Alert: The following services will be unavailable on Saturday, January 5, 2013 from 12 a.m. (midnight) to 6 a.m. CST due to system maintenance.
International registration plan (IRP)

Apportioned license plate
IRP is a method of registering fleets of vehicles that travel in two or more member jurisdictions. All states (except Alaska and Hawaii), Washington D.C., and all Canadian provinces (except Northwestern Territories, Nunavut and Yukon) are members of the plan. Persons who operate “qualified motor vehicles” are subject to IRP licensing, reporting and record-keeping requirements unless the vehicle is exempt or a trip permit is obtained as described below.
Motor carriers that qualify for IRP must register fleets of vehicles in their home or “base” jurisdiction. A fleet, for IRP purposes, is comprised of one or more vehicles that pay registration fees in multiple states. The base jurisdiction collects the appropriate registration fees and distributes them to the other jurisdictions in which the carrier requested IRP registration. IRP registration fees are determined by the type of operation requested (private, for-hire, or rental) and by the:
- Percentage of miles traveled in each member jurisdiction
- Registered gross weight of each vehicle
- Number of vehicles in the carrier’s fleet
IRP distributes the registration revenue among the member jurisdictions. Each member jurisdiction receives its proportional share of registration fees for each vehicle registered under the IRP fleet.
Credentials
Carriers are issued one registration cab card and one license plate for each vehicle in their fleet. Vehicles registered under IRP are considered registered, for vehicle registration purposes only, and does not exempt carriers from any jurisdiction's requirements including:
- Operating authority requirements
- Vehicle size and weight requirements
- Motor fuel or road tax licensing and reporting
- Insurance filing requirements
Qualified motor vehicle
Registration through IRP is required for vehicles that are used for transporting persons or property, travel in two or more IRP jurisdictions (including Wisconsin), and:
- Have a registered gross vehicle weight or actual weight in excess of 26,000 pounds (property carrying vehicle); or
- Are power units with three (3) or more axles regardless of weight, including buses; or
- Are used in combination and the actual weight of the combination exceeds 26,000 pounds
PRISM
The Performance and Registration Information Systems Management
(PRISM) program was developed to meet the challenge of reducing the
number of commercial vehicle crashes of a rapidly expanding
interstate carrier population. It has increased the efficiency and
effectiveness of Federal and State safety efforts through a more
accurate process for targeting the highest-risk carriers, which
allows for a more efficient allocation of scarce resources for
compliance reviews and roadside inspections. The PRISM program
requires that motor carriers improve their identified safety
deficiencies or face progressively more stringent sanctions up to
the ultimate sanction of a Federal Out-of-Service order and
concurrent State registration suspensions. The PRISM program has
proven to be an effective means of motivating motor carriers to
improve their compliance and performance deficiencies.
How does PRISM affect IRP registration?
IRP serves as the framework for the PRISM program. The USDOT number
of the motor carrier responsible for the safety of every vehicle
registered must be identified during the registration process as
well as the USDOT Number of the registrant. Additionally, an updated
MCS-150 form for each identified motor carrier responsible for
safety on an IRP account and an updated MCS-150 form for the
registrant must have already been filed unless the motor carrier and
the registrant have each submitted one within 12 months prior to the
first day of the renewal period or have updated the information
directly on the FMCSA web page http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov.
The MCS-150 update date must be less than 2 years from the
expiration date of the IRP fleet.
Additional information on PRISM may be found here:
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/prism/prism.aspx
Other
- If you are a corporation or LLC, you must be on file with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and be registered in the EXACT name of the registrant. Contact them at http://www.wdfi.org/corporations/crispix or at (608) 261-9555. Status must be active and in good standing. Out of State Organizations Transacting Business in Wisconsin must be registered as a Foreign Corporation.
- You must have a currently updated USDOT number. Currently updated
means it has been updated within 2 years of when the IRP will
expire. The USDOT number must be issued in the EXACT LEGAL name of
the registrant. If a MC Authority is also obtained, the legal name
must also be in the complete and full legal name and be ACTIVE.
