Michigan Commercial Vehicle Laws: CDL, Weight, and Penalties

Michigan commercial vehicle laws combine the state’s Vehicle Code with federal rules from the FMCSA, and together they govern how you register a truck, who can drive it, how much it can weigh, what insurance you carry, and what happens when any of that goes wrong. The Secretary of State handles registration and licensing. The Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division handles the roadside side of things. If you cross state lines, layered federal requirements apply on top. Getting any of it wrong can mean fines in the thousands, an impounded truck, or a driver disqualified from the road.

What Counts as a Commercial Vehicle

Michigan defines a commercial vehicle as any motor vehicle used to transport passengers for hire, or built or used to transport goods and merchandise. The definition also covers vehicles designed to tow others that cannot carry a load on their own.¹ That pulls in tractor-trailers, delivery vans, and tow trucks alike.

Three categories are carved out: licensed limousines, licensed taxicabs, and personal vehicles used by rideshare drivers.¹ If you drive one of those, the commercial-vehicle rules below do not apply to you, even though you carry passengers for payment.

Registering a Commercial Vehicle

Every commercial vehicle operated in Michigan must be registered with the Secretary of State. For trucks over 8,000 pounds and truck tractors, fees are set by “elected gross weight,” meaning the maximum loaded weight you expect to run at. The annual fee schedule looks like this:

Up to 24,000 lbs: $590
24,001–28,000 lbs: $670
28,001–36,000 lbs: $779–$893
36,001–48,000 lbs: $1,049–$1,206
48,001–72,000 lbs: $1,362–$1,835
72,001–80,000 lbs: $1,992
Over 160,000 lbs: $3,741

Six-month and three-month registrations are available at roughly half and one-quarter of the annual rate, with a $10 service fee per plate.²

Interstate: The International Registration Plan

If your trucks cross state lines, standard Michigan plates aren’t the right tool. You need apportioned registration under the International Registration Plan. IRP applies to trucks, truck tractors, and road tractors engaged in interstate commerce that would otherwise fall under the standard commercial fee schedule. The fee is split proportionally among every state you run in, based on the share of miles driven in each. You get one plate and a cab card listing every jurisdiction the vehicle is registered in along with the authorized weight for each.³

Michigan lets IRP carriers pay the out-of-state portion plus half the Michigan apportioned fee upfront, with the balance due within 180 days before expiration. A $10 service fee applies per vehicle. The Secretary of State can issue a temporary registration valid up to 45 days while permanent paperwork is processed.³

Commercial Driver’s License

Anyone driving a commercial motor vehicle in Michigan needs a CDL from the Secretary of State. The process: bring your current valid Michigan license, proof of legal presence, and Social Security number to a Secretary of State office; pass the written knowledge tests and vision exam; schedule the on-road skills test with an approved testing business; and return to pick up a temporary permit once you pass.⁴

Michigan uses “Group” labels rather than the “Class” labels some states use, with the same federal weight thresholds:

Group A: Any vehicle combination with a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the towed vehicle has a GVWR over 10,000 pounds. Also covers Group B and C.
Group B: Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 pounds or more, or one towing a vehicle with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less. Also covers Group C.
Group C: Vehicles that don’t meet Group A or B thresholds but carry 16 or more passengers (including the driver) or placarded hazardous materials.

Endorsements sit on top of the group. T is for double and triple trailers, P for passenger vehicles seating 16 or more, N for tank vehicles rated at 1,000 gallons or more, H for placarded hazardous materials, S for school buses, and X for combined tank and hazmat.⁴

Michigan also requires a chauffeur’s license for anyone operating a single vehicle or combination with a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or more. Those drivers must meet the commercial medical requirements and carry the appropriate medical card. Federal regulations require every CDL holder to have a valid medical certificate from a physician listed on the FMCSA’s National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.⁵

Since February 2022, anyone applying for a Group A or Group B CDL for the first time, upgrading between groups, or adding a Hazardous Materials, Passenger, or School Bus endorsement must first complete an FMCSA-approved Entry-Level Driver Training program before taking the skills test.⁴

