ENTRY 01 / NEW MC DISPATCH
Dispatch services for new trucking companies, from the first rate con
A new MC is the hardest time to find good freight and the easiest time to lose money. Our dispatch services for new trucking companies get your packets moving before day one, plan your first 180 days around the brokers that book new carriers, and price it honestly: 7% while the MC is young, 5% from month 7.
Still waiting on FMCSA? Apply anyway. The best time to set up a new carrier is before the authority goes active, so the first week on the road is spent hauling, not filling out forms.
- 7% now
- 5% from month 7
- No contract
Every equipment type we dispatch, same plan. Box trucks from 26 ft. Every rate con comes to you to sign or refuse, even on day one.
ENTRY 02 / STARTUP LEDGER
The cash a new MC burns before the first broker pays
New owners budget for the truck and the authority, then run out of money waiting on broker payments. Put your own quotes into the ledger. The two government fees are filled in with sources; everything else is an EXAMPLE until you change it.
STARTUP LEDGER · EXAMPLE UNTIL YOU ENTER YOUR QUOTES
| SOURCE: FMCSA, OCT 2026 | $ |
|---|---|
| Private service, prices vary | $ |
| SOURCE: UCR PLAN, OCT 2026 | $ |
| Your agent's quote | $ |
| $ | |
| Over 26,000 lb; varies by state | $ |
| CDL trucks only | $ |
| $ | |
| Broker terms are often 30 days unless you factor | $ |
| CASH BEFORE FIRST SETTLEMENT | $11,196 |
Cash needed before first pay
Untick for a truck that stays at or under 26,000 lb, like most non-CDL 26 ft box trucks and hotshots. Those are generally outside DOT drug testing, IRP and IFTA. Confirm with your state.
The line people forget is the last one. Brokers commonly pay on 30-day terms, so the first loads you haul are paid for by you, in fuel and truck payments, weeks before any money comes back. That gap is why new carriers either keep a cash cushion or look at factoring for new authorities.
Insurance is usually the biggest surprise. New authorities have no loss history, so quotes tend to run higher than for established carriers, and many policies want a sizeable down payment. Get two or three quotes before you file, and read what owner-operator insurance costs so you know what drives the number.
For a fuller budget with a business plan behind it, the trucking startup cost calculator goes line by line, and the owner-operator startup checklist puts every filing in order. Not filed yet? Start with how to get your own authority.
Where new carriers lose money in the first six months
Taking any load to get started
A new MC feels pressure to say yes to everything. The loads that are easiest to get are often the ones experienced carriers passed on: low rates, long waits, bad appointments. Running them teaches brokers what you will accept.
Deadheading out of a dead market
A first load into a market with no freight going your way can cost you the profit of the next three. New carriers rarely know which destinations reload well. That is lane knowledge a desk brings on day one.
Losing a load to a packet problem
A wrong certificate holder, an expired document, a missing W-9 signature. The broker moves on to the next carrier in minutes. Packets set up before the MC goes active remove that risk.
Running out of cash before the money comes in
Fuel, the truck payment and insurance are due now; broker payments arrive weeks later. Owners who plan for that gap stay in business. Owners who don't are forced into whatever load pays fastest.
ENTRY 03 / WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
New MC dispatch starts with a complete packet
Brokers check new carriers harder, and a missing document is the most common reason a first load goes to someone else. Here is what a broker sees before it releases freight to a new authority, and what we collect on the first call.
If you drive a CDL truck under your own MC, you are now the employer for drug and alcohol testing, so you need a random testing program before the first load. Most one-truck carriers join a DOT drug testing consortium. Non-CDL trucks are outside those rules.
- MC and DOT number. Active authority, or the date it goes active.
- BOC-3 on file. Your process agent filing with FMCSA.
- Certificate of insurance. Auto liability and cargo, with brokers added as certificate holders.
- W-9. Signed, for your business name.
- ELD. Provider name; many brokers ask for tracking on new carriers.
- Drug testing program. CDL trucks only: your consortium or testing provider.
- Notice of assignment. Only if you factor.
ENTRY 04 / THE FIRST 180 DAYS
What usually opens up, month by month
This is the pattern, not a promise. Broker requirements vary and markets move. What doesn't change is the order: a clean record first, better freight after.
BEFORE DAY 1
Packets ready before the MC is active
We prepare your carrier packet, check your insurance filing and BOC-3, and line up brokers that book new authorities so the first rate con isn't a scramble.
MONTH 1-2
Fewer brokers, careful loads
Brokers with new-carrier programs, simple runs, clean paperwork. Every on-time delivery adds to the record the next broker will check.
MONTH 3-4
The broker list grows
Brokers with 60 and 90 day minimums open up. We start pushing rates harder because you have more places to say no to.
MONTH 5-6
Lanes start to repeat
Brokers you delivered for well come back with similar loads. Good lanes become regular lanes when the rate keeps clearing your floor.
