Dispatch services for new trucking companies with a truck to pay for
A new MC and a new truck payment usually start in the same month. Our dispatch services for new trucking companies work the brokers who load new authorities, get your carrier packets right the first time, and charge 7% only until month 7.
Truck first
- Payment starts on day one
- Weeks of filings with no income
- Rushed insurance, rushed choices
- First loads taken out of panic
Plan first
- Authority, insurance and filings lined up
- Truck bought when it can start earning
- Carrier packets ready for day one
- First week planned before the first load
Order of operations: how many weeks of payments with no loads?
Tick what you already have. Each open item shows its official source and a wait you can adjust. If you bought the truck first, the longest open item is how long the payment runs with no freight. The strip at the bottom shows your fee for the first year.
- Official sourcewk
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Truck first: weeks of payments with no loads
3 wk, $1,188
Plan first: file, then buy
0 wk
Your fee over the first year
Waits are your own estimates; agencies set their own processing times. Filings often run at the same time, so the longest open item sets the wait.
Thinking about the truck before the paperwork? Read buying your first truck: talk to a dispatcher first. Already bought it? See what to do after buying a semi truck.
What you need before we can dispatch you
Brokers check every one of these before they tender a load to a new carrier. We go through the list with you on the first call:
USDOT number and MC operating authority. filed with FMCSA. Your authority must be active, not just applied for, before you haul for hire.
BOC-3. a process agent filing covering every state you run in.
Insurance on file. your insurer files it with FMCSA. The federal minimum for general freight is $750,000 for trucks rated 10,001 lb and up, under 49 CFR 387.9, and many brokers ask for more plus cargo coverage.
UCR registration. renewed every year at ucr.gov.
IRP plates and an IFTA account. if your truck is over 26,000 lb or has three or more axles.
A drug and alcohol testing program. plus a Clearinghouse account, if you or your drivers need a CDL. Owner-operators with a CDL must be in a random testing pool. See the DOT drug testing consortium guide.
Carrier packet papers. W-9, certificate of insurance and your MC letter, ready for every broker.
Month 7: your fee drops on its own
New authorities pay 7% of gross for the first 6 months. The extra covers the real extra work: more broker calls per load, more packets, more rejections before a yes. In month 7 the fee drops to 5% for one truck, or 4% if you run two or more on the MC. No new contract, no phone call, no catch.
There is no setup fee, no minimum and no long contract at any stage. If a week goes by with no loads, you pay nothing that week.
What a new MC can realistically expect
We will not promise you a full week from day one, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Some brokers will not work with a carrier until its authority has been active for a set number of days or months. Some ask for higher insurance. Some load new carriers happily. The mix changes by lane and equipment.
What we can promise is effort in the right places. We keep a list of brokers who load new authorities on your type of rig, we get your packets approved quickly, and we push for fair rates even while your history is short. As your record builds, more brokers open up and the offers get better.
Expect the first few weeks to take more calls per load and to include a few loads that pay less than you want while you build history. We will tell you which ones are worth taking for that reason, and you still decide.
Your first 90 days with us
| Stage | What we do | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Check your filings, insurance and packets; set your lanes and floor rate | Send documents, sign the agreement |
| Weeks 2 to 4 | Work brokers that load new MCs; build carrier approvals | Haul, send paperwork the same day |
| Months 2 and 3 | Add brokers as your record builds; push rates up | Keep the truck clean on inspections |
| Month 7 | Fee drops to 5% or 4% automatically | Nothing |
A typical plan, not a guarantee of loads or income.
Clean inspections matter more than you think
A new carrier's safety record is short, so every roadside inspection carries weight. One out-of-service violation in the first months can make some brokers hesitate. A clean pre-trip, good logs and working lights are part of building a business that brokers trust.
We help by planning loads that fit your hours and by never pushing you to run past them. The rest is yours, and it pays back in better brokers later.
Insurance for a new MC: what to ask your agent
New carriers usually pay more for insurance than established ones, and the policy you buy decides which brokers will load you. Ask your agent about liability limits above the federal minimum, cargo coverage for the freight you plan to haul, and any exclusions for your type of rig. A policy that excludes reefer breakdown or certain commodities can quietly shut you out of loads.
Send us the certificate before your first load. We check it against what the brokers on your lanes ask for and tell you if anything is missing.
Your first broker setups
Every broker runs its own carrier setup: your authority, insurance, W-9 and sometimes a safety questionnaire. With a new MC, some will approve you the same day and some will ask you to come back in a few months. We start with the brokers most likely to approve a new authority on your rig and lanes, so your first loads are not held up by paperwork.
Your first load, and every one after, is your call
- 1Dispatcher finds and negotiates
- 2Broker sends the rate con to you
- 3You sign it, or you say no
When we find a load, we bring you the rate, the stops and the broker. If you say yes, the broker sends the rate con to your email in your company name. You sign it. Your authority, your load, your decision.
New owners sometimes feel they have to take whatever comes. You do not. If a load looks wrong, say no. It costs you nothing, and we keep looking.
New authority dispatch pricing
7% of gross while your MC is under 6 months, then 5% for one truck or 4% for two or more trucks on one MC. The rig you run never changes the fee.
See every detail on the pricing page.
- 7%MC under 6 months, any fleet size
- 5%1 truck, MC 6+ months
- 4%2+ trucks on one MC, MC 6+ months
- Of gross load revenue. No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month, 30 days notice, no haul no pay.
When the first payment lands before the first load pays
Brokers often pay in 30 days or more, while your truck payment, insurance and fuel are due now. Plan for that gap before you start: a cash cushion of a few weeks of costs is the simplest protection.
Some new carriers use factoring to get paid within a day or two of delivery. Read how factoring for new trucking companies works and what it costs before you decide.
Straight answers for new carriers
Brokers will not take a new MC. Why bother with a dispatcher?
Some will not, many will. Finding the ones that do, on your lanes and your rig, is exactly the slow work a new owner does not have time for while driving. That is what we do in your first months.
Should I buy the truck before getting my authority?
If you can, file first. Authority, insurance and registrations take time, and a truck payment with no loads behind it is the hardest way to start. Use the order of operations sheet above to see the cost of buying first.
Who is the best dispatcher for new authority?
The one who tells you the truth about the first months, sends every rate con to you, and charges a fee you can see in writing. Ask any dispatcher how many brokers on your lanes load new MCs, and how they will find them.
Do I need my own drug testing program?
If you drive a CDL truck under your own authority, yes. As an owner-operator you are both employer and driver, so you must be in a random testing pool, which a consortium can run for you. Non-CDL drivers are not under the DOT testing rules.
New authority dispatch questions
Should I buy the truck before getting my authority?
What do I need before you can dispatch me?
Do I need my own drug testing program?
Should a new carrier use factoring?
When does the 7% rate change?
Can a dispatcher get loads for a brand new MC?
What insurance do brokers ask new carriers for?
Do I have to take the loads you find?
Start your authority with a plan, not a panic
Tell us where your filings stand and what you run. A dispatcher calls you back.