Have this ready before you call a broker
- MC authority letter showing your authority is active
- Certificate of insurance with auto liability and cargo, and your agent ready to add brokers as certificate holders fast
- Signed W-9 with your legal company name and EIN
- Notice of assignment if you use a factoring company
- Your BOC-3, UCR and 2290 filed, since brokers and inspectors check
- An ELD and a tracking app on your phone, since most brokers require tracking
Why some brokers won't book you yet
Brokers get burned by fake carriers and double brokering, and new MCs are where most of it comes from. So many brokers set a minimum authority age before they'll load you. Others take new carriers but check harder: a call to confirm, insurance verified with your agent, a look at your FMCSA record.
That's normal. The answer is to go after the brokers that set up new MCs, have every document ready the moment they ask, and run every load clean so your history opens up more freight.
Scams that target new carriers
- Fake brokers and double brokering. Someone posts a load, books you, and never pays. Check the broker's MC on the FMCSA site and make sure the email domain on the rate con is really theirs.
- Pay-to-play dispatchers who charge setup fees, sell "dedicated lanes" they don't have, or ask for your logins.
- Load release fees. Nobody legitimate asks you to pay to get a load.
- Bad rate cons. Fines buried in the fine print, payment terms of 60 days or more, or detention waived.
Your first 90 days
- Know your number. Use the cost per mile calculator so you never book a load that loses money.
- Pick 2 or 3 lanes you want to run and learn the rates on them.
- Get set up with brokers before you need them. A packet sent today is a load you can take next week.
- Run clean. On time, tracking on, paperwork in the same day. Brokers remember.
- Get paid fast. Factoring or quick pay helps cash flow while you build up.
- Plan for your new entrant safety audit. FMCSA checks new carriers within the first year. Keep driver files, logs and maintenance records in order from day one.
How TenFour helps new authorities
We go after the brokers that set up new MCs, fill out and send your setup packets, and book loads at or above your minimum rate. Every rate con is in your name and comes to you as soon as it's signed. Brokers pay you directly. We never ask for your FMCSA, bank or load board logins.
Questions
Will brokers book a brand new MC?
Some won't until your authority is 30, 60 or 90 days old or more. Plenty will. The work is finding the ones that do and getting your setup packet to them fast.
What do brokers need to set me up?
Usually your MC authority letter, a certificate of insurance listing the broker as certificate holder, a signed W-9, and a notice of assignment if you factor. Some ask for a voided check or your ELD provider.
How do I avoid getting scammed as a new carrier?
Check every broker's authority on the FMCSA site before you book. Make sure the email on the rate con matches the broker's real domain. Never pay anyone to release a load, and never give anyone your FMCSA login.
Do I need a dispatcher as a new authority?
You don't have to have one, but the first months are when a dispatcher saves the most time: setup packets, finding brokers who book new MCs, and building a clean load history.
Want a dispatcher who works for your margin?
Every truck gets its own dispatcher. We judge every load on rate per total mile, deadhead included, and never book under your minimum. Brokers pay you directly.