Indiana DOT Number Requirements: Why Intrastate Trucks Add IN

Indiana DOT number requirements add one small thing to the federal marking: the letters IN. The Indiana Department of Revenue's Motor Carrier Services guidebook says the marking shows the carrier's name and its USDOT number "and if it's an intrastate vehicle, it must have an 'IN' suffix." This page shows how the guidebook and the Indiana State Police page describe who needs the number, and what to confirm before ordering.

What the guidebook says, line by line

On pages 27 and 28, under "Guidelines for Indiana USDOT Number and Marking Requirements," the guidebook sets out three ideas.

• Anyone required to have a USDOT number must mark the vehicle. The marking shows the name or trade name of the carrier operating the vehicle and the number preceded by the letters USDOT.
• Intrastate adds IN. Written out, that is USDOT 1234567 IN, with IN after the number.
• Placement and look. The marking appears on both sides, in letters and numbers that contrast sharply with the background, readable in daylight from 50 feet while the vehicle is stationary. It may be painted or shown on a removable device that meets those same tests.

The guidebook mentions an approximate letter size in a bracket. We did not find a size in rule text, so we do not give one here. If size worries you, test by standing 50 feet away and reading the whole line, IN included. For how the federal rule words the same tests, see 49 CFR 390.21T.

Who must have a USDOT number, per the state

The guidebook describes a commercial motor vehicle carrying property or passengers in Indiana, interstate or intrastate, with a GVWR or combined rating of 10,001 pounds or more. It then lists three more situations: more than nine passengers including the driver, placardable amounts of hazardous materials, and private operation of a vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more.

The bullets are not easy to combine, so do not decide from them alone. The Indiana State Police page on single state regulations words the test another way: a vehicle with a 10,001 pound rating, or designed for more than 15 passengers including the driver, or used for placardable hazardous materials. That page cites 49 CFR 390.21 for the marking. When two state pages read differently, Motor Carrier Services is the office to ask.

Both pages give the same exemption: a farm-plated vehicle that does not leave Indiana does not need a USDOT number. The guidebook also says that since March 2010 Indiana exempts intrastate, not-for-hire vehicles that need no CDL from the federal safety rules entirely, and cites IC 8-2.1-24-3(6). We could not read that statute ourselves, so ask how it applies to your truck.

Intrastate or interstate?

"Intrastate" carries a specific meaning. Under the federal definition, a trip between two places in Indiana can still be interstate if it is part of a movement that starts or ends outside the state (49 CFR 390.5T). A carrier that never leaves Indiana applies through the state, on Form IOA-1. A carrier that crosses a state line registers with FMCSA and pays UCR fees instead, per the guidebook. A mix of the two is a question for the state.

A worked example

Kankakee Ridge Excavating is a made-up company that hauls gravel only inside Indiana, with the made-up number 2345678. Its doors would read:

• KANKAKEE RIDGE EXCAVATING
• USDOT 2345678 IN

The name is the one on the carrier's registration. Put the name on both doors, and the same number line on both. The guidebook gives no separate rule for placing IN, so keep it on the same line as the number and after it.

Slips to check before you order:

• IN placed in front of the number.
• A number printed before the state has issued or activated it.
• A trade name that is not the one on the registration.
• Letters that fade at the end of the line when you step back 50 feet.

Our door builder previews the line on a truck door, and the examples and mistakes list has more.

Getting the number

Per the guidebook, there is no fee for a USDOT number. Intrastate carriers complete Form IOA-1 with Indiana Motor Carrier Services. Interstate carriers go through FMCSA, and new federal registrations are made in the Motus system at motus.dot.gov. The Department of Revenue also lists an "Indiana ID number" for intrastate for-hire carriers under 10,000 pounds (checklist). That is a different number, so ask which one you need. Our guide to getting a USDOT number covers the federal steps. We cannot get or look up a number for you.

What to ask Indiana Motor Carrier Services

Call 317-615-7200 or write to IndianaSafety@dor.in.gov, and keep a note of the date.

1. Does my truck need a USDOT number, given its rating, its use and whether it is private or for hire?
2. Do I show USDOT with IN, or the federal form without it?
3. Is my farm plate or not-for-hire use covered by an exemption?
4. Does my business need an Indiana ID number instead?

Ordering the IN decal

The USDOT Decal with IN Suffix prints USDOT, your number and IN on one rectangle, and no company name. It is $18.99 at 12 inches, and a Set of 2 for both doors is double. Width choices of 12, 18 and 24 inches are decal widths, not legal sizes. To add the name on the same rectangle, the Company Name + USDOT Decal takes the line, so enter IN after the number yourself. Our free USDOT number checker is a first look for "do I need one" questions. For other states, see USDOT number requirements by state.