How we research trucking costs

1. Official sources first

Federal and state fees come from the body that sets them: FMCSA and the eCFR (49 CFR) for registration, insurance minimums and UCR fees; the IRS for Form 2290; IRP, Inc. and IFTA, Inc. plus each base state for plates and fuel tax; state agencies such as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for state permits. We link the exact page we used.

2. Private prices are examples, not promises

Insurance, process-agent (BOC-3) filings, drug and alcohol consortiums, ELDs and factoring are sold by private companies. When we show a number for these, it is either a price published on a company's own website on the date we checked, or an industry average from a named study (for example, the American Transportation Research Institute's annual operational cost report). We label these clearly and never present them as a quote.

3. Dates on everything

Each guide shows an "Updated" date. Fees are re-checked when an agency publishes a change (for example, UCR fees for 2027) and at least twice a year.

4. No made-up totals

Where a cost depends on your lanes, weight or driving record, we show the formula and a worked example with the assumptions spelled out instead of a single made-up figure.

Corrections

Spotted a fee that changed? Tell us and include the official link. We fix verified errors fast.