Montana DOT Number Requirements: The MT Suffix and the For-Hire Name Rule

Montana DOT number requirements start with Administrative Rule of Montana 18.8.1502. It says the Department of Transportation assigns a USDOT number to each intrastate motor carrier, and that the carrier must mark each vehicle with the assigned "USDOT" number immediately followed by the state abbreviation "MT" (ARM 18.8.1502). A second law, a statute, covers trucks and buses that haul people, household goods or garbage for hire. This page reads both, then shows where the lines fall.

Layer one: the MT suffix rule

ARM 18.8.1502(2)(d) is short. For the federal marking section, 49 CFR 390.21, the department assigns a USDOT number to each intrastate motor carrier. That number, in addition to the carrier's name or trade name, must be marked on each self-propelled commercial motor vehicle the carrier operates, in the same manner as a federally issued USDOT number, with one exception: the number is "immediately followed by" MT. So USDOT 3456789 MT is the pattern.

The same rule says an intrastate carrier files the federal Motor Carrier Identification Report (form MCS-150) before it starts operating and every 24 months after that. We read the rule on Cornell's Legal Information Institute copy of the Montana rules; the state's own rules site would not load the text for us.

Layer two: which vehicles count

The suffix rule applies to a "commercial motor vehicle," so the next question is how Montana defines one. For intrastate operations, ARM 18.8.1501 adopts the federal definitions with clarifications. A commercial motor vehicle is a vehicle on a public way in Montana carrying passengers or property that:

• has a GVWR, GCWR, gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight of 26,001 pounds or more, whichever is greater;
• is designed or used to carry more than 15 passengers, including the driver, not for pay;
• is designed or used to carry more than eight passengers, including the driver, for pay; or
• is of any size and carries hazardous materials that require placarding.

State law points the same way. MCA 61-10-154 describes an intrastate vehicle or combination with a rating of 26,001 pounds or more "that is not a farm vehicle operating solely in Montana." ARM 18.8.1501 defines a farm vehicle as one controlled by a farmer, used to haul agricultural products or farm supplies, not used by a for-hire carrier and not carrying placarded hazardous materials.

Two notes. The weight tests use ratings, and a combination rating counts the trailer. A truck at 26,000 pounds or less is outside the weight test as we read it, but the passenger and hazmat tests can still apply, so confirm with the department.

Layer three: the for-hire name rule

MCA 69-12-408 is separate. It covers a motor vehicle or combination with a gross weight of more than 10,000 pounds that carries passengers, household goods or garbage for hire on a commercial basis. Both sides of each vehicle operated under its own power must show either the name or trade name, city and state, or the name or trade name and the public service commission or department of transportation number. If a number is shown, it must be the number of the person or corporation operating the vehicle (MCA 69-12-408).

The statute asks for letters in sharp contrast to the background, readable in daylight from 50 feet when the vehicle is not moving. A decal or removable device is allowed if it meets those tests. Farm vehicles are exempt, as are vehicles being moved to or between dealers, demonstrated, or delivered to a buyer. The statute gives no letter height.

A worked example

Big Sky Gravel is a made-up company that hauls aggregate only inside Montana in a truck with a 33,000 pound GVWR. If the department assigned it the made-up number 3456789, the door reads:

• BIG SKY GRAVEL
• USDOT 3456789 MT

The federal marking section asks for both sides, sharp contrast and legibility from 50 feet in daylight while stopped (49 CFR 390.21T). That section sets no height, and we found none in the Montana text above. Our display rules page covers those tests.

A made-up mover, Missoula Move Crew, with a heavy household goods truck is a layer-three case: it could show name, city and state under the statute. Whether it also needs the MT line is for the department.

Slips to avoid

• "Montana" spelled out, or MT placed before the number. The rule says the abbreviation follows it.
• A name that does not match the carrier's registration.
• Treating a farm truck as automatically exempt. The rule's farm vehicle test has four parts, including not working for a for-hire carrier.
• A number on the door before it is active.

Getting the number

The rule says the department assigns the intrastate USDOT number. The Montana Department of Transportation's Motor Carrier Services page, at mdt.mt.gov/business/mcs, says "Need a DOT number? Contact FMCSA." For federal registrations, FMCSA's system is Motus at motus.dot.gov. We cannot issue or look up numbers. Ask MDT Motor Carrier Services (406-444-6130, as listed on that page) how an intrastate number reaches you. Our guide to getting a USDOT number covers the federal steps, and the free USDOT number checker helps if you are unsure.

Questions to ask Montana MDT

Write down who answers and when.

1. Is my truck, or truck and trailer, an intrastate commercial motor vehicle under ARM 18.8.1501?
2. Am I a farm vehicle under the rule, given what I haul and for whom?
3. Do I need the MT line, the for-hire name and city line, or both?
4. How do I get my assigned number, and what name does it list?

Ordering the decal

The USDOT Decal with MT Suffix prints USDOT, your number and MT on one rectangle, from $18.99 per decal at 12 inches. You pick width (12, 18 or 24 inches, which are decal widths and not legal sizes), lettering color and background color. Order two, one for each door. If the number needs a company line above it, use Company Name + USDOT Decal, or the USDOT + MC Two-Line Decal if you also show an MC number. We print what you type, so confirm it with the agency first. For other states, see USDOT number requirements by state.