Quick Answer
To start a trucking company in 2026, form your business, get a free EIN from the IRS, and apply for a USDOT number and operating authority in FMCSA's Motus system. Then have your insurer file proof of coverage and your process agent file the BOC-3. Once your authority shows ACTIVE, register for UCR, IRP, IFTA and Form 2290, and set up drug testing and an ELD before your first load.
Key Takeaways
- Since May 2026, every new USDOT number and operating authority application goes through Motus at motus.dot.gov, which replaced the old URS system.
- FMCSA charges $300 for each type of operating authority you apply for, and the fee isn't refunded (49 CFR 360.3).
- Your insurer must file proof of coverage within 20 days of your application's publication in the FMCSA Register. If it doesn't, FMCSA gives you 60 days before it dismisses the application.
- Form 2290 applies to trucks with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more, and you can't file it with a Social Security number.
- A solo owner-operator with a CDL still needs a random drug and alcohol testing pool of two or more drivers (49 CFR 382.103(b)).
- FMCSA monitors new carriers for 18 months and says the safety audit comes within 12 months of starting operations.
“To start a trucking company in 2026, form your business and get a free EIN, apply for a USDOT number and operating authority in Motus, have your insurer and process agent file, wait for ACTIVE status, then set up UCR, IRP, IFTA, Form 2290, drug testing and an ELD before the first load.”
How do you start a trucking company step by step?
Follow this order. Most delays come from doing steps out of sequence.
- Choose your model: your own authority or leased onto a carrier. Our lease on vs own authority guide compares them.
- Form the business with your secretary of state, or operate as a sole proprietor.
- Get an EIN free from the IRS, using the exact legal name from step 2.
- Open a business bank account in that same name.
- Apply in Motus for a USDOT number and for-hire operating authority, and pay $300 per authority type.
- Bind insurance and have your insurer file the BMC-91 or BMC-91X with FMCSA.
- File the BOC-3 through a process agent.
- Wait out the 10-day protest period, then confirm your authority shows ACTIVE.
- Register for UCR for each year you operate.
- File Form 2290 if the truck's taxable gross weight is 55,000 pounds or more.
- Get IRP plates and an IFTA license from your base state if the truck qualifies.
- Set up drug and alcohol testing and the Clearinghouse.
- Build a driver qualification file and get a current annual inspection on every truck and trailer.
- Install and test an ELD, then send brokers your carrier packet.
How long does it take to start a trucking company?
FMCSA publishes no standard Motus processing time as of October 2026, but the rules set fixed windows.
Phase | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
Setup | Before you apply | Business formation, EIN, bank account, insurance quotes |
Application | Day 1 | Motus application, identity verification, $300 fee, USDOT and docket numbers assigned |
Filings | Right after you get your docket number | Insurer files BMC-91/91X, process agent files BOC-3 |
Protest period | 10 days after FMCSA Register publication | Others may protest; authority can't be granted yet |
Insurance deadline | 20 days after publication | Missing it starts a 60-day dismissal clock |
Pre-operation | After ACTIVE status, before the first load | UCR, Form 2290, IRP, IFTA, drug testing, ELD, inspection |
New entrant period | First 18 months | Safety audit generally after 3 months, within 12 months |
Get the EIN early. The IRS says it takes "about four weeks" to establish a new EIN in its systems for Form 2290, and you can't file that return without one.
What do you need before you apply for authority?
You need a legal business, an EIN, and a name that matches everywhere. FMCSA's insurance filing page says the name and address in pre-registration filings, such as your secretary of state record, must match your authority application exactly. Any mismatch delays the grant.
Form your LLC or corporation with your state first. The IRS says that if you apply for an EIN before forming the entity with the state, the EIN application may be delayed.
Apply on irs.gov. The EIN is free and issued online, and the IRS warns to "beware of websites that charge for an EIN."
How do you get a USDOT number and operating authority in Motus?
FMCSA moved all registration to Motus in May 2026, as announced in a Federal Register notice published April 29, 2026. You sign in through Login.gov, complete identity verification, create a company account, and apply. Not sure what you need? FMCSA's Move into Motus page links its USDOT Wizard.
You need a USDOT number if you run interstate with a vehicle of 10,001 pounds or more. You also need operating authority if you haul other people's regulated freight for pay. The MC number assigned at application isn't authority yet. Our MC authority letter guide explains the certificate and how to check your status.
Insurance filing
FMCSA won't grant authority until your financial responsibility is on file. For non-hazardous freight in a vehicle of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more, the federal minimum is $750,000 in liability coverage. Your insurer, not you, files the BMC-91 or BMC-91X. You keep the MCS-90 endorsement at your place of business. Brokers often want higher limits, so ask before you bind.
