Glossary
IRP (International Registration Plan)
A separate agreement from IFTA that apportions vehicle registration fees across jurisdictions based on distance traveled in each. Many carriers manage both IFTA and IRP, but they're distinct filings, and in some states missing an IFTA deadline can put IRP credentials at risk too.
What IRP means in practice
IRP (International Registration Plan) is a separate agreement from IFTA that apportions a vehicle's registration fees across jurisdictions by the distance travelled in each, so a truck can carry one apportioned plate and one cab card instead of a registration or trip permit for every jurisdiction it enters. The carrier registers once in its base jurisdiction, which splits the fee by the share of the fleet's distance travelled in each member jurisdiction and distributes the money.
It is easy to confuse with IFTA because both use the same threshold and both need distance by jurisdiction. They read the distance differently: IFTA wants the quarter just ended, while IRP renews once a year using a twelve-month reporting period that ends the June 30 before the registration year. Different agencies often run them too, such as the SAAQ for IRP and Revenu Québec for IFTA in Quebec.
The two are linked in practice. A carrier with unfiled IFTA quarters can find its IRP renewal held, and in New Jersey, missing the fourth-quarter IFTA return can suspend both credentials. A single telematics distance report covers both filings.
Read the full explainer
The definition above is the short version. The page below explains IRP (International Registration Plan) in depth, with the rules, numbers and examples behind it.
IFTA in New JerseyGuides that explain IRP (International Registration Plan)
- What Is IFTA? IFTA Fuel Tax Reporting Explained for Fleets
- IFTA Texas: How to Get a Licence and File Your Returns
- IFTA Ohio: How to Register, File and Renew Your Licence
- Kentucky IFTA Login and Filing: Motor Carrier Connect and KYU
- North Carolina IFTA: How to File Online Through NCDOR eFile
- Michigan IFTA: How to File Quarterly Returns and Stay Compliant
- IFTA in Quebec: Licence, Decals and Filing With Revenu Québec
- ONT-TAXS Online: IFTA Ontario Login, Filing and Renewal
IRP: common questions
What is the difference between IRP and IFTA?
IRP apportions a vehicle's annual registration fee across jurisdictions by distance and issues an apportioned plate and cab card. IFTA settles fuel tax every quarter, based on distance driven and fuel bought in each jurisdiction. They share a weight threshold and both need distance by jurisdiction, but they are separate agreements filed with separate agencies.
What is a cab card?
The cab card is the registration document issued with an IRP apportioned plate. It lists the vehicle, its registered weight and every jurisdiction it may operate in, and it must be carried in the vehicle. At a weigh station, an inspector checks it against the plate and the registered weight, alongside the ELD and the IFTA decals.
How long should IRP distance records be kept?
At least three years after the close of the registration year they support, because the base jurisdiction can audit them for that long. Auditors look for individual vehicle distance records: trip-level distance by jurisdiction tied to a unit, a date and a route. A telematics jurisdiction report produces exactly that from continuously logged positions.