If you do not have a USDOT number, or would like to check the status of your US DOT number and/or MC, you can apply or view online at: http://www.safersys.org - Phone number 1-800-832-5660 or 608-662-2010. - If you are a For-hire carrier you must have valid Insurance and Authority on file before we will process your application.
- The IRS issued FEIN number must be on file with the Federal Motor Carrier Administration and must be in the complete and full legal name before we will process your application.
IRP Installment plan:
IRP registrants have the option of paying the Wisconsin portion of
their IRP bill on an installment plan. IRP is an annual
registration. Using the installment plan is not the same as
obtaining quarterly registration. A payment guarantee is required if
you pay your IRP bill under the installment plan. If an installment
payment is not received when due, your guarantee of payment will be
drawn upon for the ENTIRE balance.
The installment plan is best suited for carriers with a high
Wisconsin mileage percentage. This is because it applies to
Wisconsin fees and does not apply to fees due other jurisdictions.
All other jurisdiction fees are paid on the first installment. If
your Wisconsin mileage percentage is low, the first installment will
be much greater than the rest of the payments.
In addition to other jurisdiction fees, the first payment includes a
$10.00 per vehicle fee, plate and cab card fees and one-fourth of
the Wisconsin weight fees. The remaining payments are one-fourth of
the Wisconsin weight fees.
We must have the first installment payment and an acceptable payment
guarantee before we can issue credentials. Installment payments are
DUE every three months. As listed on your original billing notice,
mail your installment payment with a copy of the original billing
notice when due. You will NOT receive a billing notice for each
future installment payment. Surety Bonds must have an official seal
with raised imprint or as a surety sticker seal.
See Sample Irrevocable Letter-of-credit and
Surety Bond (MV2417) for
more information.
Exemptions
Vehicles that are exempt from IRP registration include:
- Government-owned vehicles
- Trailers and semi-trailers
- Charter buses
- Vehicles displaying restricted plates such as equipment, dealer or farm plates
- Recreational vehicles, such as motor homes, that are not used in connection with a business
Reciprocity
Wisconsin has an IRP licensing reciprocity agreement with Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota. This agreement replaces IRP licensing and reporting requirements for the following vehicles:
- All qualified motor vehicles owned or leased and operated by a resident of either state that operate no further than 30 miles from the Wisconsin/Iowa state border, the Wisconsin/Michigan state border or Wisconsin/Minnesota state border.
- All qualified motor vehicles owned or leased and operated by the state or any political subdivision of the state, while operated in official capacity and displaying tax exempt, municipal or state owned registration plates.
- All school buses owned and operated by a resident of either state while used in the transportation of pupils to and from school related and/or sponsored events.
Application forms
Wis. IRP Application Schedule A - form MV2914
Wis. IRP Amendment Schedule B - form MV2912
New Operations for Wisconsin IRP: Checklist
New Operation Schedule B - Wisconsin IRP Application - form MV2854
Trip permit
Instead of an IRP registration, a 72-hour trip permit can be purchased from a permitting service or self issued. See trip permits.
Online access
The WisCRS IRP and IFTA online application is here; sign up today. Many Wisconsin carriers have discovered the benefits –join them!
IRP information may be obtained by contacting:
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Motor Carrier Services
P.O. Box 7955
Madison WI 53707-7955
Telephone: (608) 266-9900
Email: irp-ifta@dot.wi.gov
Questions about the content of this page:
Motor Carrier Services, irp-ifta@dot.wi.gov
Last modified: April 4, 2013
All external hyperlinks are provided for your information and for the benefit of the general public. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation does not testify to, sponsor or endorse the accuracy of the information provided on externally linked pages. Some pages contain links to other documents and media types (PDF, Word, Flash, Video, etc.) and require free plugins to work. Visit our software information page for assistance.



