Sole prop with no employees can technically use an SSN. LLC, employees, 2290, factoring, and most banks require an EIN. Here is the exact decision tree.
Skip one IFTA quarterly return and the cost stacks fast — $50 minimum penalty, monthly interest, and audit eligibility before you notice.
Your first IFTA return is due the last day of the month after the quarter closes. Here’s the step-by-step on per-state miles, fuel reconciliation, and what to file when.
If you only run in one state you don’t need IFTA — but the moment one trip crosses a state line, IFTA applies for the entire quarter.
You filed your own MC. UCR is the small registration that quietly closes the loop. Here is exactly how to file it — what to prepare, where to do it, and the small mistakes that turn into roadside problems.
Skipping UCR doesn’t revoke MC — but every interstate trip becomes a state-level violation, with citations $100-$5,000 and out-of-service exposure.
Single-truck owner-operator under your own MC? UCR applies — no small-fleet exemption. Here is exactly when it is required, what it costs, and what happens if you skip it.
Your MC just activated and UCR is on the to-do list — here’s exactly when it applies, the timing, and what skipping it triggers at the state line.
MC just approved? Here is the 21-day activation spine — BOC-3, insurance, UCR, IFTA, IRP, MCS-150 — sequenced and what blocks first interstate trip.
Activation time depends on whether your BOC-3 and insurance are already on file — not just when you applied. Here’s how the 21-day FMCSA window actually works, and what to do if your MC is stuck in pending.