North Carolina is a member of the International Registration Plan – or IRP – which is a registration reciprocity agreement that provides apportioned payments of registration fees, based on the total distance operated in the continental United States and Canada.
A vehicle registered under the International Registration Plan – referred to as an apportioned vehicle – is only issued one license plate and one cab card.
The
N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles' International Registration Manual serves as a guide to securing proportional registration in North Carolina and serves as a basic reference when preparing applications for annual registration.
For additional information, visit the
International Registration Plan's website.
Registering under the IRP
Any carrier that is intended to transport passengers or goods across state lines or into Canada and meets any of the following requirements must register as an apportioned vehicle with the International Registration Plan:
- Has two axles and a gross vehicle weight in excess of 26,000 pounds
- Has three or more axles, regardless of weight
- Exceeds a gross vehicle weight of 26,000 pounds (when combined with other vehicles)
New IRP requirements
Carriers wanting to register under the IRP must meet certain requirements, which are outlined in
NCDMV's new account checklist.
Insurance requirements
Federal regulations require a minimum of $750,000 in liability insurance for a for-hire carrier (with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more) that engages in interstate or foreign commerce and transports non-hazardous property.
North Carolina law requires that any commercial motor vehicle owner have financial responsibility for the operation of the motor vehicle in an amount equal to that required for for-hire carriers transporting non-hazardous property in interstate or foreign commerce. The minimum required is $750,000.
The tables below outline insurance minimums required for interstate operations.
Schedule of limits for operations
| (1) For-hire (interstate or foreign commerce) | Non-hazardous property and household goods | $750,000 |
| (2) For-hire and private (interstate, foreign or intrastate commerce) | Hazardous substances (as defined in 49 CFR 171.8) transported in cargo tank, portable tanks or hopper-type vehicles with capacities in excess of 3,500 water gallons; or in bulk Class A or B explosives, poison gas (Poison A), liquefied compressed gas or compressed gas; or highway route controlled quantity materials (as defined in 49 CFR 173.403)
| $5 million |
| (3) For-hire and private (interstate or foreign commerce in any quantity or intrastate commerce in bulk only) | Oil (as defined in 49 CFR 172.101); hazardous waste, hazardous materials and hazardous substances (as defined in 49 CFR 171.8 and listed in 49 CFR 172.101, but not mentioned in (2) above or (4) below | $1 million |
| (4) For-hire and private (interstate or foreign commerce |
Any quantity of Class A or B explosives; any quantity of poison gas (Poison A); or highway route controlled quantity radioactive materials (as defined in 49 CFR 173.403) |
$5 million |
*The type of carriage listed under (1), (2), and (3) applies to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more. The type of carriage listed under (4) applies to all vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 10,000 pounds.
Passenger carriers
| Any vehicle with a seating capacity of 16 passengers or more | $5 million |
| Any vehicle with a seating capacity of 15 passengers or less | $1.5 million |
Heavy Vehicle Tax (2290)
Registered motor vehicles that have a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more must file a
Form 2290 and Schedule 1 for the tax period beginning July 1 and ending June 30 of the registration year.
IRP record-keeping
Registrants with the International Registration Plan must record their mileage and report it on their IRP renewal application for the required reporting period.
Reported mileage should include all movement (interstate and intrastate), including loaded, empty, deadhead and/or bobtail miles.
The following documents are needed for IRP renewal:
Related forms
IRP renewals
International Registration Plan plates must be renewed online, by mail or at an International Registration Plan office in Raleigh or Charlotte. New accounts must also be set up through either office.
Although IRP renewals cannot be processed at a license plate agencies, agencies can assist with specific IRP applications such as:
- Adding equipment
- Ordering a duplicate cab card
- Changing insurance
- Turning in a plate
- Replacing a plate
- Amending equipment
- Changing weight
To complete an International Registration Plan renewal for apportioned licenses, download NCDMV's IRP renewal checklist.
Additionally, the following is required:
- A voided check or savings deposit slip, if choosing the electronic funds transfer payment option (voided document must be received before fees can be drafted)
- A current year Form 2290 stamped by the U.S. Treasury for vehicles with a gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more
Please note: Documents MUST be faxed to (919) 715‐9129 with a cover sheet indicating "For Internet" along with your name, telephone number and account numbers.
Fee
Renew online
Registrants with the International Registration Plan can renew apportioned license plates and cab cards using the NCDMV's TRANSEXPRESSystem Renewal website.
Information on how to access the online IRP renewal service is available in the renewal packet that registrants receive each year.
Renew in-person
Registrants can renew their apportioned licenses weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the International Registration Plan office in Raleigh or Charlotte.
