For MCs under 6 months old
Dispatch services for new trucking companies that start you clean
A new MC hears no from a lot of brokers. We know which ones book young authorities, we set your packets up right the first time, and every load still needs your yes. 7% of gross for your first 6 months, no setup fee, no contract.
Your first 6 months
- 1Authority active, insurance on file
- 2Carrier packets to brokers that book new MCs
- 3First loads chosen for a clean record
- 4Lanes and reloads that repeat
- 5Month 7: fee drops to 5% automatically
Choosing your first rig: three cards side by side
The truck you start with decides more about your first year than any dispatcher will. It sets your up-front cost, your insurance bill, which brokers will book you and how much work each dollar of revenue takes. Below are three rigs new carriers often weigh, a hotshot, a 26 ft box truck and a flatbed, compared on the things that matter in the first six months. Swap any card for any of the fourteen rigs we dispatch.
The bars are relative, our desk's honest read, not price quotes. Equipment and insurance prices change with the market, your driving record and where you live, so get real quotes before you sign for a truck. What the cards will tell you quickly is where the hurdles are.
Hotshot
- License
- CDL Class A when the combination is rated 26,001 lb or more with a trailer over 10,000 lb.
- Up-front equipment cost
- Lower
- Insurance hurdle
- Middle
- Freight open to a new MC
- Middle
- Desk note
- Low entry cost, but partial loads mean more booking per dollar.
- Our fee on a new MC
- 7% until month 6
26 ft box truck
- License
- Non-CDL at 26,000 lb GVWR or less. CDL Class B at 26,001 lb or more.
- Up-front equipment cost
- Lower
- Insurance hurdle
- Lower
- Freight open to a new MC
- Higher
- Desk note
- Many brokers book 26 ft boxes for local and regional freight; non-CDL at 26,000 lb GVWR or less.
- Our fee on a new MC
- 7% until month 6
Flatbed
- License
- CDL Class A.
- Up-front equipment cost
- Middle
- Insurance hurdle
- Middle
- Freight open to a new MC
- Middle
- Desk note
- Steady freight; you supply and know your securement gear.
- Our fee on a new MC
- 7% until month 6
Relative comparisons, our desk's view, not price quotes. Get real equipment and insurance quotes before you buy.
Notice the pattern. The rigs that cost the least to start, like a 26 ft box or a hotshot, also earn less per load, so they need more loads and more booking work to make the month. The rigs that pay the most per load, like car haulers, tankers and heavy haul, ask for more money, more insurance and often more experience before shippers will trust a new name.
Neither path is wrong. Plenty of carriers start small, build a clean record and move into specialty freight once the MC has some history behind it. If you already have experience in a specialty from driving for someone else, starting there can make sense, as long as the insurance and the first customers are lined up before the truck is.
Dispatch or do it yourself in the first six months?
An honest table. Some new carriers do fine dispatching themselves. Most find the first months are mostly paperwork and phone calls, which is exactly the part a dispatch desk is built for.
| First-months job | Doing it yourself | With our desk |
|---|---|---|
| Finding brokers that book new MCs | Trial and error, many refusals | We start with brokers that accept young authorities |
| Carrier packets | New forms for every broker, easy to miss a page | Prepared for you, sent to you to sign |
| Rate negotiation | Hard to push back without lane history | We counter with lane data before you hear the rate |
| Broker credit checks | Easy to skip when a load looks good | Checked before any offer reaches you |
| Reloads and backhauls | Searched after you deliver | Worked while you are still rolling |
| Cost | Your time, plus any load board subscription | 7% of gross on loads you haul, nothing otherwise |
| Who decides on each load | You | Still you, and you sign every rate con |
Why brokers hesitate on a new MC
A broker hands a stranger someone else's freight. With a new authority there is no payment history, no service record and no inspection history to look at, and some brokers simply set a minimum age before they will book a carrier. It isn't personal, and it fades with time. The fastest way through it is a clean first few months: complete packets, on-time pickups, good check calls and no claims.
What we do about it
We start with the brokers that do book new authorities and keep a careful eye on which ones pay well. We help you take a couple of fair, straightforward loads early so you have a record to show, then widen the broker list as the MC ages. By month six most carriers have a few brokers and lanes they can count on, and the fee steps down to 5%.
One more thing we watch closely in the early months: your safety record. A late delivery can be explained, but an inspection violation or a claim stays on the record that every broker checks. So we never push a load that would squeeze your hours or overload your axles just to keep a new MC busy.
What you need before we start
Brokers check these before they release a single load to you. Get them in order and your first week moves fast. Official sources are linked so you can confirm the current rules yourself.
Active operating authority
Your USDOT number and MC authority, active and showing in FMCSA records. Check your status on the FMCSA SAFER system before we send packets, because brokers look there first.
Insurance on file
For-hire carriers of general freight in trucks of 10,001 lb GVWR or more need at least $750,000 in liability coverage. 49 CFR 387.9Checked October 2026 Hazardous materials raise that to $1,000,000 or more. 49 CFR 387.9Checked October 2026 Many brokers ask for $1,000,000 liability and cargo coverage regardless, so check with your agent.
Drug and alcohol testing (CDL carriers)
If you drive on a CDL, you need a negative pre-employment drug test before your first load and a spot in a random testing pool. 49 CFR 382.301Checked October 2026 Non-CDL carriers, such as a 26 ft box at 26,000 lb GVWR or less, are not in the DOT testing program. Our guide to DOT drug testing consortiums explains how one-truck carriers handle it.
