TxDMV Insurance Cab Card: How to Print It, Add a Truck, and Renew

Reviewed by Austin Park, founder of ICR Filings · Updated November 11, 2026

If you run commercial vehicles inside Texas under your own TxDMV certificate (what most people still call a Texas DOT number), each truck needs a current insurance cab card on board. It is the quickest way an officer at the roadside sees that your registration is active and your insurance is on file with TxDMV.

When you get a cab card

TxDMV issues it at the end of the registration process:

1. Your application in TxMCCS is approved, and TxDMV emails you.
2. You notify your insurance company, and it files your insurance with TxDMV electronically (Form E for commercial auto; household goods movers also need cargo insurance, Form H and I).
3. TxDMV emails you again to log in and pay the fees.
4. Once payment is complete, TxDMV issues your certificate number, and you can print cab cards in TxMCCS.

Buying a policy is not enough. If your insurer has not filed with TxDMV, the process stops at step 2. See how much a Texas DOT number costs for the fees.

The rules for carrying it

• A current copy of the insurance cab card must be kept in the commercial vehicle at all times.
• It can be paper or electronic.
• It must be available to show law enforcement on request.

"Current" is the word to watch. When you add or replace a vehicle, renew, or your insurance filing changes, print a fresh copy from TxMCCS so the card in the truck matches what TxDMV has on file.

Adding or replacing a truck

You add vehicles online in TxMCCS. TxDMV's vehicle fee is $10 per vehicle for a one-year registration or $20 per vehicle for two years, due when you add it. Swapping one truck for another is different: TxDMV says you are not required to pay vehicle fees when substituting a vehicle for one already on your certificate. Either way, print a new cab card afterward so the one in the truck lists the right vehicle.

Renewing your certificate

TxDMV sends a renewal notice to the mailing or email address on file about 30 days before your certificate expires, and you renew online in TxMCCS. If the notice never arrives, TxDMV says you are still responsible for renewing before the expiration date. 7-day and 90-day certificates cannot be renewed. Print a fresh cab card once the renewal is paid.

New to TxMCCS, or your old login stopped working

TxMCCS replaced both the older MCCS and eLINC systems on August 3, 2026. Old logins did not carry over: TxDMV says all users must create a new account. If you had a certificate before the change, it was moved to the new system and is waiting for you to claim it:

1. Go to txmccs.txdmv.gov and choose Sign Up.
2. In the Application Portal, pick the top tile to claim your existing motor carrier certificate, then Accept.
3. Choose Motor Carrier, then enter your USDOT number and your EIN.
4. Review your company information and choose Claim Certificate, then Go to Company Details.

Your certificate should show there, and you can print cab cards from it. If the certificate will not connect to your new account, TxDMV's help desk is MCD_MCCS-helpdesk@TxDMV.gov, or (800) 299-1700, options 3-3.

Keeping your insurance filing in place

TxDMV says keeping your insurance filed is your responsibility under state law, not your insurer's. It emails you when a filing is posted and warns you if one is removed, so put an email address you actually check on your account. You can also log in to TxMCCS to review your filings. When you switch insurers, have the new company file Form E before the old filing expires.

If you get an enforcement letter about insurance, TxDMV's advice is to log in to TxMCCS first and check what is on file.

Insurance cab card vs IRP cab card

Truckers use "cab card" for two different documents. The TxDMV insurance cab card goes with Texas intrastate operating authority. The IRP cab card is the registration for apportioned plates, which interstate trucks need to run in more than one state. A Texas carrier hauling both inside Texas and across state lines can need both. See what IRP apportioned plates are.

Taking a truck off the road

The certificate belongs to you, not the truck, and TxDMV can fine you for holding authority without insurance on file even when you are not running. If you are stopping, cancel the certificate in TxMCCS first (Supplemental tab, Cancel Certificate), then cancel the insurance.

Setting up a TxDMV certificate for the first time? See the Texas TxDMV number page. Locked out since the system changed? See TxMCCS login and claiming your certificate.

Hauling across state lines too? Interstate carriers also need UCR registration every year. For the full cost of a Texas setup, see Texas DOT number cost.

Official sources

• TxDMV: TxDMV number (registration, insurance filing, and cab cards)
• TxDMV: Becoming a Texas motor carrier (insurance filings and keeping them current)
• TxDMV: Motor carriers (TxMCCS launch, new accounts, and claiming a certificate)

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm with the official source before you file.

Related guides

• TxMCCS Login: How to Create Your New Account and Claim Your TxDMV Certificate
• How to Renew a TxDMV Certificate: Cost, Timing, and What Cannot Be Renewed
• How to Add or Replace a Truck on Your TxDMV Certificate and Cab Card