For carriers in their first 18 months
Every rule a new trucking company has to follow — in plain English.
Getting authority takes a week. Keeping it takes a system. These guides and checklists cover registration, the new entrant safety audit, driver files, hours of service, maintenance, fuel tax and the money math — with the deadlines that actually bite.
- $300
- FMCSA application fee
- 21 days
- Authority protest period
- 12 mo
- Deadline for your safety audit
- 16
- Automatic audit failure items
The guide library
10 deep-dives covering the regulations new carriers get wrong most often.
USDOT Number & MC Number: How to Get Operating Authority
Your USDOT number identifies your company. Your MC number is permission to haul regulated freight for hire across state lines. Most new carriers need both.
9 min readAuditsThe New Entrant Safety Audit: How to Pass on the First Try
Every new interstate carrier gets audited within 12 months. It is a paperwork test, not a driving test — and it is entirely winnable if you build files from day one.
10 min readDriversDriver Qualification File: Every Document, Every Deadline
A DQ file is the single most cited paperwork failure for new carriers. You need one for every driver — including the owner who drives.
8 min readOperationsHours of Service & the ELD Mandate, Explained Simply
Four clocks run at once. Understanding which clock is about to expire is the difference between a clean inspection and an out-of-service order.
9 min readDriversDOT Drug & Alcohol Program and the Clearinghouse
Having no drug and alcohol program is the fastest way to fail your safety audit. A one-truck company still needs one — including the owner-driver.
8 min readOperationsVehicle Maintenance, DVIRs and Annual Inspections
Maintenance is the audit area new carriers underestimate. The rule is not 'keep the truck running' — it is 'prove you kept the truck running'.
7 min readTaxesIFTA, IRP, UCR and Form 2290: The Tax Stack
Four acronyms, four different deadlines, four different agencies. Miss one and you get a roadside surprise.
8 min readMoneyInsurance, BOC-3 and the Filings That Activate Your Authority
Insurance is the largest line item in year one, and the filing — not the policy — is what activates your MC number.
7 min readDriversCDL Classes, ELDT and Hiring Your First Driver
Who can legally drive your truck, what training the law now requires, and the difference between a company driver and a leased owner-operator.
8 min readMoneyGetting Freight and Getting Paid in Year One
Compliance keeps you legal. Cash flow keeps you alive. Most new carriers fail on the second one.
8 min readWhat new truckers ask most
How much does it cost to start a trucking company?
With a used truck purchased outright, plan on $25,000–$45,000 in year-one cash: $300 FMCSA fee, $25–$150 BOC-3, $8,000–$16,000 first-year insurance (often with 25% down), $1,500–$3,000 in IRP/IFTA/UCR/2290, $500–$1,500 for ELD and software, plus a maintenance and fuel float. Financing a truck lowers the entry cost but raises monthly fixed cost.
Can I start a trucking company with no money?
Not realistically as an authority holder — insurance alone requires a real down payment. The lower-capital paths are leasing on to an established carrier, driving as a company driver while saving, or starting as a dispatcher. Grants for trucking startups are largely a myth; be skeptical of anyone selling one.
How hard is it to start a trucking company?
The registration is easy. Staying compliant and cash-flow positive is the hard part. Roughly a third of new carriers are gone within two years, almost always from underpricing freight and undercapitalizing, not from failing the audit.
Can I start a trucking company without driving?
Yes. You can hold authority and hire drivers or lease owner-operators. You still need a full compliance program, and insurers charge more when the owner has no operational experience.
How do I get a DOT number and MC number?
Both are applied for together through FMCSA's Unified Registration System using Form MCSA-1. The USDOT number is usually issued within 48 hours; the MC authority takes 4–6 weeks including a 21-day protest period, insurance filing and BOC-3.
What is an MC number in trucking?
It is your motor carrier operating authority — federal permission to haul regulated freight for hire across state lines. The USDOT number is just an identifier; the MC number is the permission.
Rather hand the paperwork to someone?
Want it handled for you? LongHaulCompliance.com files your authority, builds your driver files, runs your drug & alcohol program and preps you for the safety audit.
Visit LongHaulCompliance.com