We may earn a referral fee if you sign up through this link. It does not change your price. How we disclose partners
The basics brokers ask for
A W-9 with your business name and tax ID, a bank or factoring company for payment, your truck and trailer details, and a phone number you answer. If you factor, have the notice of assignment ready. New to all of this? Our guide to starting a hauling business walks through the order.
The first 90 days with a new MC
Days 1 to 14. Paperwork and approvals. We confirm your authority shows active, collect your insurance certificate and W-9, and send packets to a short list of brokers that book new carriers. Your first loads are chosen for simplicity: a known shipper, a reasonable appointment and a delivery near more freight.
Days 15 to 45. Building a record. Every on-time pickup, clean delivery and quick paperwork turnaround adds to your history with each broker. We widen the broker list as approvals come in and start testing which lanes pay best for your equipment.
Days 46 to 90. Finding the repeat. By now a few brokers know you and a lane or two starts to repeat. The reload gets planned before you deliver, home time goes on the calendar, and the weekly report shows a trend you can plan around. The new authority rate of 7% runs until your MC turns 6 months old, then it steps down by itself.
Mistakes new carriers make, and how we avoid them
- Taking the first rate offered. New carriers often feel they can't say no. You can, and a rate below your costs teaches a broker to offer it again.
- Skipping the broker check. A high rate from a broker who pays slowly or not at all is worse than a fair rate from one who pays on time.
- Signing without reading. Detention terms, cancellation pay and payment dates are all on the rate con. Read them every time.
- Running too far from home. Chasing one good load can leave you 1,200 miles out with nothing heading back. Plan the return before you leave.
- Letting paperwork slide. A missing proof of delivery can hold up payment for weeks. Send it the day you deliver.
- Forgetting the testing program. CDL carriers need the pre-employment test and a random pool before the first load, not after.
What to line up first, by rig
26 ft box truck
Check the GVWR on the door sticker. At 26,000 lb or less you can run without a CDL, which keeps you out of the DOT testing program. A liftgate opens far more loads.
Hotshot
Know your combined weight rating before you buy the trailer. Once the combination is rated 26,001 lb or more with a trailer over 10,000 lb, you need a Class A CDL.
Car hauler
Line up cargo coverage that fits the cars you plan to haul before your first auction or dealer load. That number decides which loads you can take.
Tanker and hazmat
Endorsements first, then insurance at the right minimum for the product, then the tank paperwork. Many shippers also audit new carriers before awarding work.
Heavy haul
Permit service accounts and an escort plan help, but most heavy haul shippers want to see experience. Driving for an established heavy hauler first is common.
Livestock and grain
Relationships carry this work. Introduce yourself to sale barns, feedyards and elevators near home before harvest or the busy season starts.
The money side of month one
New carriers feel the cash gap hardest. Fuel, insurance and truck payments arrive weekly, while many brokers pay 30 days after delivery. Plan for that gap before your first load, not after.
Why 7% for a new MC?
Because the first months take more work per load. Each broker needs a new packet, approvals take calls and follow-ups, and we spend extra time picking first loads that build your record instead of risking it. The higher rate covers that work for 6 months, then steps down for good. If you run a 26 ft box or a hotshot, the 7% stays, because those smaller loads keep needing that extra effort.
What the desk handles while you get started
Broker approvals and packets, rate negotiation on every load, credit checks on every broker, check calls, detention claims, reload planning and a weekly report. You drive, approve loads and sign rate confirmations. That split doesn't change when your MC gets older; only the percentage does.
Our fee for a new authority is 7% of gross on loads you haul, at any fleet size, until the MC turns 6 months old. Then it drops to 5% for one truck, or 4% for 2 or more, without you asking. See the full dispatch fee breakdown. If you need faster pay, read about factoring for new trucking companies.
Deal me in: 3 taps
Pick all three and your fee shows here. No haul, no pay.
Start my new authority rightNew authority questions
01What is the easiest specialty to start in?
There is no single answer, but entry cost, insurance and how many brokers will book a new MC matter most. A 26 ft box truck, a hotshot or a power unit usually costs the least to start. Car hauling, tankers and heavy haul cost more and often ask for experience. Compare them in the cards above.
02Do I need special insurance for car hauling?
Beyond the federal liability minimum of $750,000 for non-hazardous freight, car haulers carry cargo coverage sized to the vehicles they move, and dealers and auctions check it. Expensive or enclosed loads often need higher limits. Ask your agent for a quote on the trailer you plan to run before you buy it.
03Do I need my own drug testing program?
If you drive on a CDL under your own authority, yes. You are both the employer and the driver, so you need a pre-employment test with a negative result before your first load and a place in a random testing pool, usually through a consortium. Non-CDL carriers are outside the DOT testing program.
04Can a dispatcher get loads for a brand new MC?
Yes, though fewer brokers will book you in the first months. We focus on brokers that accept new carriers, set up your packets carefully and take a couple of fair loads early to build a payment and service record. Most of the hard work in the first weeks is getting approved, not finding freight.
05Do I need factoring as a new carrier?
Not always, but many new carriers use it because brokers often pay on 30 day terms while fuel and insurance are due now. If you want a quote, we can introduce you to RTS Financial. Factoring is optional and never required to use our dispatch.
06What is the first load like for a new authority?
Usually a little slower than later ones. Expect extra paperwork with a new broker, a careful rate con review and more check calls than usual. We pick a first load with a broker who books new carriers, a straightforward shipper and a delivery that sets up a reload, so the first week builds momentum.