Broker age rules
Many brokers publish a minimum authority age, often 30, 90 or 180 days. Until you clear it, they won't set you up.
Dispatch services for new trucking companies
A new MC gets turned away by half the brokers and targeted by every scammer. We work the brokers that book new authorities, check every one before an offer reaches you, and follow a 180-day plan to get you to standard rates. You approve every load.
MILE02WHY NEW MCS GET STUCK
Why new authorities stall
Insurance checks
Brokers verify your coverage with your insurer, and some want higher cargo limits than the minimum.
No history
No inspections, no on-time record, no references. Every load you deliver cleanly builds that file.
Scams
Fake brokers, double brokering and phishing for your FMCSA login all target new MCs because they're new.
MILE03180-DAY ODOMETER
Your first 180 days
Slide through the first six months or tap a marker. This is the plan we follow with every new authority, from the first carrier packet to your rate review at month six.
Your W-9, insurance certificate, MC and DOT and NOA (if you factor) go to brokers that accept new authorities. We build your list of approvals.
FMCSA also schedules a new entrant safety audit within your first 12 months. Clean logs, maintenance records and drug testing files (for CDL carriers) make it routine instead of a scramble.
SOURCE: FMCSA New Entrant Safety Assurance Program (checked Oct 2026)
MILE04WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
Your new-authority checklist
- MC and DOT numbers, authority active
- BOC-3 process agent filing on record
- Current UCR registration
- Certificate of insurance: auto liability and cargo
- W-9 for your business
- ELD, if your operation requires one
- Factoring NOA, if you factor
- DOT drug and alcohol testing program (CDL rigs only)
CDL rigs: your testing program has to be in place before your first load. Read about a DOT drug testing consortium, or join one through our partner (referral link, disclosure).
Non-CDL 26 ft box trucks and hotshots: DOT drug testing doesn't apply to you. Not sure whether you need a CDL or an MC at all? Use the DOT and MC number checker.
MILE05SCAM CHECKS
How we keep scammers away
- 01Every broker's authority and contact details checked against FMCSA records before an offer reaches you.
- 02Credit and days-to-pay checked; brokers with a pattern of not paying never make it to your phone.
- 03Rate cons go straight to your email from the broker's real domain. If something looks off, call us before you sign.
- 04We never ask for your FMCSA login, bank login or a fee to release a load. Anyone who does isn't us.
MILE06RED FLAGS
Scam red flags for new carriers
| Red flag | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Email from a free mail account claiming to be a big broker | Someone impersonating the broker | Verify the contact through the broker's FMCSA record |
| Request for your FMCSA or bank login | Account takeover attempt | Never share it; report it |
| Rate far above the market, pay sent by an unusual method | Bait for a scam or double brokering | Check the broker's history before saying yes |
| Pickup address changes after dispatch | Possible cargo theft | Stop and confirm with the shipper directly |
| Fee to release a load or a quick-pay advance | Advance-fee scam | Real brokers don't charge carriers to haul |
MILE07YOUR FIRST WEEK
Your first week with us
- DAY 1A call to learn your truck's numbers, lanes, home time and lowest rate. Your paperwork goes on file.
- DAYS 1-2Carrier packets go to brokers that accept new authorities. Some approve within hours, some take days.
- DAYS 2-4First offers reach you. Shorter loads are common at first; we still counter every one.
- DAYS 4-7First deliveries. Clean paperwork and on-time updates go straight into your record with those brokers.
Timing depends on your paperwork and your lanes, so these are typical days, not promises.
MILE08YOUR CALL
New MC, same control
Being new doesn't mean taking whatever comes. Every load reaches you as an offer with the broker, rate and terms. You say yes or pass, and passing costs nothing.
On a yes, the broker sends the rate con straight to you. Read it, check it matches, and sign it yourself. Those rate cons, and the history they build, are under your MC.
LOAD OFFER
- EQUIPMENT
- 26 ft box, liftgate
- PICKUP
- Dallas, TX · Tue 08:00
- DELIVERY
- Shreveport, LA · Tue 15:00
- LOADED MI
- 189 (deadhead 22)
- WEIGHT
- 8,400 lb, 10 pallets
- BROKER
- Credit checked, pays in 30 days
- TERMS
- Liftgate delivery, appointment
- RATE
- $650 ($3.44/mi loaded)
YOUR CALL. NOTHING IS BOOKED UNTIL YOU SAY YES.
