logging rule, while driver qualification, driving rules, and equipment rules still apply.
The CVED number
Michigan issues its own carrier credential alongside the federal number. Who needs it, and how it relates to federal registration, is covered on the Michigan intrastate authority page.
- Issued by
- Michigan State Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (MSP/CVED), Regulatory and Credentialing Section
- Display rule
- Within 30 days of commencing service the carrier's name and address go on both sides of every power vehicle in contrasting colors, in plain letters and numbers not less than 3 inches high, and every power vehicle carries a separate unit number at the same 3 inch minimum. The letters CVED and the carrier's CVED number go on both sides of every power vehicle in plain contrasting letters, with numbers not less than 1 1/2 inches high. Markings stay on only while the vehicle operates under an active authority and come off promptly when a vehicle leaves service. Two published texts disagree on the letters. MCL 479.8(2)(b) still requires the letters MPSC plus the account number at not less than 1.5 inches, because the act was written when the Public Service Commission issued the authority, while Mich. Admin. Code R 460.18503(3) from the 2018 rule set requires the letters CVED and the CVED number. Both are currently in force, so confirm with MSP/CVED at issuance which marking it expects. MCL 479.8(2)(a) separately provides that a vehicle complying with the federal marking requirements of 49 CFR parts 390 to 399 satisfies the name-marking subdivision.
Michigan is one of the states that still issues a carrier number of its own. The CVED number is the carrier account number that comes with the certificate of authority under the Motor Carrier Act, 1933 PA 254. The agency behind it is unusual: the Motor Carrier Act still names the Michigan Public Service Commission, but Executive Reorganization Order 2015-3 moved every power and duty under the act to the Michigan State Police, so the truck police issue the credential rather than a utility commission or a motor vehicle department.
Where a Michigan carrier enrolls
Registration goes to the agency that issues each credential; the federal process is covered step by step in our guide to getting a USDOT number. Filing services resell these same applications, so the rows below name the direct channel first.
Create a user profile, complete identity verification, and create a company account in Motus to apply for a USDOT number and the registrations your operation needs. Claim your existing USDOT record in Motus using the company official’s Login.gov email, then manage registrations or apply for additional authority. See the Motus account guide before opening or claiming your record.
- USDOT number
- Directly with FMCSA, through the federal registration system (registration site)
Every application for CVED Authority is filed online; MSP/CVED publishes no paper form. Applicants create a MiLogin account, add the CVED Authority Portal under Michigan State Police, then either create a carrier or claim an existing carrier using the name and the PIN MSP/CVED emailed to carriers migrating off the older ICARS system. New applications choose General Commodities or Household Goods, every vehicle needing a decal is entered in the vehicle section, and payment runs through Michigan's Central Electronic Payment Authorization System. A staff member reviews the application and follows up by email if anything is missing; processing can take up to 30 days. Later changes, including adding vehicles and 72-hour permits, are filed as request applications in the same portal.
MSP/CVED treats the federal number as a prerequisite it checks, not a credential it sells. The state application asks for a valid USDOT number application, and the state certificate is what MSP/CVED actually issues.
Once a number is active, anyone can pull the public record behind it; our DOT number lookup guide shows how to read that snapshot the way brokers and enforcement do, and the MC number lookup reads the live record back for a number you type in.
The same number carries your safety history. Every roadside inspection written against it feeds the CSA percentiles a broker's vetting platform reads after it checks your authority and insurance, and a violation recorded in error is corrected through DataQs, not by the state agency that issued the credential above.
The state registration triggers behind it
These are the operations that pull a carrier into Michigan's own motor carrier registration, where the DOT number rules above attach. The full credential, fees, and insurance filings live on the Michigan intrastate authority page.
- Weight trigger
- CVED Authority is not weight-triggered. It attaches to for-hire transportation of property on any public highway in Michigan at any vehicle weight. The separate USDOT number requirement is weight-triggered: MSP/CVED lists a valid USDOT number application as an approval requirement when the vehicle GVWR is over 26,001 pounds.
- Hazmat
- Hazardous materials sit outside the general-commodity certificate: MCL 475.1(j) defines a general commodity as any property other than household goods, hazardous materials, or passengers. Michigan instead adopts the federal hazardous materials regulations at 49 CFR parts 105 through 180 for intrastate transportation through MCL 480.11a(1)(a), enforced by the Department of State Police.
Where the number fits in the Michigan launch
Registration numbers come early: they exist before insurance binds and before the first load. For the full order of operations, from entity to authority to plates, work through start a trucking company in Michigan, and keep the Michigan trucking hub handy for the rest of the state's credentials.