Checklists
Work through it, line by line
Everything a first-year carrier has to do, grouped by when it has to happen. Print them, tape them to the wall, cross them off.
Weeks -4 to 0
Before You Apply
- Form the LLC or corporation and get the EIN
- Open a business bank account under the legal entity name
- Decide the operation: for-hire interstate, private, or intrastate only
- Pick the freight niche (dry van, reefer, flatbed, hotshot, box truck)
- Get insurance quotes in writing before buying a truck
- Build a 90-day cash reserve — assume no revenue for the first 45 days
- Verify the truck's title, VIN, GVWR and last annual inspection
Before the first load
Day-One Files You Must Have
- Driver qualification file for every driver, including the owner
- Written drug & alcohol policy with signed driver receipts
- Designated Employer Representative named in writing
- Accident register started (even if empty)
- Maintenance file per power unit and trailer
- Annual periodic inspection report on file for each vehicle
- ELD manual, transfer instructions, malfunction sheet and 8 blank paper logs in the cab
- Insurance certificate and MCS-90 in the truck
- Cab card, IFTA decals and USDOT/MC markings on both doors
Every truck, every day
In-Cab Document Check
- CDL and current medical examiner's certificate
- Registration / IRP cab card
- Proof of insurance
- IFTA license copy and decals displayed
- Annual inspection report or decal
- Current DVIR and previous day's DVIR if defects were noted
- ELD documentation packet
- Emergency equipment: fire extinguisher, spare fuses, 3 warning triangles
- Hazmat papers and placards if applicable
Ongoing
The Recurring Calendar
- Monthly: random drug test selections drawn by your consortium
- Quarterly: IFTA return filed by the last day of the month after quarter end
- Annually: MVR pull and certificate of violations for each driver
- Annually: Clearinghouse limited query per driver
- Annually: UCR payment by December 31
- Annually: periodic vehicle inspection on every unit
- Annually: IRP renewal and Form 2290 by August 31
- Every 2 years: MCS-150 biennial update based on your USDOT number
Months 3 to 12
Safety Audit Prep
- 6 months of records of duty status, organized by driver and date
- Supporting documents matched to logs (fuel, BOLs, tolls)
- Proof of pre-employment, random and any post-accident tests
- Random selection lists from the consortium showing you tested who was drawn
- Repair records certifying every reported DVIR defect was fixed
- Insurance history with no lapse in coverage
- Accident register covering the last 3 years
- Written safety policy and driver handbook acknowledgements