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South Carolina trucking rules

Fees, CDL costs, weight and size limits, chain laws and new bills for truckers and trucking companies in South Carolina. Updated 2026-10-22.

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

Must-know rules

South Carolina's statute lists the same 70/60/55 mph limits for all vehicles, with no separate truck limit, and the State Transport Police (SCDPS) enforce size, weight and permit rules. The state uses virtual weigh stations, so a truck can be flagged without passing a scale. I could not confirm anything on idling, chain/traction rules, tunnels, handheld-phone law or a weight-distance tax, so those are left out.

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

• Must knowLegal size and weight, and who enforces them

  It is unlawful to move, or let someone move, a vehicle on a highway that exceeds the size and weight limits in Article 33. Legal limits quoted in permit guidance: 13'6" high, 8'6" wide, 75' overall, 80,000 lb gross, 53' semitrailer with kingpin-to-rear-axle not over 41' (the last two figures are from a non-official summary). Confirm the exact numbers in the statute (56-5-4010 and following) before relying on them.

  S.C. Code of Laws Title 56, Chapter 5 (Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways)
• Must knowIRP: who must register and how

  Apportioned IRP plates apply if you run in two or more member jurisdictions including SC, and the vehicle has 2 axles over 26,000 lb GVW, 3+ axles, or a combination over 26,000 lb. IRP registration must be done online through the SC Trucking Portal, not at DMV branches.

  SCDMV – IRP/IFTA New Account Requirements

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

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

Fees and DOT requirements

South Carolina CDLs are cheap: $25 for an 8-year license. The main extra costs for trucks are the weight-based registration and the separate Road Use Fee, whose dollar amount I could not find. Intrastate for-hire freight carriers need a $25 Certificate of Compliance from SCDMV. I did not find or verify anything on state emissions programs or state-specific intrastate age or medical rules, so treat those as unknown.

Class B CDL

$25 for 8 years (about $3.12 a year)
SCDMV lists a $15 CDL application fee, charged each time you apply. The knowledge test is $2 per attempt, pass or fail. The commercial learner's permit is $2.50 and valid for 1 year. A HAZMAT CDL is $15 for a 5-year license. The TSA fingerprinting fee is separate and set by TSA. The CDL Manual does Source

Class A CDL

$25 for 8 years (about $3.12 a year)
Same fee structure as Class B: $15 application, $2 per knowledge test attempt, $2.50 learner's permit. A HAZMAT endorsement changes the license to a 5-year term at $15. State statute 56-1-2100(E) fixes the fee at $25 for an 8-year CDL without a HAZMAT endorsement. The SCDMV Fees page shows the 8-yea Source

Registration, 80,000 lb combination

$800 a year Source Non-government source

How registration is figured

In-state trucks are registered by gross weight, in 1,000-lb brackets, using SCDMV's Schedule of License Fees for trucks and truck tractors with pneumatic tires. The schedule has two columns. The first appears to be annual and the second biennial. I inferred this because the schedule's 0-4,000 lb row
The 79,001-80,000 lb bracket is $800 per year, or $1,600 for two years. This excludes the Road Use Fee, title and other fees. I could not retrieve the 26,001-27,000 lb row, so that figure is null. For reference, the 25,001-26,000 lb bracket is $196 per year, or $392 for two years. The only copy of the schedule I found is on the legacy scdmvonline.com domain, and its date is unknown. Confirm it is Source Non-government source

Intrastate operating authority

Certificate of Compliance (COC), Class E-L or E-LC, issued by SCDMV Motor Carrier Services. $25, Renewal applications exist at $0 fee. The renewal interval i.
A COC is issued to all intrastate for-hire motor carriers except passenger carriers, household goods carriers and hazardous waste for disposal carriers. Those excluded carriers are regulated through the Office of Regulatory Staff and Public Service Commission certificates instead. The new-application fee is $25. Renewal has no fee. The carrier's insurance company (not the agent) must file Form E f Source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowIntrastate USDOT number

  All carriers or operators of commercial motor vehicles that operate solely in South Carolina need a South Carolina intrastate USDOT number. An older announcement said there is no cost to get it. It also gave a threshold of 10,001 lb GVWR/GCWR or more. Confirm the current threshold with the State Transport Police, since that announcement is old.

  FAQ: South Carolina Intrastate DOT Numbers (SC DPS State Transport Police)

See all 6 DOT requirements with full access

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

New South Carolina trucking bills

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