New trucking authority checklist: what to do after your MC goes active

Getting the authority is the start, not the finish. The first year is when new carriers either build clean habits or pile up problems that the safety audit finds later. I'm Steve, lead dispatcher at TruckSprint. New authorities make up a big part of who we work with, and this is the list we walk them through. If you haven't filed yet, start with how to start a trucking company.

Week one: before you call a single broker

1. Confirm the authority is active. Look up your USDOT number on FMCSA's records and check that the operating status shows authorized for property. "Granted" in an email isn't the same thing.
2. Check the filings behind it. Your insurer's liability filing and your BOC-3 process agent filing both have to be on record. The federal liability minimum for general freight is $750,000 (49 CFR 387.9), but many brokers want $1,000,000 plus cargo coverage.
3. Make your contact details match. Phone, email and address on FMCSA should match your W-9, insurance and packet. Mismatches are a fraud flag for brokers now.
4. Set up a business email on your own domain if you can, and a phone you'll always answer.
5. Build your carrier packet: authority letter, W-9, certificate of insurance, signed agreements. Our carrier packet checklist lists every document.

Before the first load

Drug and alcohol program, if a CDL is required. If any driver, including you, operates a vehicle that needs a CDL, Part 382 applies. That means a written policy given to each driver (49 CFR 382.601), a negative pre-employment drug test before the first safety-sensitive work (49 CFR 382.301), enrollment in a random pool (an owner-operator with no other drivers joins a consortium, 49 CFR 382.103(b)), and a Clearinghouse account with a full pre-employment query (49 CFR 382.701). An owner-operator who employs themself must designate a consortium/third-party administrator in the Clearinghouse (49 CFR 382.705(b)(6)). See our drug testing consortium guide.

A 26 ft box truck under 26,001 lb GVWR driven without a CDL isn't covered by DOT drug testing. That's one less program to run, not one less file: driver qualification and maintenance rules still apply.

Driver qualification file for every driver, you included: application, motor vehicle record, road test or CDL, medical certificate and the annual review. Keep it while the driver works for you and three years after (49 CFR 391.51).

Vehicle files. Each truck needs a periodic inspection within the past 12 months with proof on the vehicle (49 CFR 396.17(c)), and you keep inspection, repair and maintenance records for each vehicle (49 CFR 396.3).

Logs. An ELD that's registered with FMCSA, unless you qualify for an exception such as short-haul. Our hours of service guide covers which applies.

Your first-year deadlines

Enter your start date, USDOT number and your truck's last inspection:

The biennial update rule (49 CFR 390.19T(b); 390.201(d)) catches many new carriers: the month comes from the last digit of your USDOT number and the year from the next-to-last digit. Missing it can get your USDOT number deactivated.

The first 90 days

• UCR. Unified Carrier Registration is an annual fee for interstate carriers; for 0-2 power units it's $46 for the 2026 registration year (UCR Plan fee brackets).
• IRP and IFTA, through your base state, if your truck is a qualified vehicle running in more than one jurisdiction.
• Form 2290 (HVUT) for trucks at 55,000 lb taxable gross or more: $100 at 55,000 lb plus $22 per 1,000 lb over, up to $550 (IRS). The first return is due by the end of the month after the month of first use.
• Accident register, even if it stays empty: keep it for 3 years after each accident (49 CFR 390.15).
• Cash flow. New carriers often wait 30 days or more for broker payments. Decide early whether you'll factor; new authority factoring explains how it works for new MCs.
• Broker list. Track which brokers set you up, which paid on time and which lanes worked.

What the safety audit will ask for

FMCSA's new entrant safety audit comes within your first 12 months. The detail is in our new entrant audit guide; the files it reviews:

Mistakes we see in the first year

• Driving before the pre-employment test result is back on a CDL truck. That's a violation even if the result is negative later.
• Letting the insurance filing lapse for a missed payment. Your authority can be revoked once the insurer cancels the filing.
• Mismatched details across FMCSA, the W-9 and the insurance certificate.
• No maintenance records because "the truck's new." The audit still wants the file.
• Taking every cheap load to build history. Some low-paying freight is fine early; running at a loss isn't building anything.
• One broker, all the freight. Spread the risk across several.

Every item on this list is easier to get right on day one than to fix during the audit.