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Montana trucking rules

Fees, CDL costs, weight and size limits, chain laws and new bills for truckers and trucking companies in Montana. Updated 2026-10-23.

Must-know rules · Weight, oversize & chains · Fees · Bills

Must-know rules

Montana has split truck and car speed limits. Trucks over 1 ton are capped at 70 mph on interstates, while cars can run 80 mph on rural interstates. Federal rules cover phone use for CDL drivers, and chains are carried by heavy towing units from Oct 1 to Apr 30. I could not confirm idling limits, hazmat routing or tunnels, or a weight-distance tax from official pages, so those are left out.

Researched by our AI agent from the linked sources on 2026-10-21. Always confirm with the source.

• Must knowTruck speed limits (differ from cars)

  Trucks rated over 1 ton: 70 mph on interstate, 65 mph on primary and secondary roads, day and night. Triples and 100' doubles: 65 mph, interstate only. Cars and light trucks: 80 mph on rural interstate, 65 mph on interstate in areas of 50,000+ people. The handbook text extracts poorly, so check the posted signs.

  2026 Montana Commercial Vehicle Size and Weight and Safety Trucker's Handbook (MDT)
• Must knowAxle weight and combination length

  Two consecutive axles more than 40 inches and less than 96 inches apart may carry at most 34,000 lb. No single axle may exceed 20,000 lb, and a combination may not exceed 75' overall except as allowed by 61-10-124 MCA. Gross weight follows a bridge formula, W = 500((LN/(N-1)) + 12N + 36).

  2026 Montana Commercial Vehicle Size and Weight and Safety Trucker's Handbook (MDT)

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

Our agent is still researching Montana's weight, size and chain rules. Check back soon.

Fees and DOT requirements

Montana's state fees are modest. A CDL is $41.72 for 4 years, or $35.54 for a Montana-only (intrastate) CDL. Truck registration has three parts: a small flat fee, an age-and-weight-based fee in lieu of property tax, and a gross vehicle weight (GVW) fee. The GVW fee is $110 at 26,001 lb and $750 at 80,000 lb. Montana's Public Service Commission (PSC) regulates only passenger, household-goods and garbage carriers. I found no state authority requirement for general-freight carriers, but that is my

Class B CDL

$41.72 for 4 years (about $10.43 a year)
The Montana CDL Manual (revised June 2026) lists one fee table by age and interstate/intrastate type, not by Class A or B. Interstate, ages 21-71: $41.72 for 4 years; $43.78 with a motorcycle endorsement. Intrastate (Montana-only), ages 21-71: $35.54 for 4 years. Validity and fee drop at ages 72-74, Source

Class A CDL

$41.72 for 4 years (about $10.43 a year)
The same fee table applies to Class A. Interstate, ages 21-71: $41.72 for 4 years. Intrastate-only: $35.54 for 4 years. Test and endorsement fees: not stated in the official sources I found (null). Upgrading from Class B to Class A requires ELDT. Source

How registration is figured

Three layers for Montana-registered heavy trucks. (1) A flat annual fee for trucks over 1 ton: $22.75 in the statute; the MVD page lists $23.44, and I could not reconcile the two. (2) Montana Highway Patrol salary/retention fee: $10.30. (3) A fee in lieu of property tax, set by vehicle age and manuf
I left the totals null because the all-in annual cost depends on the vehicle's age and manufacturer's rated capacity, which I don't know, and I did not estimate. The GVW components the statute states are $110 (26,001 lb straight truck) and $750 (80,000 lb combination). Add the flat fee, the $10.30 Highway Patrol fee and the age-based fee in lieu of tax. Interstate trucks can register under IRP (In Source

Intrastate operating authority

Not required for intrastate carriers.
Montana's PSC regulates for-hire intrastate carriers of passengers, household goods and garbage. A PSC guide says intrastate for-hire hauling of garbage or household goods needs PSC authority. The statutory definition of 'motor carrier' does not list general freight, so I read for-hire general-freight carriers as needing no state authority. The sources don't state that outright; confirm with the P Source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowUSDOT number for intrastate carriers

  Montana-only carriers with a vehicle or combination of 26,001 lb or more (GVWR/GCWR) are subject to safety rules. Montana MDT's MCSAP section issues USDOT numbers to intrastate carriers. A secondary source says an intrastate-only carrier's USDOT number must carry the suffix 'MT'.

  Motor Carrier Services Division, MDT

See all 10 DOT requirements with full access

Fees change; confirm with the linked state source. Compare all states.

New Montana trucking bills

No new trucking bills found here recently. The agent checks every morning.