Trip and Fuel Permits: When a Trip Permit Replaces IRP and IFTA

A trip permit lets a truck run in a state where it has no IRP registration or IFTA license yet. A new carrier waiting on apportioned plates needs one. So does a carrier taking its first load into a state its cab card does not list. There are two separate permits for this: a trip permit that covers registration and a fuel permit that covers fuel tax. This guide covers what each one replaces, how they differ from the temporary credentials your base state may issue, and how much the rules change from state to state.

Two permits for two different obligations

An interstate truck owes two things to every state it runs in: registration fees and fuel tax. IRP and IFTA are the agreements that let you settle both through one base state. Without those credentials, you settle with each state trip by trip.

• The trip permit (registration). The International Registration Plan defines a trip permit as a permit issued by a member jurisdiction in lieu of apportioned or full registration. Under Section 525, each jurisdiction decides the form and manner in which it issues one.
• The fuel permit (fuel tax). The IFTA Articles of Agreement, Section R310, say that instead of an IFTA license a carrier may elect to satisfy motor fuel use tax obligations on a trip-by-trip basis. States call this a fuel permit, a fuel trip permit or a temporary fuel permit.

One permit does not cover the other. A truck with apportioned plates but no IFTA license needs only the fuel permit for a state. A truck with an IFTA license but no IRP registration for that state needs only the trip permit. A truck with neither usually needs both.

Which trucks need them

Both agreements use the same weight and axle test. Under IRP an apportionable vehicle is a power unit used in two or more member jurisdictions that has two axles and a gross or registered weight over 26,000 pounds, or three or more axles regardless of weight, or is used in a combination over 26,000 pounds. IFTA’s definition of a qualified motor vehicle in Section R245 sets the same three limits. If your truck is under them, IRP and IFTA do not apply to it, and neither do these permits. If you are not sure the agreements apply to you at all, start with do I need IRP apportioned registration and do I need IFTA if I only run in one state.

When a trip permit is the right tool

The IRP Plan’s own commentary on Section 525 lists three options a registrant can pick from: a trip permit, full registration in that state, or apportioned registration under the Plan. A trip permit is the short-term option. It usually makes sense in these cases:

• Your IRP or IFTA application is still being processed and a load cannot wait for the cab card and decals.
• You run intrastate on single-state plates and take an occasional load across a state line.
• Your cab card does not list a state you now need to enter, and you have not added it to your fleet yet.
• Your IFTA renewal is late. IFTA gives a grace period in January and February, but only if you carry valid current or prior year IFTA credentials or a valid single-trip permit from the state you are in (R655.200).

If you are buying permits every few weeks, the per-trip cost adds up and apportioned plates are usually the better long-term answer. That decision is covered in IRP vs single-state plates, and what full apportioned registration costs is in how much IRP apportioned plates cost.

Trip permit vs temporary IRP and IFTA credentials

New carriers often mix these up. A trip permit is something you buy from each state you enter. Temporary credentials come from your base state, cover all member states at once, and are only available once you have applied for IRP or IFTA.

• Temporary evidence of apportioned registration. Under IRP Plan Section 620, your base jurisdiction may issue temporary evidence of registration while your credentials are pending, and the other member jurisdictions must recognize it. It expires no later than 60 calendar days after the effective date, and it may be electronic if law enforcement can verify it. The word is “may”: a base state is not required to offer it.
• IFTA temporary decal permit. Under IFTA Section R650, the base jurisdiction may issue a 30-day temporary decal permit, valid in all member jurisdictions, to a licensee in good standing. It is carried in place of the annual decals, on paper or as an electronic image. It has to name the specific vehicle and show its expiration date, and the base state may charge an administrative fee for it. You need an IFTA license first; this permit covers the gap until the decals arrive. Decal setup is covered in IFTA decals and license setup.
• Unladen moves. IRP Section 530 requires every member jurisdiction to offer temporary registration for unladen apportionable vehicles, sometimes called a hunter’s permit. It is for moving an empty truck, not for hauling a load.

If your base state issues temporary credentials while your application is processed, you may not need trip permits at all during that window. If it does not, or you have not applied yet, trip and fuel permits are how you run legally in the meantime.

How states differ

IRP leaves the form and manner of trip permits to each member jurisdiction, so there is no single national permit, duration or fee. A few examples from state agency pages show how much it varies:

• Vermont offers an online service to register for a 72-hour trip permit in Vermont under IRP and to file IFTA.
• Texas sells four types of temporary registration permits to motor carriers: 72-hour, 144-hour, one-trip and 30-day. The one-trip permit is only for unladen vehicles on a route that starts or ends in Texas, and the 30-day permit is limited to lighter vehicles or unladen trucks, so a loaded heavy truck uses the 72-hour or 144-hour permit. The permit tag and registration receipt must both be printed and carried in the vehicle.
• Oregon requires a heavy motor vehicle trip permit before operation when Oregon does not appear on the cab card or the vehicle has no current registration, valid for 10 days. Oregon also has a weight-mile tax, so a carrier without an Oregon account must buy and carry a temporary pass before operating there. Oregon’s tax is explained in NY HUT, KYU, New Mexico and Oregon weight-distance taxes.

Fees differ as much as durations, which is why this guide does not quote one. Check the price on the issuing state’s own page or with your permit service before you buy. Delaware’s DMV notes that trip permits are available from each member jurisdiction, either ordered in advance from that state or through permit service agents. Under IRP Section 525, member jurisdictions may also issue trip permits for each other and forward the fee.

Mistakes that turn a permit into a ticket

• Entering the state first and buying later. Get the permit before the truck crosses the line. Oregon says this outright for its trip permit and its temporary pass.
• Buying only one of the two. A registration trip permit does not settle fuel tax, and a fuel permit does not register the truck.
• Letting the permit run out mid-trip. A 72-hour permit is 72 hours. Plan the route against the clock, and buy the longer permit when the state offers one and the trip needs it.
• Leaving the paperwork at home. Under IFTA R660, missing the license copy, the decals or the temporary permit may mean buying a trip permit on the spot, a citation, or both. Running without the right registration has its own penalties, covered in what happens if you operate without IRP.
• Counting fuel permit miles as taxable on your IFTA return. Once you have an IFTA license, IFTA’s commentary on R224 says miles run under a trip permit go into your total miles but are not reported as taxable miles for that state.

If you would rather hand the paperwork off, our state permits service works out which trip, fuel and state permits your route needs, files the applications with each state and sends you digital copies ready to print.

Sources

• International Registration Plan, Inc., International Registration Plan, as amended through October 1, 2025: definitions of Apportionable Vehicle and Trip Permit, Sections 525, 530 and 620.
• IFTA, Inc., IFTA Articles of Agreement, August 2026 edition: Sections R224 (with commentary), R245, R263, R310, R650, R655 and R660.
• Vermont.gov, IRP Permits and IFTA Filings.
• Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Temporary Vehicle Registration.
• Oregon Department of Transportation, Commerce and Compliance Division, Weight Mile Temporary Tax Pass.
• Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles, International Registration Plan Trip and International Fuel Tax Agreement Fuel Permit Companies.