Trusted partners.
Vertical Identity stays focused on what we do best — DOT consortium membership, random testing, background screening, and FMCSA compliance. For tax filings and state registration work, we refer carriers to vetted partners who specialize in those services.
What we refer out
These four filings come up constantly for motor carriers, but none of them are part of our core consortium and screening work. We refer them out:
- Form 2290 (Heavy Vehicle Use Tax) — annual IRS filing for trucks 55,000 lbs and over. Stamped Schedule 1 is required to renew IRP plates.
- MCS-150 / MC-150 — biennial USDOT operational update. Required of every USDOT carrier, with the filing month tied to the last digit of your DOT number.
- IRP (International Registration Plan) — apportioned plates for interstate carriers operating in two or more jurisdictions. Annual renewal, mileage-based.
- IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement) — quarterly fuel-tax reporting for interstate operators. Filed in your base jurisdiction.
Why we refer instead of doing it in-house
These filings are deadline-sensitive, state-by-state, and full of edge cases — wrong cargo class on an IRP application, the wrong VIN on a 2290, a missed quarterly IFTA return, a stale MCS-150. The carriers who do this for a living catch those problems before they become a fine or an audit finding.
We could offer them as a side service. We have decided not to. Carriers get a better outcome from a specialist than from us doing it part-time, and our team stays focused on consortium compliance, random testing, and screening, where we are the specialist.
Our partner conflict policy
The partners we refer to do not sell DOT consortium memberships, drug testing, MVR or PSP reports, Clearinghouse services, or background screening. There are no competing services. Carriers stay with Vertical Identity for everything compliance-side, and partners stay in their lane on the filing side. If a partner ever crosses into our work, we stop referring to them.
How referrals work
Call (602) 899-1606 with the filing you need. We make a direct introduction to the partner specialist who handles that filing type — no ticketing system, no third-party portal in the middle. You work with them on pricing and turnaround the same way you would if you found them on your own.
Some referrals carry a commission to or from Vertical Identity. We are transparent about that. The price you pay the partner is unaffected by whether you came through us — it is the same rate either way.
Stay in your lane
Vertical Identity carries on with what we are built for: DOT consortium enrollment, random drug and alcohol testing, DOT drug testing, MVRs, pre-employment screening, BOC-3 process agent filings, and UCR filings. Everything else, we hand off to the specialist who does it best.
Questions we hear daily
Why does Vertical Identity refer these filings out instead of doing them in-house?
Tax filings and interstate registration work are detail-heavy, state-specific, and unforgiving on deadlines. Specialists do this every day and catch the edge cases that part-time providers miss. We get better outcomes for carriers by referring to people who live in those filings, instead of running them as a side service to our consortium and screening work.
Do partners pay Vertical Identity a referral fee, or do you pay them?
Both directions exist. Some referrals carry a commission to Vertical Identity, some carry one to the partner. We are transparent about that. Pricing to the carrier is unaffected — you pay the partner the same rate whether you came through us or walked in directly.
Do these partners also offer DOT consortium memberships, drug testing, or background screening?
No. That is our zone, and we do not refer carriers to partners who compete with us on consortium membership, random drug and alcohol testing, MVRs, PSPs, Clearinghouse queries, or background screening. There are no conflicts. Carriers stay with Vertical Identity for compliance work; partners only handle the filings we refer.
How do I get connected to a partner?
Call (602) 899-1606 and tell us which filing you need — Form 2290, MCS-150, IRP, or IFTA. We route you directly to the specialist who handles that filing type. No web forms, no waiting on email, no third-party portal in the middle.
Need a filing partner?
Call (602) 899-1606 — we'll connect you to the right specialist.