Except as otherwise provided in this section, a commercial motor carrier vehicle having a gross vehicle weight or combination gross vehicle weight of over twenty-six thousand pounds shall not travel on New Mexico highways without either proof that the trip tax has been paid for the movement of the vehicle or both evidence of registration and a tax identification permit issued by the department, unless that vehicle is exempt from the weight distance tax. The department may, by regulation, exempt portions of a highway from the requirements of this section if those portions are prior to reaching a port of entry where the trip tax may be paid.