How much does it cost to start a trucking company?

The filings are the small part: a $300 FMCSA registration fee, $46 a year for UCR with up to two trucks, and up to $550 a year in heavy vehicle use tax for trucks at 75,000 lb or more. The big costs are the truck, insurance, plates and working cash. Insurance down payments and a month or two of operating costs often matter more than the truck's down payment.

How long does it take to get trucking authority?

After FMCSA grants authority, there's a protest period before it goes active, and your insurance and process agent filings must be on file. Then brokers often wait weeks before booking a new MC. Plan on at least a month from application to first broker load, and longer if paperwork stalls.

Can I start a trucking company with one truck?

Yes. Most carriers start with one truck and the owner driving it. With one truck you're the employer and the driver, so if it needs a CDL you also run your own drug and alcohol program through a consortium.

Do I need an MC number in 2026?

For-hire carriers hauling regulated freight across state lines need operating authority. FMCSA moved new registrations to its Motus system in 2026 and has announced plans to identify carriers by USDOT number only, but brokers still ask for MC numbers. Check FMCSA's site for the current process before you file.

Should I lease on to a carrier before getting my own authority?

It's a common way to learn the business with less risk: you run under another carrier's authority, insurance and freight while you build cash and experience. You give up control of rates and some of the revenue. Read the lease and settlement terms carefully.

Do I need a dispatcher when I start?

No, but many new carriers use one because the first months are the hardest: brokers are cautious with new MCs and every empty day hurts more. A dispatcher who knows which brokers work with new authorities can shorten that stretch. You still decide every load.

How to start a trucking company: every step, in the order it actually happens

Steve Woods · Lead Dispatcher, TruckSprint

Steve Woods leads the TruckSprint dispatch desk and reviews every guide we publish. How we research and update guides.

Updated October 2026

Quick answer

To start a trucking company: form the business, get a USDOT number and operating authority from FMCSA ($300), file a process agent (BOC-3), get insurance filed, set up a drug and alcohol program if your truck needs a CDL, register for UCR, IRP, IFTA and heavy vehicle use tax where they apply, then set up with brokers. Most of it is order, not difficulty.

Source: 49 CFR 360.3; UCR Plan; 26 U.S.C. 4481 · checked 2026-10

I'm Steve, lead dispatcher at TruckSprint. New authorities call us every week, usually after they've done the paperwork in the wrong order and lost a month. This guide is the order that works, with the real fees and the rules behind them.

It applies whatever you run: a 26 ft box truck, a hotshot, a dump truck, a reefer or a tractor-trailer. Where the rules split, usually at the CDL line or the 55,000 lb line, the planner below sorts it out.

The order of operations, and what blocks what

Most delays come from doing step 6 before step 3. Here's what depends on what.

Step	Depends on	Fee	Source
Business entity, EIN, bank account	Nothing	State filing fees vary	Your state
USDOT number and operating authority	Business details	$300	49 CFR 360.3
Process agent (BOC-3)	Application filed	Agent's fee	49 CFR Part 366
Insurance filed with FMCSA	Authority application	Premium (your quote)	49 CFR 387.9
Authority goes active	Insurance + BOC-3 on file, protest period over	-	FMCSA
Drug and alcohol program (CDL trucks)	Before the first CDL load	Consortium + tests	49 CFR Part 382
UCR	Active interstate operation	$46/yr for 0-2 trucks	UCR Plan
IRP plates, IFTA license	Base state, truck details	State fees	Your base state
Heavy vehicle use tax (Form 2290)	Trucks 55,000 lb+	$100 to $550/yr	26 U.S.C. 4481
Broker carrier packets	Authority active, COI, W-9	-	Each broker

Source: 49 CFR 360.3 (eCFR) · checked 2026-10

Source: Unified Carrier Registration Plan, 2026 fee brackets · checked 2026-10

A note on registration in 2026: FMCSA moved new USDOT and authority applications to its new Motus system this year, and has announced plans to move away from MC numbers. Brokers still ask for them. Check FMCSA's registration pages for the current screens before you file; third-party filing services aren't required.

Build your own startup checklist

Answer four questions. The checklist reorders and trims itself, and shows the fee and the rule behind each step.

