Trip Permits
A truck isn't automatically registered to run in every state — under the International Registration Plan (IRP), a carrier apportions registration across the states it regularly runs. A trip permit covers the ones it doesn't.
For a vehicle not apportioned in a state it needs to cross, we secure a temporary trip permit before it enters that state, so the trip is covered without waiting on full IRP registration.
A one-off run into a new state doesn't get held up waiting on registration paperwork that would take weeks.
- 01Confirm which states along the route the vehicle isn't currently registered for.
- 02Submit trip permit applications ahead of entry into each state.
- 03Confirm the permit is valid for the full duration of the trip.
- 04Keep documentation on file in case of roadside inspection.
IRP registration versus a one-off trip
Full IRP apportionment issues a single plate and cab card that authorizes travel across every jurisdiction listed on it, prorated by distance run in each — a standing arrangement built for lanes a carrier runs regularly. A vehicle that isn't apportioned into a state it needs to cross instead needs a temporary trip permit, typically valid for anywhere from 72 hours to about 10 days depending on the state, with most states also capping how many trip permits a single vehicle can use in a year.
Why this can't be handled after the fact
A vehicle operating in a state it isn't registered for, without a trip permit in hand, is exposed at any roadside inspection or scale check along that route. Because trip permits have to be secured before entry, not after, timing is the whole value of managing this proactively rather than reactively.