Fee and Payment Information
- 72-Hour Permit - $25
- 144-Hour Permit - $50
A non-refundable processing and handling fee of $4.75 is assessed per permit. The fee covers the cost to process the permit.
Fees are payable by:
- MasterCard, VISA, Discover, or American Express, if purchasing the permit online or at a county tax office that accepts them. A service charge may be included
- Certified check or money order, payable to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, if purchasing at the Regional Service Center
- Funds deposited in a pre-established escrow account
- Cash
Note: Personal checks are not accepted.
You may purchase a 72-Hour Permit and 144-Hour Permit in advance of a proposed trip and several permits may be obtained at one time with the times of validity to run sequentially, having one permit become effective immediately upon the expiration of the preceding one.
Eligible Use
A 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit may only be issued to commercial vehicles and buses owned by residents of the United States, Mexico, or Canada.
These permits may be used to:
- Operate an unregistered commercial vehicle or bus in Texas.
- Engage in intrastate operations in Texas with out-of-state licensed commercial vehicles.
Texas residents may use these permits to operate:
- An unregistered commercial vehicle or bus in Texas.
- A Texas registered commercial vehicle with a heavier gross weight than registered. The heavier load may operate for only the period that the permit is valid unless the owner purchases additional permits.
- A vehicle registered with either Farm or Soil Conservation license plates when the vehicle is operating over the maximum weight allowed by law.
72-Hour Permits and 144-Hour Permits may not be issued to:
- Any vehicle that has been deemed salvage or nonrepairable.
- Any vehicle that has been apprehended.
- Any vehicle that will solely be operated outside of Texas.
Vehicles operating with a 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit may operate at the maximum weight allowed under Texas registration laws.
A 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit is valid only in Texas.
Insurance Requirements
Applicants must show proof of liability insurance that meets the Texas minimum liability limits of $30,000/$60,000/$25,000. Insurance is not required for trailers and semitrailers. An insurance company authorized to write insurance in Texas must provide the coverage. If the applicant is registered as a motor carrier with TxDMV’s Motor Carrier Division, a registration listing is acceptable instead of proof of liability insurance.
Vehicle Inspection
A vehicle displaying a 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit must pass a Texas Safety Inspection before being operated on the highways. If the vehicle displays current out-of-state license plates or the vehicle is mobile drilling or servicing equipment used in the production of gas or crude petroleum oil, a Texas Safety Inspection is not required.
Vehicles Registered in Combination
The following instructions apply when 72-Hour Permits or 144-Hour Permits are issued to trucks or truck-tractors with a gross weight in excess of 10,000 lbs. and semitrailers with gross weights in excess of 6,000 lbs. and the combined gross weight is greater than 18,000 lbs::
- A truck or truck-tractor displaying a 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit may not pull a semitrailer displaying a Token Trailer license plate. Token Trailer license plates are valid only when displayed on semitrailers pulled by vehicles registered with Combination, Forestry, Apportioned, or Seasonal Permit license plates for the combined gross weight of all the vehicles used in the combination. Therefore, if a pulling unit displays a 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit, each semitrailer operated in combination must also display a permit or trailer registration.
- If a truck or truck-tractor displaying a Combination license plate pulls a semitrailer displaying a 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit, the pulling unit should be registered for the combined gross weight of all the vehicles in the combination. If the vehicle is not registered for a sufficient combined gross weight, the owner must either increase the weight at the county or purchase a 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit for the pulling unit. The permit qualifies the combination for the maximum gross weight permitted under Texas registration laws..
- A vehicle displaying Truck license plates cannot legally pull a semitrailer displaying a Token Trailer license plate. The semitrailer would need to display a 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit. This allows the owner to legally operate the combination without exchanging registration.
- An out-of-state licensed power unit can legally pull a semitrailer displaying a Texas Token Trailer license plate. The power unit must be registered for the combined gross weight of the truck or truck-tractor, semitrailer, and load. The out-of-state vehicle must display a 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit on the pulling unit.
- An out-of-state power unit operating in Texas under the International Registration Plan (IRP) may operate interstate or intrastate in Texas while pulling a semitrailer displaying a Texas Token Trailer license plate or a 72-Hour Permit or 144-Hour Permit. The out-of-state power unit must be registered for the combined gross weight of the truck or truck-tractor, semitrailer, and load.
