How to Start a Trucking Company: A Step-by-Step Checklist

What do you actually need before you can haul a load?

Every interstate trucking company needs a USDOT number, and most for-hire carriers also need operating authority (an MC number), proof of insurance on file with FMCSA, a UCR registration, and a process agent (BOC-3) before that authority becomes active. Below is the order most new owner-operators do it in.

Step 1: Decide on a business structure

Most owner-operators set up an LLC or a sole proprietorship before registering with the federal government. An LLC separates your personal assets from the business; a sole proprietorship is simpler to start but gives you no liability separation. This is a legal and tax decision — talk to an accountant or attorney before you choose, since it affects your taxes for years.

Step 2: Get your USDOT number

A USDOT number identifies your company to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). You apply through the Unified Registration System at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration. There’s no cost for the USDOT number itself. Once issued, it never expires, but you must update it every two years (the MCS-150 biennial update) — the due month is based on the last digit of your own USDOT number.

Step 3: Get operating authority (your MC number), if you need one

If you’ll haul regulated freight for other companies across state lines, you also need operating authority, shown as an MC number. You apply for it in the same Unified Registration System filing as the USDOT number. Authority isn’t active the day you apply — it goes through a 10-day protest period, and it only turns on once two more things are on file: your insurance and your BOC-3.

Step 4: Get your insurance filed

Your insurance company files proof of coverage (forms BMC-91 or BMC-91X) directly with FMCSA — you don’t file this yourself. The federal minimum for most general freight is $750,000 in public liability coverage; hazmat and passenger carriers need more. TruckerOutpost.com doesn’t sell insurance or quote prices; a licensed agent can tell you what your specific setup requires and what it will cost.

Step 5: File your BOC-3 (process agent)

A BOC-3 names a process agent in every state you operate in, so legal paperwork has somewhere to go. Process agent services typically file this for a small fee. Your authority won’t go active without it.

Step 6: Register for UCR

The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) is a separate annual registration for interstate carriers, based on fleet size. Registration for the coming year opens October 1 and is due December 31. Register at https://www.ucr.gov.

Step 7: Get IRP plates and set up IFTA, if you’ll cross state lines

If you’ll run in more than one state, you’ll likely need apportioned (IRP) plates through your base state and an IFTA fuel tax license, which requires a return every quarter (due April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31). Your base state’s DMV or department of revenue handles both.

Step 8: Set up your record-keeping before your first load

You’ll need a way to track hours of service, inspections, and your deadlines (MCS-150, UCR, IFTA, Form 2290). Missing one of these doesn’t just risk a fine — it can suspend your authority. TruckerOutpost.com’s free check pulls your deadlines from your USDOT number once you’re registered.

What’s next

Once you know the steps, the next question is usually what it all costs — see What It Costs to Start a Trucking Company. For quick answers to specific questions, see the Starting a Trucking Company FAQ. And if you’re running (or about to run) a single truck, see what TruckerOutpost.com offers independent owner-operators.