Guide library

Every rule, broken down

Each guide covers one regulation area end to end: what the rule says, what documents prove it, and what trips up first-year carriers.

Authority

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 read

Audits

The 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 read

Drivers

Driver 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 read

DOT 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 read

CDL 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 read

Operations

Hours 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 read

Vehicle 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 read

Taxes

IFTA, 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 read

Money

Insurance, 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 read

Getting 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 read