Insurance Minimums

Required liability coverage depends on what you haul and whether you cross state lines. Under Michigan’s Motor Bus Transportation Act, intrastate bus carriers must carry combined single-limit coverage of $1,500,000 for buses seating 9 to 15 passengers and $5,000,000 for buses seating 16 or more. Passenger carriers also carry personal protection and property protection insurance under Michigan’s no-fault code.⁶

Interstate carriers meet federal minimums under 49 CFR Part 387. For property carriers:

Non-hazardous freight, GVWR under 10,001 lbs: $300,000
Non-hazardous freight, GVWR 10,001 lbs or more: $750,000
Certain hazardous materials: $1,000,000
Explosives, poison gas, or radioactive materials: $5,000,000

Interstate passenger carriers need $1,500,000 for vehicles seating 15 or fewer and $5,000,000 for vehicles seating 16 or more. All for-hire and interstate carriers must file proof of coverage with the FMCSA.⁷

Interstate Filings: IFTA and UCR

Michigan-based carriers running vehicles over 26,000 pounds across state lines need an International Fuel Tax Agreement license so they can file one quarterly fuel-tax return covering every member jurisdiction. Michigan charges nothing for the license or decals, but your USDOT number must be active, your business must be registered and in good standing with LARA, and you cannot owe delinquent Michigan taxes. If you hold an active, suspended, or revoked IFTA license in another jurisdiction, you can’t get one here.⁸

Interstate carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and leasing companies also register annually under the federal Unified Carrier Registration program. Fleet-size fees for 2026:

0–2 vehicles: $46
3–5 vehicles: $138
6–20 vehicles: $276
21–100 vehicles: $963
101–1,000 vehicles: $4,592
1,001+ vehicles: $44,836

Brokers and leasing companies pay the base $46 regardless of fleet size.⁹ Missing your UCR registration triggers enforcement at roadside inspections.

Size, Weight, and Michigan’s Frost Laws

Michigan sets maximum dimensions under Sections 257.717 and 257.719 of the Vehicle Code. Without a special permit:

Height: 13 feet 6 inches, loaded or unloaded
Width: 102 inches outside tire to outside tire, with the body or load not exceeding 96 inches. Concrete pipe, agricultural product, and unprocessed log haulers can go to 108 inches.
Length on standard highways: 40 feet for a single vehicle; 50-foot maximum semitrailer in a tractor-semitrailer combination with no overall combination limit; 59 feet overall for truck-trailer combinations
Length on designated highways: 53-foot semitrailer in a tractor-semitrailer combination; 65 feet overall for truck-trailer combinations, with exceptions up to 70 or 75 feet for logging vehicles

Height causes the most trouble in practice, and the driver or carrier is liable for any damage a too-tall vehicle causes to a bridge or overpass.¹⁰ Loads over these limits need an oversize permit from MDOT.

Weight is governed by Section 257.722. Year-round limits vary by axle configuration and road type, but Michigan is unusual for its seasonal reductions. During March, April, and May, maximum axle loads drop by 25% on concrete pavement and pavement with a concrete base, and by 35% on all other roads. Maximum wheel loads cannot exceed 525 pounds per inch of tire width on concrete or 450 pounds per inch on other surfaces during the restricted window.¹¹

These “frost laws” protect roadways during the spring thaw, when water under the pavement leaves it vulnerable. MDOT can impose restrictions outside the standard window when conditions warrant, or lift them early. Local road agencies have the same authority over roads under their jurisdiction. In practice, restrictions often start in February; in 2026 they took effect on state trunk lines in the southern Lower Peninsula on February 17.¹¹

Inspections and the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

Commercial vehicle enforcement in Michigan runs through the Michigan State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, not MDOT. Officers check size and weight compliance, run driver and vehicle safety inspections, verify credentials, enforce hours-of-service rules, and monitor hazmat transport. Enforcement happens at fixed weigh stations and out on road patrols equipped with portable scales. New motor carriers get reviewed within their first 12 months of operation to verify compliance.¹²

