IFTA Decals: Sticker Placement, Cost and Requirements

For IFTA sticker placement, every IFTA-qualified vehicle needs two IFTA decals, one on the exterior of each side of the cab. Both decals have to stay clearly visible while the vehicle operates, where an inspector at a roadside stop can see them without hunting. The two-sided cab rule is the same across IFTA member jurisdictions, because it comes from the shared agreement. The exact spot on each side can vary with your base jurisdiction's instructions, so follow the guidance that comes with your decals.

Decals are issued for one licence year and expire on December 31, and each year's decals differ from the last. That helps inspectors catch counterfeit or reused decals. During January and February, the IFTA Articles of Agreement give renewing carriers a grace period: a carrier that filed its renewal with the base jurisdiction before year end may keep displaying the prior year's licence and decals. After February, a decal from a past year is a red flag at inspection, and inspectors treat it as more than a paperwork slip.

Decal fees depend on your base jurisdiction. Some, such as Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina and Michigan, charge nothing for the licence or the decals. Texas does not state a fee on its IFTA page, so confirm any charge with the Comptroller. Many others charge per decal set or per vehicle, and New Jersey, for example, charges a per-set fee for initial issuance, vehicles added mid-year and replacements for lost or damaged decals. The table below lists the fees for the jurisdictions in this series.

Each decal is tied to the licence it was issued under, and in most jurisdictions that licence runs on a calendar year. A decal is generally valid only through that licence period, so you need a new set at renewal even if the old ones are still intact.

To replace a lost, stolen or damaged decal, you send the request to the vehicle's base jurisdiction. IFTA, Inc. coordinates the agreement between jurisdictions but doesn't issue credentials to individual carriers. The process varies by state or province, but you'll usually have to state the reason for the replacement (decal error, destruction or loss) when you submit the request.

Running without a valid, visible decal on both sides of the cab is a real inspection finding. Any inspector at a routine stop can see a missing or invalid decal at a glance, so treat a replacement as urgent and get the request in right away.

Decal and licence fees are the one part of IFTA that differs by base jurisdiction. The table shows the figures in effect at the time of writing for the jurisdictions in this series. Confirm them with the agency before each renewal.