# IRP (International Registration Plan)

> The International Registration Plan (IRP) is a registration agreement under which an interstate truck registers once in its base jurisdiction, gets one apportioned plate and cab card, and pays registration fees split among the member jurisdictions by the distance it travels in each.

Before IRP, a truck working in several states needed a registration in each one. Under IRP the carrier registers in its base jurisdiction, usually the state where it has its place of business and where the vehicle is based and controlled. It receives an apportioned license plate and a cab card listing the jurisdictions and weights the vehicle is registered for, and the base jurisdiction passes each member’s share of the fees on to it.

IRP applies to vehicles used in two or more jurisdictions that carry property and have two axles and a gross or registered weight over 26,000 lb, three or more axles regardless of weight, or are used in a combination weighing over 26,000 lb. Trailers are not apportioned. Government vehicles, restricted-plate vehicles and recreational vehicles not used for business are also outside the plan.

The fee split is based on distance. A new carrier with no history usually starts from estimated distance for its first year; after that, the actual miles driven in each jurisdiction during the reporting period set the percentages. Those miles need records: trip reports or GPS and ELD data by jurisdiction. The same distance data feeds the quarterly [IFTA](https://transportial.com/en-us/glossary/ifta) return, so carriers normally keep one mileage record for both.

The free [IFTA calculator](https://transportial.com/en-us/tools/ifta-calculator) turns those per-state miles and fuel purchases into the quarterly tax or credit.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who needs IRP registration?

A vehicle that travels in two or more member jurisdictions, carries property, and has two axles with a gross or registered weight over 26,000 lb, three or more axles, or is used in a combination over 26,000 lb. Lighter or intrastate-only vehicles register with their state in the normal way.

### What is the difference between IRP and IFTA?

IRP handles vehicle registration: one plate, fees split by distance, renewed every year. IFTA handles fuel tax: one quarterly return, tax split by the miles driven and fuel bought in each jurisdiction. They use the same weight thresholds and the same mileage data, but they are filed separately.

### What is a cab card?

The registration document issued with an apportioned plate. It lists the vehicle, its base jurisdiction and the jurisdictions and weights it is registered for, and it must be carried in the vehicle for inspection.

### Can I operate in a state that is not on my cab card?

Not on the apportioned registration alone. You either add that jurisdiction to your IRP account or buy a trip permit for the trip, depending on how often you run there.


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Canonical page: https://transportial.com/en-us/glossary/irp