Hotshot CDL and DOT Rules by State

Key finding: 38 states plus Puerto Rico require carriers that stay inside their borders to get a USDOT number, according to FMCSA's own list. Once you cross a state line for business, none of that matters: federal rules apply the same way in all 50 states.

Most hotshot rules aren't state rules at all. The CDL line, the USDOT and MC requirements, the medical card and hours of service come from federal law, and they follow you into every state once you haul across a state line. State rules matter in two places: when you haul only inside one state, and where a state sets its own limits on roads, permits and taxes. This page sorts out which is which, with a 50-state table you can download or embed.

Interstate or intrastate: which rules apply

You're in interstate commerce when a load moves between states, or between two points in one state as part of a trip that started or ends outside it (49 CFR 390.5). A gooseneck load from a dealer in one state to a farm in the next is interstate. So is a run between two cities in Texas, if the freight came in from out of state on that same shipment.

For a for-hire hotshot at 10,001 lb or more in interstate commerce, these are federal and identical in every state:

The non-CDL version of these rules, and what keeps a rig under the line, is in our non-CDL hotshot requirements guide.

State-by-state: intrastate USDOT numbers

If you haul only inside one state, that state decides whether you need a USDOT number. FMCSA keeps the list of states that require one from intrastate commercial motor vehicle registrants:

States that require a USDOT number for intrastate commercial motor vehicle registrants

State	Intrastate USDOT number required	Interstate hotshot (all states)
Alabama	Yes	Federal rules
Alaska	Yes	Federal rules
Arizona	Yes	Federal rules
Arkansas	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
California	Yes	Federal rules
Colorado	Yes	Federal rules
Connecticut	Yes	Federal rules
Delaware	Yes	Federal rules
District of Columbia	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
Florida	Yes	Federal rules
Georgia	Yes	Federal rules
Hawaii	Yes	Federal rules
Idaho	Yes	Federal rules
Illinois	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
Indiana	Yes	Federal rules
Iowa	Yes	Federal rules
Kansas	Yes	Federal rules
Kentucky	Yes	Federal rules
Louisiana	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
Maine	Yes	Federal rules
Maryland	Yes	Federal rules
Massachusetts	Yes	Federal rules
Michigan	Yes	Federal rules
Minnesota	Yes	Federal rules
Mississippi	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
Missouri	Yes	Federal rules
Montana	Yes	Federal rules
Nebraska	Yes	Federal rules
Nevada	Yes	Federal rules
New Hampshire	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
New Jersey	Yes	Federal rules
New Mexico	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
New York	Yes	Federal rules
North Carolina	Yes	Federal rules
North Dakota	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
Ohio	Yes	Federal rules
Oklahoma	Yes	Federal rules
Oregon	Yes	Federal rules
Pennsylvania	Yes	Federal rules
Puerto Rico	Yes	Federal rules
Rhode Island	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
South Carolina	Yes	Federal rules
South Dakota	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
Tennessee	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
Texas	Yes	Federal rules
Utah	Yes	Federal rules
Vermont	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
Virginia	Not on FMCSA's list	Federal rules
Washington	Yes	Federal rules
West Virginia	Yes	Federal rules
Wisconsin	Yes	Federal rules
Wyoming	Yes	Federal rules

"Not on FMCSA's list" means the state isn't one FMCSA names as requiring a USDOT number. It doesn't mean there's no intrastate registration: some states run their own motor carrier numbers or permits. FMCSA's advice is to check with the responsible state agency, and that's ours too. What counts as a commercial vehicle for intrastate purposes, and the weight at which the state's rules start, is also set by each state.

What still changes by state

Even under federal authority, a few things depend on the states you drive through:

• Weight limits off the Interstate. Federal law sets the 20,000 lb single axle, 34,000 lb tandem and 80,000 lb gross limits for the Interstate System (23 U.S.C. 127). On other roads and posted bridges, state limits apply. Hotshots rarely reach these numbers, but posted bridges catch people.
• Oversize and overweight permits. A load that's too wide, tall, long or heavy needs a permit from every state on the route.
• Age for in-state drivers. The federal age 21 applies to interstate driving. Some states let younger drivers run intrastate only.
• Registration and taxes. Your base state handles IRP plates and IFTA if your rig needs them, and a few states charge their own highway use or weight-distance taxes on heavier vehicles.
• Intrastate authority. Some states require their own for-hire authority for in-state hauling, on top of or instead of a USDOT number.

CDL rules by state

There's no state where a hotshot over the federal line can run without a CDL. States issue the license, but the classes follow the federal groups: a combination with a GCWR of 26,001 lb or more, towing a trailer rated over 10,000 lb, needs a Class A (49 CFR 383.91). What a CDL changes for your paperwork, from drug testing to IFTA, is on our CDL hotshot dispatch page.

How this page is maintained

The state table is built from FMCSA's "States that Require a USDOT Number" list, page last updated September 3, 2025, checked October 26, 2026. We don't add state thresholds or agency details we can't confirm on an official page, which is why the table has one state-specific column. We check FMCSA's list every quarter and update the date above; the next check is January 2027. If you're a state agency or carrier and see a change, the editorial policy explains how we handle corrections.