Vehicle marking/Identification - Michigan

Intrastate

Michigan has adopted §390.21 of the Federal Regulations for intrastate commerce.

Applicability

Section 390.21 applies to a vehicle as defined as a commercial motor vehicle in Sec. 383.5. This definition includes a vehicle or combination of vehicles, operating in intrastate commerce with a gross combination weight or gross combination weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more inclusive of a towed unit(s) with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of more than 10,000 pounds, whichever is greater; a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 26,001 pounds or more, whichever is greater; or of any size and used in the transportation of hazardous materials.

Additional requirements

All towing or platform bed wreckers or road service vehicles must have the name, city, and state or the registered logo or emblem of the registered owner of the vehicle, and lessee of the vehicle if the vehicle is being operated under lease, painted or permanently attached on each side of the vehicle in letters of not less than 3 inches in height, not lower than the bottom edge of the door. This information must be in sharp color contrast to the background.

Vehicles displaying a valid US DOT number and legal company name according to §390.21 are in compliance with this requirement.

For-hire intrastate vehicles

Carriers with operating authority from the Michigan State Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) (formerly issued by the Michigan Public Service Commission) must display a CVED-furnished decal in a conspicuous location on the vehicle.

The name, city, and state of the motor carrier or registered logo or emblem of the motor carrier must be displayed in a conspicuous place on both sides of the power unit in plain letters and contrasting colors, with numbers not less than 3 inches in height. A vehicle in compliance with the requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations is in compliance with this requirement.

Carriers must display the letters “CVED” and the motor carrier account number in a conspicuous place on both sides of the power unit in plain letters and contrasting colors, with numbers not less than 1.5 inches in height.

Each power unit’s separate accounting number must be placed on both sides of the power unit in a conspicuous place in plain numbers not less than 3 inches in height and contrasting colors.

If a vehicle is permanently removed from operation under an authority issued by the CVED, the authority letters and numbers must be promptly removed from that vehicle.

Interstate

All commercial motor carriers (for-hire and private) operating interstate are subject to the marking requirements of 49 CFR 390.21 which requires all CMVs to display, on both sides of the power unit, the US DOT number and the legal name of the business entity that owns or controls the motor carrier operation, or the “doing business as” (DBA) name, as it appears on the Form MCS-150.

Any new or used commercial vehicles added to a motor carrier’s fleet must be identified with the US DOT number and single trade name before being put into service.

The regulations do not require the MC number or city/state to be displayed on the vehicle.