1425 Rock Quarry Road
Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27610
(919) 615-6700
6016 Brookshire Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28216
(980) 260-2650
IRP frequently asked questions
You will be able to select an option to pay fees to the North Carolina International Registration Plan offices in either Raleigh or Charlotte, or you can pay by electronic funds transfer.
If you choose to pay by EFT, your renewal fees will be drafted from your checking or savings account.
You must call the International Registration Plan office in Raleigh at (919) 615-6700 to set up your EFT account prior to processing your renewal.
Reciprocity agreements historically have restricted your operations in other states to interstate commerce, leaving you with the burden of purchasing a full-fee plate in each state in which your vehicle(s) must conduct intrastate operations.
Under IRP, your apportioned vehicles may conduct both interstate and intrastate operations. IRP, however, does not preclude the need to register with other state agencies (such as the Fuel Tax Division) or to have appropriate intrastate authority from each state's regulatory commission to conduct intrastate for-hire operations.
Compared to vehicles formerly operating under reciprocity agreements, no. But the International Registration Plan will not increase the number of documents either.
The International Registration Plan supersedes all former agreements on any of the matters covered by this agreement.
Former agreements, however, are not disturbed by the International Registration Plan, as they relate to vehicles not subject to apportioned registration or as they relate to border agreements.
The International Registration Plan further does not affect, in any way, agreements between International Registration Plan jurisdictions and non-International Registration Plan jurisdictions.
The International Registration Plan defines fleet as one or more apportionable vehicles, allowing for single-vehicle fleet apportionment.
No. You must register your vehicles either as a single fleet or in several fleets to meet the nature of your operation(s), except that vehicles must be based for registration purposes:
Registrants having declared more than one fleet may drop any one of the declared fleets at the end of any registration year and include the vehicles of the deleted fleet in other existing declared fleets for apportionment.
Registrants having declared, for example, Fleets 1,2 and 3 may not drop Fleet 3 and declare Fleet 4 for apportionment in any of the jurisdictions with which Fleet 3 was apportioned.
Rental and/or leasing companies, however, would not be subject to the above rule when declaring individual fleets for each lessee.
Apportionable vehicles that are not apportioned should be full-fee plated in their base state and will, if taken on an interstate trip into or through another member jurisdiction, be subject to the trip permit provisions of the International Registration Plan.
Under the provisions of the Plan, restricted plate vehicles, such as those restricted in the commodities they can transport or in the area they may serve, are not apportionable vehicles and are treated under other agreements between jurisdictions.
There no longer exists any jurisdictional (state) requirements for apportioned trailer license plates.
The only requirement is that a trailer must have a valid license plate.
If you currently have a permanent apportioned trailer license plate, you may renew that plate (
standard fee applies) as a part of your IRP fleet with no additional jurisdictional fees due.
No. Your gross weight – as shown on both your application and cab card – may vary from state to state.
Enforcement personnel in a member state, however, may issue you a citation if your vehicle operating at a weight that exceeds the weight you registered for that state.
North Carolina may require supporting documentation for any vehicle if gross vehicle weights for the highest and lowest weights requested for jurisdictions vary by 10 percent or more. North Carolina may reject or deny registration for those vehicles if the variance does not reflect actual operating practice.
No, but most states require a unit to be registered for the maximum allowable weight before issuing a special permit. Overweight and/or over-dimensional permits for North Carolina may be secured by calling (919) 814-3700.
Under Full Reciprocity Plan, all states and provinces will be on your cab card.
These changes are accomplished by submitting supplement applications.
Yes. You must file a complete supplemental application and pay additional fees where the gross weight is to be increased.
Yes. By completing all the information, you will reduce the possibility of having your application returned under the provisions of a 1977 International Registration Plan policy recognizing that the registration laws in different states are based upon different factors.
Unified Carrier Registration
The Unified Carrier Registration Program requires individuals and companies that operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate or international commerce to register their business with a participating state and pay an annual fee based on the size of their fleet.
Companies operating solely as brokers, freight forwarders or leasing companies are also required to register and pay the fee. Companies providing both motor carrier services as well as broker, freight forwarder or leasing services are required to pay the fee level set at the motor carrier level.
A "commercial motor vehicle" is defined as a self-propelled vehicle used on the highways in commerce principally to transport passengers or cargo, if the vehicle either:
- Has a gross vehicle weight of 10,001 pounds or more
- Is designed to transport 11 or more passengers (including the driver)
- Transporting hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placarding.
You must pay Unified Carrier Registration fees annually to operate in interstate commerce. This has taken place of the Single State Registration System and Interstate Exempt System.
To be able to register properly with Unified Carrier Registration system, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles strongly recommends that you use the National Registration website. Also, there are third party service providers that complete the UCR process for an additional fee.