Home / Guides

Interstate vs intrastate: which USDOT rules apply to your truck

Short answerInterstate commerce, under 49 CFR 390.5, is hauling between states, through another state, or within one state as part of a trip or shipment that starts or ends outside it. Intrastate commerce is trade or transportation done only inside your home state. Interstate carriers fall under the federal USDOT rules, and FMCSA lists many states, including California, Texas and Florida, that also require intrastate carriers to get a USDOT number. Either way, the number you register is what goes on your doors.

What counts as interstate

FMCSA uses the 49 CFR 390.5 definition. Interstate commerce is trade, traffic or transportation:

Between a place in one state and a place outside that state (including outside the U.S.)
Between two places in a state, but passing through another state or outside the U.S.
Between two places in a state as part of trade, traffic or transportation that started or will end outside the state

That last one catches people. If you pick up a container at a port and deliver it 20 miles away in the same state, but the freight came from overseas, that's part of an interstate movement.

What counts as intrastate

FMCSA's FAQ puts it simply: if you do trade, traffic or transportation only in your business's home state, that's intrastate commerce. Not just the miles, the freight too.

When you need a USDOT number

Interstate carriers need one if the vehicle weighs 10,001 pounds or more (gross vehicle weight or rating, or combination), carries more than 8 passengers including the driver for compensation, carries more than 15 passengers, or hauls hazmat that requires placards. FMCSA also requires it for intrastate hazmat that needs a safety permit.

For non-hazmat intrastate carriers, it's up to the state. As of October 2026, FMCSA lists these as requiring intrastate carriers to have a USDOT number: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. FMCSA's wording is that these states "include" those, and each state sets its own weight thresholds, so confirm with your state DOT. See do I need a USDOT number.

How SAFER shows it

Your SAFER record lists your carrier operation as interstate, intrastate only (hazmat), or intrastate only (non-hazmat). Some programs care which one you are. New Jersey, for example, only accepts a USDOT number registered as interstate for IRP apportioned plates. If you plan to cross state lines, register as interstate. Check yours with a DOT number lookup.

What goes on the door

The federal marking rule, 49 CFR 390.21, covers commercial vehicles under the federal regulations: your legal name or single trade name and "USDOT" plus your number on both sides, readable from 50 feet in daylight. For intrastate-only trucks, your state's rules decide what the doors need, and some states add their own number. California motor carriers of property, for example, also display a CA number (see CA number on truck). Our state rules page and the truck checker walk through it by state.

If you have a USDOT number and run interstate, the door gets the same thing either way. USDOT truck lettering starts at $59 for both doors.