IFTA credentials look like the simplest part of interstate trucking: two stickers and a piece of paper. They generate a surprising amount of roadside trouble anyway, mostly because of one widely held misunderstanding about the renewal calendar that IFTA, Inc. found significant enough to address in a dedicated memorandum.
Everything below comes from the IFTA Articles of Agreement and Procedures Manual, both re-issued effective January 2026. If you have read guidance elsewhere that cites the 2020 or 2021 editions, it is describing superseded text.
Two decals, both sides, and not tied to a VIN
The Articles of Agreement require the base jurisdiction to issue a license and two decals per vehicle, and specify that the decals must be placed on the exterior portion of both sides of the cab. The official commentary explains why it is two rather than one: the requirement was changed in 1990 because of where weigh-station and port-of-entry personnel stand, so a decal is readable from either side.
A useful detail most carriers do not know: the decal is not assigned to a specific truck. The Agreement states that the decal shall not be so designed as to require vehicle specific data. Decals are serialized and roughly three inches square, but they carry no VIN. That is the opposite of a temporary decal permit, which must be vehicle specific.
There is a narrow exception to permanent affixing. For transporters, manufacturers, dealers, driveaway operations, or short-term vehicle rentals of 29 days or less where the lessee has assumed the fuel-tax reporting responsibility, the decals need not be permanently affixed and may be temporarily displayed in a visible manner on both sides of the cab.
The license: one per account, and a copy in every truck
One IFTA license is issued per licensee — per account, not per truck — and the carrier reproduces it. The Agreement requires member jurisdictions to accept paper originals, paper copies, or electronic images of IFTA licenses, whichever the licensee presents, regardless of how the base jurisdiction originally issued it. Some states have moved to electronic-only issuance on the strength of that language.
The consequence of not having one is stated directly: a vehicle will not be considered to be operating under the Agreement unless there is a copy of the license in the vehicle, or an electronic image is made available at the time it is requested.
Your licensee identification code stays the same year after year until the license is cancelled or revoked. It is only the decals that are issued annually.
The renewal calendar — and the misconception
The license runs the calendar year to December 31. Carriers renewing credentials may operate with the new decals and license two months prior to the effective date shown on them, which in practice means from November 1. And there is a two-month grace period, January and February, to display the renewal license and decals.
Here is where carriers get caught. The grace period is about display, not about filing. IFTA, Inc. issued a memorandum on October 1, 2025 that states it as plainly as it can be stated: renewals must be filed with your base jurisdiction before the end of the prior year, and the two-month grace period is for display of renewal credentials, not to file your renewal application for those credentials.
So running on last year’s decals in January is lawful only if your renewal application is already in. To travel during the grace period you must display either valid current or prior-year credentials from the jurisdiction in which you were operating, or a valid single-trip permit from the jurisdiction you are in. A cancelled or revoked prior-year credential is not valid for this purpose.
- Decal and license year: January 1 to December 31
- Earliest you may display next year’s credentials: November 1
- Renewal application deadline: before the end of the prior calendar year
- Grace period to display renewal credentials: January 1 through the end of February
- New decals must be displayed from: March 1
If you take one thing from this page: the January–February grace period does not extend your filing deadline. File the renewal before December 31, then use the grace period to get the new stickers on the truck.
Temporary decal permits, replacements, and multiple licensees
If the decals have not arrived yet, there is a legitimate instrument for it. A temporary decal permit is valid for 30 days, giving the carrier time to affix the annual permanent decals. Unlike the decals themselves it must be vehicle specific and show its expiration date, and it need not be displayed — it is carried in the vehicle, in paper or as an electronic image. Note that the Agreement says a base jurisdiction may provide these, not must: not every state issues them.
Decals may not be transferred between vehicles without authorization from the base jurisdiction. Conversely, a truck operated by more than one IFTA licensee during the year may display decals for each active licensee concurrently.
On lost, stolen or damaged decals, the honest answer is that IFTA itself is silent — neither the Articles of Agreement nor the Procedures Manual contains any provision governing replacements. That is entirely base-jurisdiction procedure, usually a specific form and sometimes an account review, so go to your own state’s process rather than a general rule you read somewhere.
What happens at the roadside
IFTA’s own consequences are narrower than most carriers assume. Failure to possess a copy of the license in the vehicle may subject the operator to the purchase of a trip permit, a citation, or both. The same applies to failing to display the decals in the required locations or to carry a temporary permit. Improper use of the license or decals by the licensee may be cause for revocation.
That is the complete extent of what the Agreement itself prescribes. Specific fine amounts, out-of-service decisions and citation codes are state law, and vary — so treat any single dollar figure you see quoted as that state’s rule rather than a national one.
Fees work the same way. IFTA sets no fee and caps none: the base jurisdiction may collect its statutorily authorized fees for issuing the license and decals, and may impose a decal fee to recover reasonable administrative costs. The Procedures Manual even lists application and decal fees as "if applicable." Prices differ by state, and some charge nothing at all.
Frequently asked questions
How many IFTA stickers does each truck need?⌄
Does the grace period give me until the end of February to renew?⌄
Is an IFTA decal assigned to a specific truck?⌄
Can I carry the IFTA license on my phone?⌄
What do I do if a decal is lost or damaged?⌄
Related guides
More in Carrier Credentials & Federal Compliance
Official sources
- IFTA Articles of Agreement (effective January 2026)
- IFTA Procedures Manual (effective January 2026)
- IFTA, Inc. — carrier information
Agency rules, fees and contacts can change — confirm current requirements with the agency before acting. This guide is general information for truckers, not tax or legal advice.