Running a truck out of the Chicago suburbs means a few Illinois-specific boxes to check. Some of these are decals we make; others are state-issued credentials we cannot sell but can help you understand. Here is the lay of the land.

USDOT number (we letter this)

The USDOT number goes with interstate operation. Illinois is one of the states that does not require one for purely intrastate work — an Illinois-only for-hire carrier displays an ILL.C.C. number instead, and a carrier doing both shows both legends. Either way it is displayed on both sides of the power unit with your legal name, and either way it is exactly the cut-vinyl set we do same-day.

IFTA decals (state-issued)

The International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) decals come from the Illinois Department of Revenue — one set per qualified motor vehicle, displayed on both exterior sides of the cab, renewed annually. These are official state credentials; we cannot print them, but we make sure your USDOT/MC lettering sits cleanly alongside them.

IRP / apportioned plates & UCR (state/federal credentials)

  • IRP (apportioned) registration covers interstate operation across multiple states — handled through the Illinois Secretary of State, not a decal we print.
  • UCR (Unified Carrier Registration) is an annual federal registration for interstate carriers — a fee, not a sticker.
  • What we do print: your USDOT number, MC number, legal name, unit numbers, GVW and any DOT warning/HazMat placards you need.

Bring your paperwork to the shop in Rolling Meadows and we will get the lettering side handled fast — and point you to the right state office for the credentials we cannot issue.

Which of these is actually a decal we cut

Worth separating, because the word "decal" is doing three different jobs in this area. IFTA credentials and apportioned plate credentials come from the state — they are issued documents, and no sign shop produces or replaces them. What a shop cuts is the marking on the vehicle: your legal name and USDOT number, and in Illinois the Commerce Commission licence number on an intrastate for-hire truck.

If a shop offers to make you an IFTA decal, that is the moment to walk. The state issues those, they are tied to your account and the year, and a reproduction is not a shortcut — it is a problem.

The Illinois marking the federal rules do not mention

This is the one that surprises carriers who assumed a USDOT number covered everything. An Illinois intrastate for-hire property carrier has to display its name and Illinois Commerce Commission licence number on the cab or power unit — a requirement with no federal equivalent and no mention anywhere in the FMCSRs. It has its own article because it is the single most common thing we fix for carriers who registered in-state and got everything else right: the Illinois door marking the federal rules do not cover.

Can you make me an IFTA decal?

No, and no shop should. IFTA credentials are issued by the state, tied to your account and to the licence year. What we cut is the vehicle marking — legal name, USDOT number, and the Illinois Commerce Commission number where it applies.

I run only inside Illinois. Do I still need a USDOT number?

Illinois does require intrastate carriers to have a USDOT number. What differs is the door marking: the state did not adopt the federal marking rule for intrastate operation, and instead requires the ILCC licence number on the cab. The two questions get confused constantly, which is why we gave the marking rule its own article.

Where does the ILCC number go?

On both sides of the cab or power unit, with the carrier name or a recognisable logo. Not on the trailer — the Illinois rule says cab or power unit, the same way the federal rule does.

Do I need apportioned plates?

That depends on weight and whether you cross state lines, and it is a registration question rather than a marking one. Your registration paperwork decides it; we cut what the paperwork says.