LLC for a Trucking Company: What to File, in Order
Last updated November 9, 2026 · Written by the EIN Registration filing team
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Start Now →The filings for a trucking LLC, in order
| Step | Filed with | What it needs from the step before |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Form the LLC | Your state | Nothing. This sets the legal name. |
| 2. Get the EIN | IRS | The LLC's exact name and the date the state approved it. |
| 3. USDOT Number | FMCSA, in Motus | The legal name and the EIN. |
| 4. Operating authority (MC number), if you haul for hire across state lines | FMCSA | The USDOT registration. |
| 5. BOC-3 and insurance filing | FMCSA, by your process agent and your insurer | The authority application. |
| 6. UCR, if you run interstate | The UCR Plan, through your base state | The USDOT Number and your truck count. |
Open the business bank account once you have the EIN letter, and buy insurance in the LLC's name, because the insurer's filing has to match the name FMCSA holds.
Do you need an LLC at all?
Not for FMCSA. Its application is signed by the owner of a sole proprietorship, a partner in a partnership, or someone in the ownership of a corporation, so every structure can register. Whether an LLC is right for you is a legal and tax question for an attorney or accountant.
Two facts are worth knowing before you decide. FMCSA strongly encourages sole proprietors to register with an EIN, and it says personal details used to register are published on its websites, including a home address, phone number and email when those double as the business contact. And the name you register under is the name your insurance, your BOC-3 and your UCR all have to match.
Step 1: form the LLC with your state
Choose a name the state will accept, name a registered agent with a street address in that state, and file the articles of organization. Wait for the approval before you do anything else: the approved name, spelled and punctuated exactly as the state recorded it, is the one every later filing uses.
You can file this yourself on your state’s website. If you would rather have it done for you, America LLC Filing, our sister site, runs the name search, drafts the articles and submits them.
Step 2: get the EIN in the LLC's exact name
The EIN is the number FMCSA, the bank, the insurer and the IRS truck tax return all ask for. Apply in the LLC's legal name, with the owner as the responsible party. Keep the IRS confirmation letter: to change the EIN on a registration later, FMCSA asks for it. More on the application in EIN for an LLC, and on the trucking side in EIN for a trucking company.
Steps 3 to 6: the FMCSA filings
With the LLC and the EIN in hand you register in Motus, FMCSA's registration system, and add operating authority if you will haul other people's freight for hire across state lines. Private carriers, carriers that haul only exempt commodities and carriers that stay inside a federally designated commercial zone do not need operating authority. Our DOT number guide walks through who needs what.
We do not file these. ICR Filings is a separate company we work with. Its prices on November 9, 2026:
- New USDOT Number: $199.
- New authority package (USDOT, MC authority, BOC-3 and UCR): $499 plus $355 in government fees.
- BOC-3 process agent filing: $74.99.
- UCR registration: from $174, with the UCR fee included.
Already driving as a sole proprietor?
Forming an LLC for a business you already run changes more than the name on the door.
- The EIN. The IRS lets a single-member LLC keep using the owner's sole proprietor EIN only when it has no employees and no excise tax to file. Form 2290, the heavy vehicle use tax return for trucks at 55,000 pounds or more, is an excise tax return. So an LLC that files Form 2290, or that hires a driver, needs its own EIN.
- The FMCSA record. FMCSA has a process for a name change, which asks for the state's document, and one for a changed EIN, which asks for the IRS letter. A new LLC is a new legal entity, so ask FMCSA which applies to you before you haul under the new name. ICR's guide to changing a company name with FMCSA covers the cases.
- Everything that carries the name. Insurance, the BOC-3, UCR, IFTA and plates are all in the old name until you change them.
Quick answers
Do I need an LLC to start a trucking company?
No. FMCSA registers sole proprietors, partnerships and corporations as well as LLCs. Whether to form one is a legal and tax decision. If you do form one, do it before you apply for the USDOT Number, so the registration is in the company's name from the start.
Does a trucking LLC need an EIN?
Yes. FMCSA registers a carrier under an EIN or an SSN, and an LLC has no SSN of its own. The IRS truck tax return, Form 2290, also asks for an EIN.
What do I file first: the LLC, the EIN or the DOT number?
The LLC with your state, then the EIN with the IRS in the LLC's exact name, then the USDOT Number and any operating authority with FMCSA. Each step uses the name and number from the one before.
I already drive as a sole proprietor. Can I keep my EIN when I form an LLC?
Often not. The IRS says a single-member LLC needs its own EIN when it has to file excise or employment tax returns. Form 2290 is an excise tax return, so an LLC that runs a truck at 55,000 pounds or more, or that has employees, gets a new EIN.
Who files the LLC, the EIN and the DOT number for me?
Three different filings. America LLC Filing, our sister site, files the LLC with the state. We file the EIN for a flat $197. ICR Filings, a partner company, files the USDOT Number ($199) and operating authority with FMCSA.
Which state should a trucking LLC be formed in?
Usually the state where the business is actually run. An LLC formed elsewhere generally still has to register in its home state, which means two sets of state filings.
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Related guides
- How to Get a DOT Number (and Why the EIN Comes First) A USDOT Number comes from FMCSA, which registers a carrier under an EIN or SSN. Who needs one, the order to do it in, and when you also need an MC number.
- EIN for a Trucking Company: Who Needs One and When to Get It FMCSA registers a carrier under an EIN or SSN, and the truck tax return takes only an EIN. Who needs one, owner-operators included, and when to get it.
- LLC for a Box Truck Business: The Steps, and Which Filings Apply Form the LLC, get its EIN, then register the truck if it is rated 10,001 pounds or more and works across state lines. Which filings a box truck needs.
- How to Get an LLC and an EIN: The Steps in Order Form the LLC with your state, then apply for the EIN in the exact approved name. What to have ready for each step, and the mistakes that cost time.
- Do I Need a New EIN? The Full Scenario Table A new EIN is needed when the taxpayer changes, not when its details do. Name changes, new partners, and S-corp elections keep it; incorporating, sole prop to partnership, and a trust turning irrevocable need a new one.
- Business Bank Account Requirements: What You Need What banks generally ask for when you open a business account, by business type.
Sources
You can also apply for an EIN directly with the IRS at irs.gov at no cost.