What is the International Registration Plan (IRP)?

03/07/2023

The International Registration Plan (IRP) was developed by the American Association of Motor Vehicles Administrators (AAMVA) to promote commerce and streamline interstate truck operations. It's a reciprocity agreement between states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, which allows commercial vehicles to register their vehicles with a native state and have their registration recognized in other jurisdictions. The fees for the IRP are based on the percentage of miles driven in each state, which are then distributed to the relevant states by the native registered state. Commercial vehicles weighing over 26,000 pounds and traveling in multiple states or provinces require IRP.

There are two types of license plates for commercial trucks under specific requirements: Base plates and Apportioned plates (IRP). If a truck never leaves the state, a base plate is sufficient, and you can add or subtract states depending on where you wish to run. The cost of the base plates depends on the number of states you register for on the registration form and the number of miles you run in each state. In some cases, it's more cost-effective to purchase plates from a state you travel through frequently, even if your company headquarters are in another state. However, if you plan to travel through more than one state, things get more complicated, and you will be required to participate in the International Registration Plan or apportioned registration.

With IRP, an Apportioned License Plate and an Apportioned Cab Card are provided, which list the states/provinces in which you have registered your vehicle. The advantage of this plan is that a tractor or carrier only requires one license plate marked as "Apportioned," "APP," or "ARP" in their home/base state or jurisdiction and also a cab card for each vehicle. A vehicle with an apportioned license plate shows that each jurisdiction is getting its share of registration fees through the IRP, irrespective of which state issued the license plate. The cab card indicates which states the carrier is permitted to travel within and the carrier's permitted weight restriction.

Calculating the cost of IRP registration fees involves various factors, such as the percentage of miles driven in each jurisdiction, vehicle identification information, maximum GVWR, vehicle value, vehicle age, and unladen weight. To determine the apportioned percentage of any given jurisdiction, you need to divide the distance per jurisdiction by the total traveled distance in the last period. Then, multiply the apportioned percentage by the respective jurisdiction's fees to calculate the cost per vehicle per state. Finally, sum all the fees for each state to get your total IRP fee. As with IFTA, IRP also requires tracking how many miles your fleet travels in each state, which can be done on paper, but it's highly recommended to use software to accurately calculate state miles and provide an audit trail.