• Motor Carrier Services

Effective March 1, 2025, owners of five or more qualifying commercial motor vehicles currently registered with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) are required to register their qualifying vehicles with Indiana Department of Revenue's (DOR) Motor Carrier Services (MCS), under the Base Plate Registration Program (BPR). This legislative change comes from the enactment of House Bill 1162 in 2024.

Existing commercial vehicle registrations with a Feb. 28, 2025 expiration date must register with MCS (and not through the BMV) to ensure they are active by March 1, 2025. Registering prior to this date will ensure credentials will be processed in a timely manner. Base Plate Registrations can be completed online with MCS. Upon completing the registrations with MCS, owners will be issued new base plates for their vehicles. Future renewals will be done through MCS.

Download the BPR User Guide for complete instructions on how to complete your registration with MCS, create a user ID, process your vehicle renewals, and print your registration cab cards.

Carriers that qualify

You qualify if you own five or more of the following commercial power units:
  • Trucks, semi-tractors, and recovery vehicles with a registered weight of 11,001 lbs. or greater
If you qualify based on the above terms, the registration for the below vehicles will also transfer to DOR-MCS:
  • Full trailers with a registered weight of 9,001 lbs. or greater
  • Semitrailers

Online Registration


Click on Start Registration button above to provide additional information required to migrate your account to DOR Motor Carrier Services.

Timeline

Oct. 1, 2024: BMV notification of transferring registration. Qualifying carriers will receive notice by mail.
Oct. 15, 2024: DOR-MCS notification of transferring registration. Qualifying carriers will receive additional notice from DOR-MCS by mail.
Nov. 4, 2024: Carriers are required to provide additional information to allow for account creation with DOR-MCS. Renewal of 2025 plates cannot be initiated without this additional information. Qualifying carriers will receive a 2nd notice from DOR-MCS by mail, with instructions on how to provide required additional information via DOR-MCS website. You will need to provide the unique letter ID given on this letter. To create your account, you will also need to provide the following information:
  • Company Name
  • FEIN/SSN
  • Letter ID
Jan. 6, 2025 - Feb. 28, 2025: Registration window is open. Qualifying carriers will receive notice by mail. Registrations that are not completed by the due date of March 1, 2025 will incur a $5 late fee per vehicle.

Additional Intrastate Carrier Requirements

As an intrastate carrier in Indiana, you may have other requirements in addition to your vehicle registration.
  • If you operate intrastate and for-hire, transporting general freight, you may need Intrastate Operating Authority.
  • If you operate intrastate and private, transporting hazardous materials, you may need Intrastate Operating Authority.
  • If you operate intrastate and for-hire, transporting passengers or household goods, you may need to apply for Intrastate Operating Authority for passengers or household goods. More information can be found here.


Frequently Asked Questions

During the 2024 legislative session, House Bill 1162 introduced changes to the issuing of vehicle registration for owners of five or more commercial motor vehicles. Pursuant to this change, those qualifying carriers are required to migrate their registration from Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) to Indiana Department of Revenue's (DOR) Motor Carrier Services division (MCS).

MCS requires specific information in order to register all carriers. You will receive a letter detailing how to provide MCS with the required information in November 2024. You will need the information provided in this letter in order to create your account.

All qualifying carriers must register the qualifying vehicles with DOR-MCS under the Base Plate program. There is no option to opt out.

Yes. Once your registration has been processed by MCS, you will receive new base plates in the mail. Please see the license plate type conversion chart below.

