Line 01 / New MC, first 90 days
Dispatch services for new trucking companies, with the first 90 days of money mapped out
Your MC just went active. The fees are piling up, brokers want a history you don't have yet, and the first check is a month away. We dispatch new authorities at 7% of gross until your MC turns 6 months old, with no contract, and you approve every load before it's booked.
7%
of gross while your MC is under 6 months, then 5%
$0
setup fee, $0 monthly minimum, and $0 in weeks you don't haul
You
confirm every load. The rate con comes straight to you
Line 02 / First-90-days money checklist
What a new carrier pays before the first broker pays you
Tick each line as you pay it. Government fees are printed as published, with the rule linked. Lines that depend on your state, weight or insurer are marked EXAMPLE: type in your own quote and the tape re-totals. Switch to non-CDL and the drug testing lines drop off, because they don't apply to you.
Paid once when you file for for-hire interstate authority. Most new carriers have already paid it by the time they call us.
49 CFR 360.3$300Yearly. 3-5 trucks pay $138, 6-20 pay $276.
49 CFR 367.50$46Through your base state. Many states charge a small decal fee; a few charge nothing. Needed if your truck is an IFTA qualified motor vehicle.
Priced by weight and by the miles you expect in each state. The biggest variable on this list after insurance.
Only for trucks at 55,000 lb taxable gross weight or more. $550 a year at 75,000 lb and up, prorated by the month the truck is first used. A truck under 55,000 lb owes $0.
IRS Form 2290Random testing pool plus a pre-employment drug test before the first load. Example uses one partner's published prices: $85/yr consortium + $69 test (checked Oct 2026). Not required for non-CDL trucks.
DOT drug testing consortium$154A full query on yourself as the driver, bought from FMCSA's Clearinghouse.
FMCSA Clearinghouse$1Primary liability and cargo. New authorities pay the most; get two or three quotes. We are not an insurance agency.
Keep truck money out of your personal account from day one. Many business checking accounts have no opening cost; check the bank's fee schedule.
Software or a bookkeeper. You need receipts filed by quarter for IFTA and estimated taxes.
Trucking tax deadlines calendarFuel, insurance and the truck note for the first 30 to 45 days, before the first broker check clears.
Fixed amounts are published government or partner fees. Lines marked EXAMPLE vary: put in your own quote.
Three costs new carriers forget
- + Process agent (BOC-3). FMCSA needs one on file before your authority goes active. It is a private service, so the price is whatever the agent charges; it is usually small and often yearly.
- + ELD subscription. A monthly cost for the device and the logs, on top of the hardware.
- + State weight-distance taxes. New Mexico, Kentucky, New York and Oregon charge heavy trucks by the mile on top of fuel tax, each with its own permit or account. If your lanes cross them, budget for it before the first trip, not after the first audit letter.
Source: eCFR, 49 CFR 367.50, UCR fees for 2025 and later registration years · checked Oct 2026
Source: IRS, Instructions for Form 2290 (Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax) · checked Oct 2026
Source: eCFR, 49 CFR Part 382, Controlled Substances and Alcohol Use and Testing · checked Oct 2026
Line 03 / The cash gap
You pay for fuel this week. The broker pays you next month.
Most brokers pay 30 days after they receive your paperwork, some longer, and a new MC rarely gets the faster terms. Meanwhile fuel, insurance and the truck payment come due weekly or monthly. That gap, not the rate, is what sinks a lot of new carriers in the first quarter.
To size a reserve, add up one week of fuel, insurance, the truck note and a repair cushion, then multiply by the number of weeks until a broker check clears. Six weeks is a common planning number for a new MC on 30-day terms, because the first invoice also needs time to reach the broker.
Three ways to cover it: a cash reserve, broker quick pay on some loads, or factoring. Factoring is optional; we dispatch you either way. If you want to compare, start with factoring for new trucking companies, then model your own weeks in the trucking cash flow forecaster.
FIRST 6 WEEKS
EXAMPLELine 04 / What we do in the first 90 days
The best dispatcher for a new authority builds your history, not your hopes
Days 1 to 7
Carrier packets done right
Your MC, insurance certificate, W-9 and notice of assignment (if you factor) go out to brokers who work with new authorities. A packet with a typo can cost a week, so we check every field.