MONTH 7
Fee drops to 5%
Automatically. With two or more trucks on the MC it drops to 4% instead.
FIRST 12 MONTHS
New entrant safety audit
FMCSA audits new carriers during the new entrant period. Keep driver files, hours of service, maintenance and drug testing records in order from the first day.
A FIRST WEEK ON A NEW MC · EXAMPLE, NOT A REAL CARRIER
Monday: the MC went active last week; packets are already approved with four brokers that book new carriers. A short regional load is offered at a rate above the owner's floor, with tracking required. The owner reads the rate con and signs. Tuesday: delivered on time, POD photographed and sent the same hour. Wednesday: two offers come in; one pays well but delivers into a market with nothing coming back, so the owner declines it after a call with the desk. Thursday: a slightly lower rate that reloads toward home is signed instead. Friday: two clean loads on record, both brokers ask to book again, and the weekly report shows the 7% fee as one line.
SOURCE FOR THE SAFETY AUDIT: FMCSA NEW ENTRANT SAFETY ASSURANCE PROGRAM. FMCSA.DOT.GOV
Who is the best dispatcher for a new authority?
The one who tells you what the first months really look like, sends you loads you can actually run clean, and doesn't sign anything in your name. Ask any desk which brokers they use for new MCs, how they handle a broker that rejects your packet, and what changes when your MC turns six months old.
How we choose brokers for a new MC
We keep track of which brokers accept carriers with little or no history, how long their setup takes, what they ask for, and how they pay. A new authority starts with the ones that have treated new carriers fairly, and the list grows as your MC qualifies for more. You see every broker's name on the rate con before you sign.
What changes by truck type in year one
The plan is the same for every equipment type we dispatch, but the starting freight differs. A non-CDL 26 ft box truck often starts with partials and final-mile work. A hotshot starts with shorter regional runs where the reload is close. A tractor with a van, reefer or flatbed starts with brokers that run new-carrier programs on simple lanes.
What we won't do to fill your week
We won't send you a load below your floor just because you are new, and we won't book you with a broker you haven't approved. A cheap first month teaches brokers what you will accept. A careful one builds a record that pays later.
ENTRY 05 / PRICE
7% while you're new. 5% after. Nothing else.
New authorities take more work: more packets, more rejections, more calls per load. The 7% rate pays for that work for six months, then drops to 5% on its own. The fee is charged on the gross of loads you haul, never on a load you decline.
Dispatch and factoring are separate decisions. You can use our desk without factoring, factor without our desk, or use both. We never make one a condition of the other.
Why not cheaper? Because a cheap desk can only make its money one way: volume. That means pushing you into loads to hit its numbers. A percentage of loads you choose to haul keeps us paid only when you are.
No setup fee, no monthly minimum, month-to-month terms with 30 days notice. Compare it line by line on the dispatch pricing page.
| Months 1-6 | 7% | ($350.00) |
|---|---|---|
| Month 7 on, 1 truck | 5% | ($250.00) |
| Month 7 on, 2+ trucks | 4% | ($200.00) |
ENTRY 06 / NEW MC QUESTIONS
Questions new carriers ask before the first load
Q01How much does it cost to start my own authority?
The FMCSA filing is $300 and UCR for one or two trucks is $46 for 2026. The big numbers are insurance, the truck itself and the cash to run until brokers pay you. Use the startup ledger on this page or the startup cost calculator with your own quotes.
Q02Do I need my own drug testing program?
If you drive a CDL truck under your own authority, yes: you are the employer, and you must be in a DOT random testing program, usually through a consortium. Non-CDL trucks, like most 26 ft box trucks and non-CDL hotshots, are not under those rules.
Q03How long until brokers work with my new authority?
Some brokers book new MCs from day one, others want 30, 60 or 90 days of history, and a few want longer. Your options grow every month the MC is active with a clean record. We start with the brokers that book new carriers and widen the list as you qualify.
Q04Do I need factoring as a new carrier?
No, factoring is never required. It helps when cash is thin, because brokers often pay on 30-day terms and fuel is due now. We refer carriers to our factoring partner and may be paid for referrals. Compare it against a line of credit before you decide.
Q05When does the 7% rate change?
Automatically, once your MC is 6 months old. From month 7 you pay 5% with one truck, or 4% with two or more trucks on the MC. You don't need to ask or sign anything new.
Q06What is the first load like for a new authority?
Usually more paperwork than later loads: the broker checks your packet, insurance and authority status before releasing it, and may ask for tracking. The rate con still comes to you to sign. We pick a first load that is simple to run and close to your plan.
Q07How much is dispatch for a new trucking company?
7% of the gross on loads you haul for the first 6 months, then 5%. No setup fee, no monthly minimum and no long contract: month to month, with 30 days notice to leave. If the truck doesn't move, there is no fee.
New MC? Let's get the first rate con into your inbox.
7% for six months, then 5%. No setup fee, no contract, and you sign every load.