How do you start a trucking company?
Starting a trucking company means registering the business, then adding the federal and state registrations you need to legally operate. That means a USDOT number and MC operating authority, a BOC-3 and insurance, IRP apportioned plates and IFTA for fuel tax, UCR registration, and — if you run CDL drivers — a drug & alcohol testing program. Most of these depend on each other and have deadlines. That's why new carriers usually let a compliance partner set them up in the right order.
Your trucking start-up checklist
Set up the business
Form your LLC or corporation, get an EIN from the IRS, and open a business bank account. This is the legal entity every federal and state registration attaches to.
Get your USDOT and MC authority
Register with the FMCSA for a USDOT number and, if you haul regulated freight for hire across state lines, MC operating authority. This is the main registration everything else depends on.
File BOC-3 and insurance
File a BOC-3 (process agents) and put the required liability and cargo insurance in place so your authority can activate.
Register IRP and IFTA
If you run interstate over 26,000 lbs or with three or more axles, get IRP apportioned plates and an IFTA license so your registration and fuel taxes cover every state you drive in.
Register UCR and file MCS-150
Pay your annual UCR registration and keep your MCS-150 (the biennial update) current — both are required to stay in good standing.
Set up a drug & alcohol program
If you employ CDL drivers, enroll in a DOT drug & alcohol testing program and the FMCSA Clearinghouse before they drive.
Prepare for your new-entrant audit
New interstate carriers get an FMCSA new-entrant safety audit within their first 12 months, inside an 18-month monitoring period — keep your driver, vehicle, and hours-of-service records audit-ready from day one.
Common questions
How much does it cost to start a trucking company?
Costs vary widely, but the government filings are a small part — the FMCSA operating-authority fee (currently $300), UCR, IRP plates, and IFTA. The larger, ongoing costs are insurance and equipment. We quote the registration side up front.
How long until you can start driving?
FMCSA's own estimate for a new application is 20–25 business days — four to five weeks — and longer if the agency pulls it for further review. IRP, IFTA, and UCR can run in parallel, so with a well-sequenced setup the federal authority is usually the long pole, not the sum of everything.
Do I need a drug & alcohol program from day one?
If you employ CDL drivers, yes — you must have a compliant testing program and run the required FMCSA Clearinghouse queries before a driver operates a commercial vehicle.
What is the easiest part to get wrong?
Sequencing and deadlines. Authority can't activate without a BOC-3 and insurance; IRP and IFTA have their own filings; and the new-entrant audit is easy to fail on paperwork. A compliance partner keeps the order and the dates straight.
Sources
- FMCSA New Entrant Safety Assurance Program — the safety audit inside your first 12 months, and the 18-month monitoring period around it
- 49 CFR § 360.3T — the $300 application fee, charged per type of authority
- 49 CFR § 390.19 — the MCS-150 update every 24 months, and the deactivation of a USDOT number that misses it
- FMCSA — Get an MC Number — FMCSA's own processing estimate for a new registration
This guide is general information about US federal and state transportation regulation — it is not legal or tax advice, and reading it does not make you our client. Rules change, and how one applies depends on your own operation: check anything you intend to rely on against the primary source above, or call us and we will check it with you.