BMV to BPR Plate Conversion
BMV Plate Equivilent DOR-MCS Plate
GENERAL TRAILER NEW FORMAT 12,000 Full Trailer (FT)
GENERAL TRAILER NEW FORMAT 16,000 Full Trailer (FT)
GENERAL TRAILER NEW FORMAT 22,000 Full Trailer (FT)
GENERAL TRAILER NEW FORMAT >22,000 Full Trailer (FT)
SEMI TRAILER PERMANENT NEW FORMAT Permanent Semi-Trailer (PST)
RECOVERY VEHICLE NEW FORMAT 16,000 Base plate - Wrecker (WR)
RECOVERY VEHICLE NEW FORMAT >16,000 Base plate - Wrecker (WR)
SEMI TRACTOR NEW FORMAT 16,000 Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
SEMI TRACTOR NEW FORMAT 26,000 Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
SEMI TRACTOR NEW FORMAT 36,000 Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
SEMI TRACTOR NEW FORMAT 48,000 Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
SEMI TRACTOR NEW FORMAT 66,000 Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
SEMI TRACTOR NEW FORMAT 78,000 Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
SEMI TRACTOR NEW FORMAT >78,000 Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
TRUCK 16,000 GENERAL TRUCK NEW FORMAT Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
TRUCK 26,000 GENERAL TRUCK NEW FORMAT Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
TRUCK 36,000 GENERAL TRUCK NEW FORMAT Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
TRUCK 48,000 GENERAL TRUCK NEW FORMAT Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
TRUCK 66,000 GENERAL TRUCK NEW FORMAT Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
TRUCK 78,000 GENERAL TRUCK NEW FORMAT Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)
TRUCK >78,000 GENERAL TRUCK NEW FORMAT Base plate - Power Unit (PWR)

Registration rates for vehicles in Indiana are based on Indiana legislative code. The BMV and MCS will charge the same rates.

*Prorated, except where noted.
Power Vehicle Registration
Truck (TK), Tractor (TR), Truck-Tractor (TT), Road Tractor (RT), For-Hire Bus (FHBS)
11,001-16,000 pounds$144.00
16,001-26,000 pounds$180.00
26,001-36,000 pounds$372.00
36,001-48,000 pounds$624.00
48,001-66,000 pounds$900.00
66,001-78,000 pounds$1,200.00
78,001-80,000 pounds$1,692.00
Private Bus (PVBS) - *Not prorated
≤ 80,000 pounds$16.35
Recovery Vehicles/Wreckers (WR)
≤ 16,000 pounds$72.00
16,001-80,000 pounds$504.00
Trailer Registration
Full Trailer ≤ 12,000 pounds$72.00
Full Trailer ≤ 16,000 pounds$108.00
Full Trailer ≤ 22,000 pounds$168.00
Full Trailer > 22,000 pounds$228.00
Semi-Trailer - *Not prorated$82.00

For existing BMV registrations that are valid through February 28, 2025, you can continue to make changes through the BMV until the expiration date.

No. If you register with MCS with five or more commercial intrastate vehicles you will renew with MCS each year, even if at a later date you own less than five.

Only these vehicles will continue to be registered and renewed with DOR-MCS:
  • Trucks, semi-tractors, and recovery vehicles with a registered weight of 11,001 lbs. or greater
  • Full trailers with a registered weight of 9,001 lbs. or greater
  • Semitrailers

If you meet the criteria of 5 or more qualifying power units, these trailer types will also have their registration transferred to MCS:
  • Full trailers with a registered weight of 9,001 lbs. or greater
  • Semitrailers

If you are going to be traveling commercially across state lines, you may qualify for IRP registration. For more information, visit our IRP webpage.

MCS oversees many areas that affect the commercial transportation industry, such as International Fuel Tax Agreement, International Registration Plan, Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Permitting, Unified Carrier Registration, USDOT Numbers and title processing.

Visit our FAQ page for more information on the services MCS offers.

The BMV remains responsible for personal vehicle registration, voter registration, driver's licenses, and commercial driver's license (CDL).

Under state law, Base Plate Registration customers are mandated to complete transactions electronically. You can complete your registration online and receive your plates by mail. However, if you would prefer in-person customer service assistance, visit our MCS Customer Service Center, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. MCS has one location at 7811 Milhouse Road, Suite M, Indianapolis, IN, 46241.

For the purposes of account migration to DOR-MCS, customers who have multiple BMV accounts associated with one FEIN/SSN will be given a single account with DOR-MCS. This account includes a combined vehicle count from all associated BMV accounts. The combined vehicle count is aggregated by the associated FEIN/SSN.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, you may contact Motor Carrier Services by email at baseplatemigration@dor.in.gov.