Illinois Apportioned Plates: Requirements, Fees, and Renewal

Illinois apportioned plates are commercial vehicle registrations issued by the Illinois Secretary of State under the International Registration Plan (IRP). One plate and one cab card let a qualifying interstate truck operate across all 48 contiguous states and the Canadian provinces that participate in IRP, with registration fees split among those jurisdictions in proportion to the miles your fleet drives in each. Applications and renewals are handled by the Commercial and Farm Truck Division in Springfield.

Which Vehicles Qualify

A vehicle needs apportioned registration when it’s a power unit used to transport people or property for profit across two or more IRP jurisdictions and meets one of these size thresholds:

Two axles with a gross vehicle weight or registered gross vehicle weight over 26,000 pounds.
Three or more axles, regardless of weight.
A power unit used in combination with another unit where the combined weight exceeds 26,000 pounds.

If your trucks never leave Illinois, apportioned plates aren’t required. If you only occasionally cross a state line, a trip permit may be cheaper than full IRP registration until your interstate miles justify the switch.

Proving Illinois Is Your Base Jurisdiction

Before Illinois will register you under IRP, you have to establish it as your base. The IRP defines an “established place of business” as a physical structure you own or lease for at least 12 months, with company signage, posted hours, and staffing by your employees at least 20 hours a week. Virtual offices and shared workspaces don’t qualify. Your fleet must accrue miles in Illinois, and your records must be kept at or accessible from that location.

Carriers without a commercial location can qualify through personal residency. Sole proprietors operating from a home address must supply their Illinois driver’s license number on all applications, and the same requirement applies to corporations operating from a personal residence.

How to Apply

All Illinois IRP registrations run through the Commercial and Farm Truck Division in Springfield. You can file online through the Secretary of State’s website, by mail to the Howlett Building, or through a licensed remittance agent authorized to submit applications on your behalf.¹

Every application requires:

The USDOT number and Taxpayer Identification Number of the carrier responsible for safety.¹
Proof of ownership for each vehicle: a copy of the title in the owner’s name, a copy of the assigned title if purchased within the last six months, or the Illinois ST-556 tax form for dealer purchases.¹
Vehicle identification numbers, weights, and the jurisdictions where you plan to operate.²
Mileage records covering July 1 through June 30 of the preceding year.³
For vehicles registered at 55,000 pounds or more, a photocopy of your receipted Schedule 1 (Form 2290) or a copy of Form 2290 with evidence of payment.¹

New registrants must pay with secured funds (cash, money order, certified check, cashier’s check, credit or debit card, or an irrevocable letter of credit) for the first three full years of registration. Credit and debit card payments carry a 2.25% processing fee, with a $1 minimum.¹

How the Fees Are Calculated

IRP fees are proportional. If your fleet drives 30% of its total miles in Indiana and 20% in Ohio, you pay 30% of Indiana’s registration fee and 20% of Ohio’s. The calculation uses mileage from July 1 through June 30 of the preceding year.⁴ All renewable vehicles are billed for 12 months of registration regardless of when in the year you renew.¹

Because fees follow reported miles, inaccurate records don’t just create audit trouble. They can leave you overpaying one state and underpaying another, which invites reassessment and interest when the numbers get checked.

Heavy Vehicle Use Tax (Form 2290)

The Heavy Vehicle Use Tax is a federal tax on highway vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. Illinois will not issue apportioned plates for a qualifying vehicle until you prove the tax is paid. The tax year runs from July 1 through June 30, and Form 2290 is due to the IRS by August 31 for vehicles already in use.⁵

Your main proof is the stamped Schedule 1 the IRS returns after processing. Before that arrives, you can use a photocopy of the filed Form 2290 with copies of both sides of the canceled check. For a vehicle purchased within the last 60 days, Illinois will accept a bill of sale, but you still have to file and pay the tax by its due date. If you’re registering during July through September, the previous tax period’s approved Schedule 1 can stand in as temporary proof while the current filing is processed.⁶

Renewal Deadlines

The Illinois IRP registration year runs from April 1 through March 31. Renewal invoices and instructions go out ahead of the deadline. Mailed payments must be postmarked by March 1 to allow processing time, in-person payments must meet the deadline shown in the renewal instructions, and all invoices must be paid before April 1.¹

Renewal requires updated mileage records for July 1 through June 30 of the preceding year, current HVUT proof for vehicles at 55,000 pounds or more, and proof of insurance. Missing April 1 means the registration lapses and the vehicles can’t legally run interstate until you’re current.

Cab Cards and Temporary Permits

After your registration is processed, Illinois issues each vehicle an apportioned plate marked “APPORTIONED” and a cab card listing the jurisdictions and weights covered, the company name and address, the vehicle description, and the Illinois license number.⁷

The original cab card has to travel in or on the vehicle at all times. Copies are not accepted by Illinois law enforcement, and this is the document an officer checks at a roadside inspection to confirm your registration covers the state you’re in and the weight you’re hauling.⁷

When you add a vehicle mid-year or need credentials before a full application processes, Illinois sells a 45-day IRP temporary permit for $3. It’s issued when you process a supplemental application, provided your account isn’t flagged for prior permit abuse.⁸ The temporary is a contract to pay full fees for that transaction from the permit date through the end of the registration year. Temporaries are no longer sold at Secretary of State facilities; they go through the Commercial and Farm Truck Division.