MILE09PRICE
7% until month six
While your authority is under 6 months old, the fee is 7% of the gross on loads you haul, on any equipment and any fleet size. The first months take more work per load: more broker setups, more vetting, more calls to find someone who'll book a new MC.
At month six, single trucks on standard equipment move to 5% and fleets of two or more move to 4%. Single 26 ft box trucks and hotshots stay at 7%. Every rule is on rates and fees.
FIRST MONTHNO. 0030
EXAMPLE
- Week 1 (2 loads)
- $1,900
- Week 2
- $3,100
- Week 3
- $3,600
- Week 4
- $4,000
- Gross
- $12,600
- Fee 7%
- $882
Kept before costs$11,718
MILE10FACTORING FOR NEW MCS
Cash flow in the first months
The first 30 to 45 days are the hardest: loads delivered, money not in yet, fuel and insurance due. Many new carriers factor to bridge that gap. We refer carriers to a factoring partner and may be paid for referrals. Read about factoring for new authorities before you decide.
Still planning your business? Our guides on starting a hotshot business and hotshot startup costs cover the money side.
MILE11OBJECTIONS
What new carriers ask us
- "I should learn the boards myself first."
- That's a fair choice, and some owners do it. Just know the first months are when scams and cheap freight hit hardest. If you'd rather learn while someone checks brokers for you, that's what we do.
- "7% is more than I'd pay later."
- It is, for six months, because new-MC loads take more work to find. It changes on its own at month six, with no renegotiating.
- "What if I don't get loads at first?"
- Then you don't pay. The fee only applies to loads you haul. We'll tell you honestly what we're seeing on your lanes and whether widening them would help.
MILE12FAQ
New authority dispatch FAQ
Q01Can you dispatch a new hotshot authority?
Yes, and new box truck, van, reefer, flatbed and other authorities too. Hotshots and single 26 ft box trucks stay at 7% after month six; other single trucks move to 5%.
Q02When does the 7% rate change?
When your authority turns 6 months old. A single truck on standard equipment moves to 5%, and fleets of two or more trucks move to 4%. A single hotshot or 26 ft box truck stays at 7%. The change happens on its own; you don't have to ask.
Q03What is the first load like for a new authority?
Usually a shorter load with a broker that books new MCs, sometimes at a rate a little under the market while you have no history. We still counter it. A clean first delivery with good communication is what gets the next broker to say yes.
Q04Do you help me avoid scams as a new carrier?
Yes. New MCs get targeted: fake brokers, double brokering, requests for your login details, and quick-pay offers that never pay. We check every broker's authority, credit and history before an offer reaches you, and we'll never ask for your FMCSA login.
Q05How much is dispatch for a new trucking company?
7% of the gross on loads you haul while your authority is under 6 months old, on any equipment and any fleet size. No setup fee, no minimums, month to month.
Q06How long until brokers work with my new authority?
Some book you on day one. Many publish minimum authority ages, often 30, 90 or 180 days. Your list of approvals grows as your authority ages and your deliveries stay clean.
Q07What documents do I need before dispatch starts?
Active MC and DOT numbers, a W-9, a certificate of insurance with auto liability and cargo, your BOC-3 on file with FMCSA, current UCR, and your factoring NOA if you factor. CDL carriers also need a drug and alcohol testing program.
Q08Do I approve every load as a new carrier?
Yes. New or not, every load is an offer you accept or pass. On a yes, the broker sends the rate con straight to you to sign.
Q09Will my insurance go down after the first year?
Often it does once you have clean history, but it depends on your insurer, your record and your equipment. Clean inspections, no claims and a passed new entrant audit all help at renewal. Ask your agent what they look at.
Q10Should I factor as a new authority?
Many new carriers do, because broker payments take 30 days or more while fuel and insurance are due now. It's not required. Read how factoring works for new authorities before deciding.
See the full process on how we dispatch.
Build your first 180 days
Apply in about 2 minutes. We start with brokers that book new authorities and check every one.