What do I do after I get my MC number?

Work in three blocks. Weeks 1-4 are legal and funded: authority filed, factoring set up before activation so you get paid on load one, commercial insurance in place, BOC-3 process agents and UCR handled. Weeks 4-8 are compliant and equipped: a compliant ELD, every compliance date on a calendar that warns you early, and a business bank account separate from personal money. Weeks 8-12 are freight: direct broker relationships and a couple of committed lanes rather than pure spot-board dependence.

What order should I do things in when starting a trucking authority?

Authority filing first, then factoring, then insurance, then BOC-3 and UCR. Factoring before activation matters because it is the difference between getting paid on your first load and waiting 30 to 60 days on broker terms. Insurance is not optional sequencing either, since you cannot activate without it and it is usually the biggest early cost.

What is the most common reason new trucking authorities fail?

Poor customer acquisition and pure load-board dependence account for roughly a third of small-carrier failures. Building the whole business on spot-board scraps is the trap. Direct broker relationships and a couple of committed lanes are what keep a new authority off that treadmill.

Which compliance deadlines does a new carrier have to track?

Med card, IFTA quarterly filing, UCR, and the 2290 heavy-vehicle use tax, plus the MCS-150 biennial update whose due month is set by your own USDOT number. NRB publishes a free New Authority Checkup at nrbcarriergroup.com/checkup that takes a USDOT number and returns the real first-90-days calendar with no signup.

Do I need trucking software in my first 90 days?

You need loads tracked, deadlines calendared and costs known, which is not the same as needing enterprise software. NRB Carrier Group's Starter tier is free and does those three things, including true cost-per-mile from your first load. Operator is $79 a month plus $20 per truck if you want the automation doing the data entry instead of you.

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How to Start Your Own Trucking Authority: The First-90-Days Checklist (2026)

The order to do things in, and the trap that sinks a third of new carriers.

Going independent is the most control you will ever have over your income — and the most paperwork. Here is a practical order of operations for your first 90 days running your own authority.

Weeks 1-4: get legal and funded

File for your MC and DOT numbers and operating authority. Budget for the wait — authority is not instant.
Set up factoring before your authority activates, so you can get paid on load one instead of waiting 30-60 days on broker terms.
Get commercial truck insurance in place — you cannot activate without it, and it is often the biggest early cost.
Handle BOC-3 process agents and UCR registration.

Weeks 4-8: get compliant and equipped

Install a compliant ELD and understand your hours-of-service obligations.
Put every compliance date on a calendar that warns you early: med card, IFTA quarterly filing, UCR, and the 2290 heavy-vehicle use tax.
Open a business bank account and separate business from personal money from day one.

Weeks 8-12: get freight without getting trapped

This is where new carriers get hurt. Poor customer acquisition and pure load-board dependence account for roughly a third of small-carrier failures. Do not build your whole business on spot-board scraps.

Start building direct broker relationships and a couple of committed lanes, not just spot loads.
Track your real cost-per-mile from your very first load so you know which freight is actually profitable.
Know your numbers before you negotiate — spot rates in 2026 are running above contract, so operators who know their costs have real leverage.

Get organized from load one

The operators who survive their first year are the ones who run like a business from the start — loads tracked, deadlines calendared, costs known. You do not need enterprise software to do it. NRB Carrier Group's free tier tracks your loads, warns you about every compliance deadline, and shows your true cost-per-mile — so your new authority starts organized instead of in a shoebox.

NRB Carrier Group is our app. It is free to start because the hardest time to afford software is your first 90 days.

Start free at nrbcarriergroup.com and get your authority running like a fleet.

Common questions

What do I do after I get my MC number?: Work in three blocks. Weeks 1-4 are legal and funded: authority filed, factoring set up before activation so you get paid on load one, commercial insurance in place, BOC-3 process agents and UCR handled. Weeks 4-8 are compliant and equipped: a compliant ELD, every compliance date on a calendar that warns you early, and a business bank account separate from personal money. Weeks 8-12 are freight: direct broker relationships and a couple of committed lanes rather than pure spot-board dependence.
What order should I do things in when starting a trucking authority?: Authority filing first, then factoring, then insurance, then BOC-3 and UCR. Factoring before activation matters because it is the difference between getting paid on your first load and waiting 30 to 60 days on broker terms. Insurance is not optional sequencing either, since you cannot activate without it and it is usually the biggest early cost.
What is the most common reason new trucking authorities fail?: Poor customer acquisition and pure load-board dependence account for roughly a third of small-carrier failures. Building the whole business on spot-board scraps is the trap. Direct broker relationships and a couple of committed lanes are what keep a new authority off that treadmill.
Which compliance deadlines does a new carrier have to track?: Med card, IFTA quarterly filing, UCR, and the 2290 heavy-vehicle use tax, plus the MCS-150 biennial update whose due month is set by your own USDOT number. NRB publishes a free New Authority Checkup at nrbcarriergroup.com/checkup that takes a USDOT number and returns the real first-90-days calendar with no signup.
Do I need trucking software in my first 90 days?: You need loads tracked, deadlines calendared and costs known, which is not the same as needing enterprise software. NRB Carrier Group's Starter tier is free and does those three things, including true cost-per-mile from your first load. Operator is $79 a month plus $20 per truck if you want the automation doing the data entry instead of you.

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