Recordkeeping and Audits

Illinois requires motor carriers to keep individual vehicle mileage records and all supporting documentation for four years from the date of registration, and to make them available for audit during normal business hours.⁹

Records need to show a continuous chronological pattern of each vehicle’s movement. Source documents should include the date, trip origin and destination, driver’s name, total trip miles, miles broken down by state, vehicle serial number, fleet number, decal number, plate number, and routes traveled.⁹ Any time gaps or unaccounted movements need enough explanation for an auditor to confirm all mileage is captured.

During an audit, the Secretary of State’s office reviews records to verify reported mileage and fee calculations. Incomplete or inaccurate records lead to fee reassessment and possible interest, and carriers with persistently poor records draw closer scrutiny in later audits.

Insurance Minimums

Illinois state law sets minimum liability coverage at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $20,000 per accident for property damage.¹⁰ Those figures cover personal vehicles. For-hire interstate carriers are governed by higher federal minimums that override the state numbers.

Under federal regulation, for-hire property carriers operating vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage. Certain hazardous materials require $1,000,000, and explosives, poison gas, or radioactive materials require $5,000,000.¹¹ For-hire passenger carriers need $1,500,000 for vehicles seating 15 or fewer and $5,000,000 for larger vehicles.¹² Meeting only the state minimums while operating interstate leaves you in violation of FMCSA rules and exposed to an out-of-service order.

Federal Requirements That Run Alongside IRP

Apportioned plates cover registration. Interstate carriers have several other federal obligations that operate on their own tracks.

USDOT Number

Any company running commercial vehicles in interstate commerce must register with FMCSA and obtain a USDOT number. It applies to vehicles with a gross or combined weight of 10,001 pounds or more, vehicles designed to carry more than eight passengers for compensation, and vehicles carrying hazardous materials requiring a safety permit.¹³ Illinois requires the USDOT number on every IRP application.¹ Once registered, you have to file a biennial update or risk deactivation and civil penalties.¹⁴

Unified Carrier Registration

Interstate motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies must register annually under UCR and pay a fee based on fleet size. Brokers and leasing companies pay a flat $46. For 2026, fleet fees range from $46 for zero to two vehicles up to $44,836 for fleets over 1,000.¹⁵ UCR is separate from IRP and renews on its own schedule.

BOC-3 Process Agent

Interstate carriers must file Form BOC-3 with FMCSA designating an agent for service of process in every state where they operate. Each agent has to physically reside in the state assigned, and a P.O. box doesn’t count.¹⁶ Most carriers use a blanket service that covers every state for an annual fee.

IFTA

If your qualified vehicles operate in two or more jurisdictions, you almost certainly need International Fuel Tax Agreement credentials in addition to IRP plates. IFTA uses the same proportional concept for fuel taxes: you file quarterly returns reporting miles traveled and fuel purchased in each jurisdiction, and IFTA redistributes what you owe or are owed.¹⁷ Returns are due April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31, with the deadline rolling to the next business day if it falls on a weekend or holiday. Trip permits are an option for occasional cross-border travel, but routine interstate operation makes full IFTA registration both required and cheaper than stacking permits.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Illinois law makes it illegal to operate a vehicle required to be registered without current registration or without paying the appropriate fees. When a vehicle and load exceed the registered gross weight, the owner or operator faces fines calculated under the overweight provisions of Section 15-113 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, though the fine cannot exceed the cost of what the appropriate registration should have been.¹⁸

The operational hit is often worse than the fine. The Secretary of State’s office can suspend or revoke registration privileges, which grounds the fleet until you’re back in compliance, and an expired cab card or missing credentials at a roadside inspection stops the truck on the spot. Repeat violations bring closer scrutiny to future audits and inspections.

Operating without proper insurance carries its own penalties. Fines start above $500 for a first offense, with a mandatory $2,500 fine added on top of any incarceration for a third or subsequent conviction. A conviction also triggers a three-month driver’s license suspension and a $100 reinstatement fee.¹⁹

1
Illinois Secretary of State. IRP Applications and Instructions Registration Year 2026
2
Illinois Secretary of State. Commercial and Farm Truck Division
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Illinois Secretary of State. IRP Summary
4
International Registration Plan, Inc. Welcome to the IRP Community
5
Internal Revenue Service. When Form 2290 Taxes Are Due
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Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 2290
7
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 92 Section 1010.720 – Vehicle Apportionment
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Illinois Secretary of State. IRP Supplemental Application Summary
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Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Administrative Code Title 92 Section 1010.710 – Vehicle Proration
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Illinois Department of Insurance. Review Requirements Checklist – Commercial Auto – Illinois
11
FMCSA. Insurance Filing Requirements
12
eCFR. 49 CFR 387.9 – Minimum Levels of Financial Responsibility
13
FMCSA. Do I Need a USDOT Number?
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FMCSA. Updating Registration Information Biennially
15
UCR. Fee Brackets
16
FMCSA. Form BOC-3 – Designation of Agents for Service of Process
17
IFTA, Inc. Carrier Information
18
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 625 ILCS 5/3-401
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Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 625 ILCS 5/3-707