01
Form the business and get an EIN
An LLC or other entity, a business bank account and an IRS employer ID number. Talk to an accountant about the entity type.
02
USDOT number and operating authority (FMCSA)
For-hire interstate carriers file for a USDOT number and operating authority. FMCSA moved new applications to its Motus system in 2026; check FMCSA for the current steps.
$300 application fee (49 CFR 360.3)
03
Process agents (BOC-3)
A blanket process agent filing covers every state. Authority can't go active without it.
04
Insurance filed with FMCSA
Your insurer files proof of coverage. Federal minimum for general freight: $750,000 (49 CFR 387.9); many brokers want $1,000,000 plus cargo.
05
Drug and alcohol program (CDL only)
Written policy, pre-employment test, a consortium random pool and Clearinghouse registration before your first CDL load.
Details
06
UCR registration
Annual Unified Carrier Registration for interstate carriers.
$46/yr for 0-2 power units (2026)
07
IRP apportioned plates and IFTA
Qualified vehicles running in more than one jurisdiction register under IRP and file IFTA quarterly through your base state.
08
Heavy vehicle use tax (Form 2290)
Trucks with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 lb or more file every year; the stamped Schedule 1 is needed to register.
$100 to $550/yr (26 U.S.C. 4481)
09
ELD and driver qualification file
Hours-of-service logs on a registered ELD unless an exemption applies, plus a medical card and a qualification file for every driver.
10
Broker setup and first loads
Many brokers wait weeks before booking a new MC. Carrier packets, a W-9, your COI and, if you factor, a notice of assignment.
Details
11
New entrant safety audit
FMCSA audits new carriers within the first 12 months: records, testing, HOS, maintenance, insurance.
Details

Fees checked 2026-10 from 49 CFR 360.3, plan.ucr.gov and 26 U.S.C. 4481. Not legal or tax advice; state rules vary.

The money: a one-truck startup budget

Filings are cheap. Trucks, insurance and the first two months are not. Here's how to think about it, with the fixed fees filled in and the rest left to your own quotes.

EXAMPLE budget line, one truck	Amount	Notes
FMCSA registration	$300	One application
UCR	$46	0-2 power units, per year
Heavy vehicle use tax	up to $550	Only at 55,000 lb+
Insurance down payment	Your quote	Often the largest startup cash item
Truck down payment	Your lender's terms	Run it in the payment calculator
Plates (IRP or state)	Your base state	Varies by state and weight
ELD, phone, load board	Monthly	Small but constant
Working cash	1-2 months of costs	Brokers pay in 30+ days

The last line is the one new carriers skip, and the one that sinks them. Brokers commonly pay in 30 days or more. Fuel, insurance and the truck note don't wait. Either hold one to two months of operating costs, or plan to use factoring for a new authority. Work out your costs per mile in the cost per mile calculator before you look at a single rate.

Compliance you can't skip

These come up in the new entrant safety audit and at roadside inspections. Set them up before the first load, not after the first letter.

Drug and alcohol testing, if the truck needs a CDL. As an owner-operator you're both employer and driver, so you need a written policy, a pre-employment test, a consortium random pool and Clearinghouse registration. Non-CDL trucks, like most 26 ft box trucks, aren't in the program. Details: owner-operator drug testing requirements.
Hours of service and an ELD. Most for-hire drivers log on a registered ELD, with exceptions such as the short-haul exemption for local work.
Driver qualification file. Application, motor vehicle record, road test or CDL, medical certificate. Yes, even for yourself.
Vehicle maintenance records and inspections. Annual inspection, repair records and daily pre-trip checks.
IFTA and IRP for qualified vehicles crossing state lines, with quarterly fuel tax returns.
The new entrant safety audit, within the first 12 months. Organized records pass; missing ones put the authority at risk. See the new entrant audit guide.

Getting freight with a new authority

Your authority being active doesn't mean brokers will book you. Many have internal rules: a minimum authority age, a minimum number of inspections, a certain insurance level. Some will work with a brand-new MC, especially with clean paperwork and a responsive driver.

What helps in the first 90 days:

Complete carrier packets fast. Authority letter, COI with the broker as certificate holder, W-9, and your notice of assignment if you factor.
Be easy to reach. Answer check calls, send updates before you're asked, and get the POD signed and sent the same day.
Use more than one source. Load boards, direct broker relationships and, if it fits, a dispatcher who already knows which brokers say yes to new authorities.
Say no to loads that lose money. A cheap load doesn't build a relationship; a reliable delivery does.

Choosing the equipment

Pick the truck for the freight you can find near home, not for the rate you saw online. The first decision is the CDL line: a 26 ft box truck rated at 26,000 lb GVWR or less, or a non-CDL hotshot, keeps you out of CDL testing rules and some costs, but limits the freight. Tractor-trailers, tankers, dump trucks and most heavier setups need a CDL. Check yours with the CDL checker.

We dispatch eleven equipment types with equal care: 26 ft box trucks (26 ft only, nothing shorter), dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck, power only, hotshot, car hauler, dump truck, oversize and hazmat or tanker. We don't dispatch cargo vans or sprinters.

The full first-90-days checklist for a new MC is on new trucking authority checklist. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice; your state and your accountant fill in the rest.