Interstate commercial vehicles must use electronic logging devices to record driving time when the driver is required to keep records of duty status. This is a federal rule, but Michigan officers check for it at roadside inspections.¹³

Employers hiring CDL drivers also have to use the FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. A pre-employment query is required before hiring anyone for a safety-sensitive position, and an annual query is required on every currently employed CDL driver.¹⁴ Drivers register in the Clearinghouse through login.gov and verify their CDL or commercial learner’s permit against the Commercial Driver’s License Information System. Self-employed drivers running under their own USDOT number register as both a driver and an employer.¹⁵ A recorded violation blocks a driver from being hired until the return-to-duty process is complete.

Penalties

Overweight Fines

Civil fines for exceeding the weight limits under Section 257.722 climb steeply as the overage grows. After a 1,000-pound buffer, the per-pound fine schedule runs:

Up to 2,000 lbs over: 3 cents per pound
2,001–3,000 lbs over: 6 cents per pound
3,001–4,000 lbs over: 9 cents per pound
4,001–5,000 lbs over: 12 cents per pound
5,001–10,000 lbs over: 15 cents per pound
Over 10,000 lbs: 20 cents per pound

A truck 10,000 pounds overweight faces a fine of roughly $1,500. At 20,000 pounds over, it exceeds $3,500. A separate “misload” provision applies when the total weight is legal but individual axles exceed the allowable weight by more than 1,000 but less than 4,000 pounds: the court imposes $200 per overloaded axle, up to three axles.¹⁶

CDL Suspensions and Disqualifications

Section 257.319b tiers CDL penalties by the number and type of violations inside rolling 36-month windows:

60-day suspension for two serious traffic violations from separate incidents within 36 months while operating a commercial vehicle
120-day suspension for three serious traffic violations within 36 months, served consecutively with the 60-day suspension
1-year disqualification for a first offense of operating a commercial vehicle under the influence, refusing a chemical test, or leaving the scene of a crash

If the one-year offense happens while transporting hazardous materials, the disqualification stretches to three years. A second major offense in a commercial vehicle triggers a lifetime disqualification of all commercial vehicle group designations.¹⁷ Even a drunk driving conviction in a personal vehicle costs a CDL holder at least a year of commercial privileges.

Federal Safety Scores

Beyond individual fines, carriers get graded by the FMCSA’s Safety Measurement System across seven categories: Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances and Alcohol, Hazardous Materials Compliance, and Driver Fitness.¹⁸ Poor scores draw interventions ranging from warning letters to full compliance reviews. Every violation caught during a Michigan roadside inspection feeds into that score and can affect a carrier’s ability to operate anywhere in the country.

1
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 257.7 – Michigan Vehicle Code (Excerpt)
2
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 257.801 – Michigan Vehicle Code
3
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 257.801g – Michigan Vehicle Code
4
State of Michigan. Applying for a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
5
eCFR. Subpart D – National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners
6
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 474.110 – Motor Bus Transportation Act (Excerpt)
7
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Insurance Filing Requirements
8
State of Michigan. Apply for IFTA License
9
UCR. Fee Brackets
10
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 257.719 – Michigan Vehicle Code
11
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 257.722 – Michigan Vehicle Code (Excerpt)
12
Michigan State Police. Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Overview
13
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. General Information about the ELD Rule
14
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. When Must Current and Prospective Employers Conduct a Query of a CDL Driver’s Information in the Clearinghouse?
15
FMCSA Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. CDL Drivers – Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Registration Instructions
16
Michigan Legislature. MCL – Section 257.724 – Michigan Vehicle Code
17
Michigan Legislature. Chapter 257 – Michigan Vehicle Code – Section 319b
18
Safety Measurement System (SMS). SMS Methodology – BASIC Prioritization Status