Days 7 to 45
First loads, clean paperwork
We offer loads you can deliver on time from brokers likely to pay on time. You confirm each one; the rate con comes to you. Signed BOLs and on-time check calls are what get a new MC a second load from the same broker.
Days 45 to 90
More brokers, better lanes
Each clean delivery adds a reference and a payment history. We widen the broker list as your authority ages, and we push rates harder once brokers have seen you deliver.
Why brokers turn down new MCs
It isn't personal. Brokers carry the risk if a load goes missing, and freight fraud often uses brand-new authorities, so many set a minimum MC age or a minimum number of delivered loads before they tender. Others will book a new carrier but check every document twice. A dispatcher who knows which brokers are which saves you a week of phone calls that end in "call us back in 90 days".
What we don't do: promise a weekly gross, book a load you haven't approved, or send you to a broker with a bad payment record to fill a slot. New mc dispatch done properly is slower in month one than the ads suggest, and steadier by month three.
The other side of the first 90 days is paperwork you own: your first IFTA return, your first estimated tax payment, keeping receipts by quarter. We don't file those, but every weekly report we send has the miles and gross you need for them.
Line 05 / The fee
7% for six months. Then it drops on its own.
A new MC takes more work per load: more broker setups, more vetting calls, more loads turned down because the broker won't take a new authority. That is why the first six months are 7% of gross. When your MC turns six months old, one truck moves to 5% (box trucks and hotshots stay at 7%), and two or more trucks move to the 4% fleet rate. You don't have to ask.
Is 7% worth it on a new MC? Do the math on your own first month: at $20,000 gross the fee is $1,400. If a dispatcher saves you one dead week of broker calls, or one load hauled for a broker who never pays, it has already covered most of that. If you already have brokers who load you, you may not need us yet.
No setup fee, no monthly minimum, no contract: cancel with 30 days notice. Every line is on our dispatch fees page.
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE: one dry van, same gross both months.
Line 06 / New carrier questions
Dispatch for a new MC: what new carriers ask us
What do I need before my first interstate load (IFTA, IRP, 2290)?
Active USDOT and MC authority with insurance and a process agent on file, UCR for the year, and, if your truck is an IFTA and IRP qualified vehicle, an IFTA license and apportioned plates. Form 2290 applies at 55,000 lb or more. CDL carriers also need a drug and alcohol program in place. Your base state's pages have the exact steps.
How much cash should a new trucking company have?
Enough to run 30 to 45 days before the first broker pays: fuel, insurance, the truck note, and a repair cushion. For one truck that is often five figures. Run your own numbers in the cash flow forecaster rather than trusting a rule of thumb, including ours.
Should a new carrier use factoring?
It depends on your cash. Factoring pays you for a delivered load within a day or so, for a fee per invoice. If your reserve covers the broker terms, you may not need it. If it doesn't, factoring is usually cheaper than missing a fuel stop. Read the contract terms before signing.
Do I need my own drug testing program?
If you drive a vehicle that needs a CDL under your own authority, yes. You are both employer and driver under 49 CFR Part 382, so you must be in a random testing pool, usually through a consortium, and pass a pre-employment test first. Non-CDL trucks are not covered by Part 382.
What is the first load like for a new authority?
Usually shorter and plainer than you hoped. Many brokers limit new MCs, so the first loads come from brokers who accept new authorities, often at market rate rather than above it. The goal of the first weeks is clean deliveries and on-time paperwork, which opens more brokers.
Can a dispatcher get loads for a brand new MC?
Yes, with honest expectations. Some brokers set a minimum authority age, so a new MC sees fewer offers at first. A dispatcher knows which brokers work with new carriers and sets up the packets correctly. Nobody can promise a number of loads, and we don't.
Do I need factoring as a new carrier?
Not by law, and not always. You need cash flow. If broker terms leave you short, factoring is one way to cover the gap. If you want a quote, our partner is RTS; we may be paid for referrals. You can also start without factoring and add it later.
Your first quarter, loaded and on paper
Apply now and a dispatcher calls you back with a plan for your first loads, your first broker setups and your first IFTA quarter. You approve every load.
7% under 6 months. No setup fee. No contract.
IFTA quarters: next four due dates
Weekend due dates roll to the next business day