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Virginia trucking rules

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

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

Must-know rules

Virginia's main truck-specific speed rule is a 45 mph cap on unposted secondary roads, where cars get 55 mph. Fleets also need to watch the Hampton Roads tunnel hazmat bans and height/width limits, a 3-minute idling rule, and the Virginia Road Tax Fee for non-IRP trucks. I could not confirm weigh-station rules, winter chain or traction rules, or a weight-distance tax from sources I could retrieve, so I left them out.

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

• Must knowTruck speed limit on unposted secondary roads

  On highways not covered by the 55 mph rule, cars, buses and pickup or panel trucks get 55 mph. Trucks, tractor trucks and property-hauling combinations get 45 mph. VDOT says this applies on secondary routes numbered 600 and above.

  Va. Code § 46.2-870. Maximum speed limits generally
• Must know55 mph cap for permitted oversize/overweight loads

  If you are running under a Commissioner's special hauling permit, the maximum is 55 mph on any highway posted at 55 or higher. The Commissioner can lower the limit further on a permit.

  Code of Virginia - Article 8. Speed

Weight limits, oversize permits and chain laws

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

Fees and DOT requirements

Virginia's state CDL fee is low: the DMV prices it at $8 per year of validity, so a standard 8-year CDL is $64 for both Class A and Class B. Truck registration is weight-based, and I could not confirm the current per-1,000-lb rates from an official page, so the registration dollar amounts are null. For-hire intrastate carriers do need DMV operating authority, and non-IRP trucks over 26,000 lb pay a separate annual road-tax fee.

Class B CDL

$64 for 8 years (about $8 a year)
The DMV lists the CDL at $8 per year of validity with a $20 minimum, which comes to $64 for a standard 8-year CDL with no endorsements. Endorsements cost $1 per year each. The commercial learner's permit (CLP) is $3 and is valid 1 year. The TWIC-based hazmat background check (HME) fee is $41. A miss Source

Class A CDL

$64 for 8 years (about $8 a year)
The fee is the same as Class B. The DMV page gives one standard-CDL price and does not list a separate Class A fee. Endorsements are $1 per year each, the CLP is $3, and a missed skills-test appointment is $50. The CDL is valid 8 years and expires on your birthday. I found no other state test fees. Source

How registration is figured

By gross weight. For a property-carrying truck, Va. Code § 46.2-697 sets $13 plus a per-1,000-lb rate that rises with weight bracket, and the rate is higher for rent/for-hire vehicles than for private carriers. The statute adds $5 for vehicles over 6,500 lb. The weight used is the vehicle's gross we
I could not read the current official per-1,000-lb rate table, so I am not giving a dollar figure. Older copies of the statute on Justia and FindLaw show different rates, so they cannot be treated as current. Ask the DMV or check the statute page for the current schedule. A third-party site (not official) says private carriers pay roughly $53 to $1,348 depending on weight, and for-hire vehicles up Source

Intrastate operating authority

For-Hire Intrastate Operating Authority (a permit for property carriers; a certificate for household goods carriers and . renews; no renewal fee. The renewal interval was not stated .
The DMV issues this authority to for-hire carriers moving property or passengers point to point inside Virginia. The fee sources conflict. Form OA 142, the permit application, marks the general Property Carrier permit as 'no fee'. The DMV FAQ says carriers generally pay a $50 filing fee per certificate, permit or license. The $50 filing fee is stated for certificate and license types such as house Source

State DOT requirements

• Must knowVirginia Road Tax (VRT) fee for intrastate trucks

  Vehicles operating only in Virginia and not registered under IRP are charged an annual VRT fee, collected at registration, if they have 3 or more axles or a gross or combination weight of 26,001 lb or more. The statute sets this fee at $150 per year per vehicle; the text I could read was cut off, so confirm the amount with the DMV.

  Virginia Road Tax Fee (Virginia DMV); statute: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title58.1/chapter27/

See all 7 DOT requirements with full access

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

New Virginia trucking bills

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