The Trucking Compliance Calendar: Every Deadline in One Place
The year at a glance
| When | What | Who |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jan 1 | UCR enforcement begins for the new year | All interstate carriers, brokers, forwarders |
| Jan 31 | IFTA Q4 return | IFTA licensees |
| Apr 30 | IFTA Q1 return | IFTA licensees |
| Jul 1 | New HVUT period opens — file early | 55,000+ lb vehicles |
| Jul 31 | IFTA Q2 return | IFTA licensees |
| Aug 31 | Form 2290 deadline (July-use vehicles) | 55,000+ lb vehicles |
| Oct 1 | UCR registration opens for next year | Everyone under UCR |
| Oct 31 | IFTA Q3 return | IFTA licensees |
| Dec 31 | Practical UCR deadline (enforcement Jan 1) | Everyone under UCR |
The rolling deadlines (no fixed month)
- MCS-150 biennial update — every two years on a schedule set by your USDOT number (the last digit determines the month; second-to-last digit odd = odd years). Missing it can deactivate your USDOT number, although FMCSA has temporarily suspended that enforcement for updates due on or after June 1, 2026 while it moves registration to its new Motus system.
- IRP renewal — your apportioned-plate month varies by state and account; it requires a current Schedule 1.
- Mid-year truck purchases — each newly used vehicle gets its own 2290, due the last day of the month after first use.
- DQ-file upkeep — medical certificates by expiry, MVRs annually, Clearinghouse queries annually.
How deadlines cascade
Miss the 2290 and registration renewal blocks (no Schedule 1). Miss the MCS-150 and your UCR bracket may be assessed on stale data — or your USDOT goes inactive (outside the temporary 2026 suspension noted above), which breaks everything else. The system is interlocked; one slip rarely stays contained.
Put it on autopilot
The Compliance Radar™ tracks every one of these per truck and emails you before each window — and the free compliance check tells you in a minute what's currently due for your USDOT.