3 Ways To Get The Trucking Permits Your Company Needs
If you own a trucking company, then you know that you need to get trucking permits before your trucks can be on the road and travel through and into other states. You definitely need permits if your trucks will be traveling into Mexico or Canada. There are three ways to get the trucking permits you need.
1. Apply to Your State's DOT
Your state's Department of Transportation, or DOT, can provide you with trucking permits just for your state. This is the bare minimum you will need in permits for your trucks to move about your state. Every truck you register for a permit has to have its own permit, and there are no "blanket" permits offered by states to cover all your trucks with just a single permit. In most cases, you can apply online through your state's DOT website for permits pertaining to just your state.
2. Permits for Other States
You can follow the same application pattern for permits from other states as you did for your home state. However, if your trucks will be moving through multiple states, this could get very expensive. Permits only last a year, and then they have to be renewed before they expire. You can also get temporary permits if and when a truck will only be moving through a particular state once. When you do the math, a temporary permit costs more than an annual permit, but if you know for certain that your trucks will only be in a particular state once or twice during the year, then a temporary permit could save you some money.
3. Multi-State and International Permits
Some states have made trucking permits a little easier by offering a multi-state permit. If this exists near you, you can take full advantage of these permits for one low annual price. As for international permits, you have to apply with those governments and receive permission for your trucks to move in and out of their countries.
Both the Canadian and the Mexican governments have trade and transportation arrangements with the United States, but you still have to apply for permits that will allow your trucks to enter these countries legally. Additionally, your drivers will need to carry an official U.S. passport in the trucks at all times or end up stranded with no way to cross back into the U.S. Your drivers will need to show you their passports and their international trucking documents before they fire up their trucks and leave your company's location.