TL;DR: Texas intrastate authority is the TxDMV Number from the Motor Carrier Division. Get a USDOT Number first, apply through eLINC, receive your UIN, and have your insurer file Form E electronically. The number activates once the filing posts and fees are paid, typically within days, and stays active only while insurance stays continuous.
What is a TxDMV Number and who must have one?
The TxDMV Number, also called a Certificate of Operating Authority, is Texas intrastate operating authority, issued by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Carrier Division under Texas Transportation Code chapter 643. You need one to run commercial vehicles wholly within Texas if any trigger applies: a vehicle or combination over 26,000 pounds gross weight, registered weight, or weight rating; placardable hazardous materials in any quantity; vehicles designed for more than 15 passengers including the driver; commercial school buses; farm vehicles at 48,000 pounds or more; or household goods for compensation at any weight. Exclusively interstate operations register federally and under UCR instead.
What is the application sequence?
| Step | What happens | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Obtain a USDOT Number, required before Texas registration | Same day online |
| 2 | Apply through TxDMV eLINC, creating your account | Review typically 24 to 48 business hours |
| 3 | Receive your Unique Identifier Number, UIN, by email | On approval |
| 4 | Give the UIN to your insurance company | Your move, same day |
| 5 | Insurer files Form E electronically; you pay fees | Often within days of binding |
| 6 | UIN converts to an active TxDMV Number | Automatic once filing and fees post |
The insurance filing is the pacing item, exactly as with federal authority. Carriers who bind coverage before applying sail through; carriers who apply first and shop later discover their UIN idling while quotes trickle in.
Who files Form E, and what does it certify?
Only your insurance company can file it, electronically, and it must be filed by the appropriate underwriter. Form E certifies automobile liability coverage at the Texas minimum for your operation: $500,000 CSL for general commodities above 26,000 pounds, $1,000,000 for oil, listed hazmat, and petroleum fuels, $5,000,000 for the worst bulk hazmat classes, $300,000 for household goods movers under 26,000 pounds. Household goods carriers add cargo filings on Forms H and I at $5,000 single shipper and $10,000 aggregate. Even though the insurer transmits the filing, TxDMV holds you responsible for keeping it active.
What are the continuous coverage and cancellation rules?
Your policy must remain active for the life of your authority, and it must contain a provision requiring the insurer to give TxDMV at least 30 days electronic notice before cancellation or expiration, filed as Form K. If coverage dies with nothing new on file, TxDMV can impose administrative penalties, sanctions, or revoke the TxDMV Number outright. The safe pattern when switching insurers mirrors the federal one: new Form E filed and confirmed before the old policy's last day, so the record never shows a gap.
How does this interact with federal authority?
They are parallel systems that share one insurer but nothing else. A Texas carrier running both intrastate and interstate freight holds a TxDMV Number with a Form E filing and federal authority with a BMC-91 or BMC-91X filing, and the same liability policy typically backs both, written at the higher federal-market limit. Adding interstate lanes to an intrastate operation means new federal filings and usually a limit increase, since the Texas $500,000 minimum sits below the federal $750,000 floor and the $1,000,000 broker standard. Plan the insurance change before the first interstate load, not after.
What trips up Texas authority applications?
Four recurring stalls. Applying before holding a USDOT Number, which eLINC requires up front. Name mismatches between the eLINC application and the insurance policy, which delay the Form E match. Waiting to shop insurance until after the UIN arrives, leaving the application idle. And assuming the filing posted without checking, when the underwriter's transmission failed or went against the wrong UIN. Each one is preventable in the first week with a bound policy, an exact legal name, and a confirmation check.
Real questions Texas carriers seeking intrastate authority ask
How long does it take to get a TxDMV Number?
eLINC review typically runs 24 to 48 business hours to issue your UIN, and the number activates once your insurer's Form E posts and fees are paid. With coverage bound in advance, the whole sequence commonly lands within a week. The insurance filing is almost always the pacing item.
Can I file my own Form E with TxDMV?
No. Form E must be filed electronically by your insurance company through the appropriate underwriter, like federal BMC filings. Your job is to hand your insurer the UIN promptly and verify the filing shows active before you dispatch.
Do I need a USDOT Number for intrastate-only Texas trucking?
Yes. TxDMV requires a valid USDOT Number before you begin eLINC registration, so even carriers that never leave Texas end up with both identifiers: the USDOT Number for the safety system and the TxDMV Number as operating authority.
What is Form K and why does it matter?
Form K is the insurer's electronic notice of cancellation for liability or cargo coverage, required at least 30 days before the policy ends. It is your warning window: get replacement coverage filed before the date passes, because a dead filing invites penalties or revocation of your authority.
Does my TxDMV Number cover me for interstate loads?
No. Interstate for-hire freight requires federal operating authority with its own insurance filings. Running interstate on intrastate credentials risks enforcement and uncovered-claim disputes. Add federal authority, raise limits to the interstate standard, and let your insurer file the BMC certificate first.
Why truckers work with Morrow
- We know the filings. Morrow is licensed in Texas and coordinates Form E, H, and I filings with your insurer so your TxDMV Number activates without a paperwork stall.
- New authority is our normal. First-year carriers pay the most and get declined the most. We work with markets that actually want new ventures and we tell you what the first renewal takes.
- Certificates and filings, fast. Certificates of insurance the same business day for most carriers, and federal or state filings submitted electronically so your authority is not sitting in a queue.
- We quote the whole picture. Liability, cargo, physical damage, and the endorsements shippers and brokers actually check for, priced together so nothing is missing when a load is on the line.
- Real people when something goes wrong. A claim, a lapse notice, or a lost certificate gets a person, not a portal.
Related Texas trucking guides
The other Texas trucking questions, answered the same way.
- Trucking insurance in Texas (start here)
- Trucking insurance requirements
- Minimum liability limits for trucks
- Cost of trucking insurance
- Business insurance in Texas
- Federal minimum liability limits by commodity
- What is an MCS-90 endorsement?
- FMCSA filing timeline and the 20-day rule
- Trucking and transportation insurance overview
This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Limits, forms, and deadlines change, so verify current requirements with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Carrier Division before you rely on them. Morrow is a brand name of Afthonea Inc. Last updated: July 2026.