You know the driving. Now the desk is yours too.
Coming off a lease or a company seat, the truck is the part you already know. This covers what used to be the carrier’s job: the filings, the taxes, finding freight, and the cash flow.
New authority means new calls. Most aren’t FMCSA.
- FMCSA says it will not contact you through telemarketers or robocalls and will not ask for a credit card number.
- Real FMCSA email comes from a @dot.gov address. Check your registration by typing motus.dot.gov yourself.
- Report anyone posing as FMCSA at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Source: FMCSA: Fraud alerts
What the carrier used to handle.
On a lease, most of this ran under someone else’s name. Now every filing has yours on it, and a lapse parks your truck instead of theirs.
- Your own insurance
The federal minimum is $750,000 in liability, filed by your insurer. Many large brokers want $1,000,000 auto liability and $100,000 cargo, so quote at that level. If insurance lapses, FMCSA suspends your authority.
Minimum $750K; common broker ask $1M + $100K cargoFMCSA: Insurance filing requirements ↗ - Your own drug and alcohol program
You were in the carrier’s random pool; now you need your own. Join a consortium (C/TPA), designate it in the FMCSA Clearinghouse, pass a pre-employment drug test and run a full Clearinghouse query on yourself before your first load under your authority, then query yourself every year.
- IRP plates and IFTA
Apportioned plates and the quarterly fuel tax return are yours now, both through your base state. Kentucky, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Connecticut also charge their own highway taxes, and most need you registered before you enter. Keep fuel receipts and miles by state from the first day, because rebuilding them at quarter end is miserable.
IFTA returns due Jan 31, Apr 30, Jul 31, Oct 31IFTA, Inc. ↗ - UCR, BOC-3 and Form 2290
UCR is yearly ($46 for 2026 and $55 for 2027 at 0 to 2 trucks, and 2027 is already open). The BOC-3 has to stay on file or the authority is suspended. Form 2290 is up to $550 a year for a truck at 55,000 lbs or more, due by the end of the month after you first run it. If you already filed for this truck this tax year, you don’t file again.
Finding freight without a fleet behind you.
- Your experience doesn’t transfer to your MC
Brokers vet the authority, not the driver (insurers are different: your own driving record follows you, and they price on it). Many won’t book an MC under 90 days old and some want six months, however many years you’ve driven. Others move fast: C.H. Robinson’s FAQ says 7 days of active authority. Lead with the brokers you already know from the road, and ask about their new-authority policy during setup.
Industry practice, not a ruleC.H. Robinson: Carrier FAQ ↗ - Keep your setup packet ready
W-9, authority letter, certificate of insurance, your banking or factoring details, and a signed broker-carrier agreement. Brokers won’t book you until setup is done, so have it ready before you call.
- Negotiate from your own numbers
On a lease, someone else’s rate was the rate. Now every load is a negotiation. Know your cost per mile (every mile, deadhead included), check what the lane is paying this week, and counter from there. A rate that worked last month may not this month.
The cash flow nobody warns you about.
- You pay first, brokers pay later
Fuel, insurance and the truck payment come out this week. Broker payment terms often run 30 days or more, counted from when they get your paperwork. Plan for about six weeks of expenses before the first check clears.
- Factoring, on your terms
Factoring turns an invoice into cash in days for a fee. Before you sign, know whether it’s recourse (you owe it back if the broker never pays), whether there are monthly minimums, and what it costs to leave. Some contracts make you factor every load and put a lien on your receivables; spot factoring doesn’t.
- Set money aside for the tax dates
IFTA comes due every quarter and Form 2290 every year. Put a little aside from every load so neither date lands as a surprise.
- The first-year audit
FMCSA audits new carriers within 12 months of starting operations, even if you’ve driven for 20 years. Some findings fail it on their own, like having no drug and alcohol testing program or no required insurance. Keep logs, maintenance and annual inspection records, a driver qualification file on yourself, and testing records in one place from the first load.
Within 12 months of startingFMCSA: New Entrant Safety Assurance Program ↗
The short answers.
I’ve driven for years. Why won’t brokers book me?
Their vetting looks at your authority’s age, insurance and safety record, not your years behind the wheel. Brokers you’ve hauled for under a lease know your work; start there.
Do I keep my old carrier’s safety record?
No. The carrier’s record stays with them. A new USDOT number starts its own record and goes through the new entrant program, including a safety audit within the first 12 months. Your personal driving record (MVR and PSP) does follow you.
Do I need a dispatcher?
Not if you’d rather book your own loads. If the phone time is what you want gone, a dispatcher or dispatch service takes a share of each load for it. Read the agreement for what they take and how you leave.
When the broker emails start piling up.
Freigent reads the broker replies about your loads, recommends a counter, and drafts the reply. It works inside ChatGPT or Claude and sends only replies you approve. 10 negotiations a month are free, no card.
See how it works · New to running a truck? Read the full first-30-days checklist
Fees and rules change. We check these against the official pages below; if one disagrees with this guide, the official page wins.