BOC-3
The BOC-3 names a process agent who can accept court papers for you in each state where you operate or travel (49 CFR 366.4T). You can hire a blanket company that covers every state; FMCSA lists them on its process agents page. You keep one copy at your principal place of business.
What registrations and taxes come after your authority?
These are handled by the UCR Plan, the IRS and your base state, not FMCSA.
Item | Who it applies to | Where you file | Key fact (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
UCR | Interstate carriers, brokers, forwarders | ucr.gov | 2027 fee is $55 for 0-2 vehicles; register before January 1, 2027 |
Form 2290 (HVUT) | Trucks with taxable gross weight of 55,000 lb or more | IRS e-file or mail | Due by the last day of the month after the month of first use |
IRP | Qualifying power units in 2 or more jurisdictions | Base state | Apportioned plate and cab card |
IFTA | Qualified motor vehicles in 2 or more jurisdictions | Base state | License plus 2 decals per truck, quarterly returns |
The 2027 UCR fees took effect October 1, 2026, and are listed on the UCR Plan's fee page.
For Form 2290, the IRS Trucking Tax Center says you need an EIN, the VIN, and the taxable gross weight. E-filing returns a watermarked Schedule 1 within minutes. Your state may ask for that Schedule 1 before it issues apportioned plates; Michigan's IRP page, for example, lists it as required proof.
IFTA and IRP use the same weight and axle test. IFTA, Inc. defines a qualified motor vehicle as one with two axles and over 26,000 pounds, three or more axles regardless of weight, or a combination over 26,000 pounds. Apply in your base jurisdiction, where the truck is registered and your records are kept.
What safety programs must be in place before the first load?
Some gaps here, such as no random testing program or no annual inspection, fail the safety audit automatically.
- Drug and alcohol testing. If your truck requires a CDL, you need a testing program with random testing. A one-driver company must be in a pool of two or more, which in practice means a consortium. See our drug and alcohol consortium guide.
- Pre-employment test. You need a verified negative drug test before your first safety-sensitive work, yourself included (49 CFR 382.301).
- Clearinghouse. Register as an employer, run a full pre-employment query on every CDL driver (49 CFR 382.701), and designate your C/TPA if you're an owner-operator.
- Driver qualification file and medical card for every driver, including you.
- Annual inspection. Every truck and trailer needs a passed inspection within the past 12 months, with documentation on the vehicle (49 CFR 396.17).
- ELD. Unless an exception in 49 CFR 395.8 applies, such as a pre-2000 engine or logging 8 or fewer days in 30, each driver must use an FMCSA-registered ELD from day one.
Order the ELD while you wait on the protest period. Lucid ELD hardware ships in 2-4 business days and plugs into the OBD-II, 9-pin or 16-pin port in under 5 minutes. Its Standard plan includes automatic HOS, IFTA mileage reporting, DVIRs, GPS tracking and a driver app with one-tap DOT inspection mode, so your IFTA miles and DVIRs sit in the same app as your logs.
How much does it cost to start a trucking company?
The fixed government fees are small: $300 per authority type and $55 for 2027 UCR at 1-2 trucks. The big costs are the truck, insurance, IRP plates, Form 2290 and fuel. Our cost to start a trucking company guide breaks them down.
For the ELD line, Lucid's listed price as of October 2026 is $60 per truck per month on a monthly plan you can cancel anytime, or $50 on a 12-month plan where the hardware is free and yours to keep. Monthly plans also get Idle Day Cashback: disconnect the device while the truck is parked, reactivate it with the trailer number and driver credentials, and those days are credited on your next monthly bill. Reconnect before the truck moves, and keep your logs accurate for the parked days.
What happens in your first 18 months?
FMCSA watches a new entrant's roadside inspections for 18 months and runs a safety audit once you have enough records, "generally at least 3 months" (49 CFR 385.307). FMCSA's New Entrant program page says the audit happens within 12 months of starting operations. Your authority becomes permanent only after you complete the program (49 CFR 365.110).
Our first 90 days with new authority checklist covers the records the auditor asks for. To compare ELD plans before your first load, see Lucid ELD's pricing page.
Starting a new authority? See Lucid ELD plans
Educational content, not legal advice. Confirm requirements against current FMCSA regulations and your state's rules.
FAQ
Do I need an LLC to start a trucking company?
No federal trucking rule requires one. Sole proprietors can register too, but your business name must match exactly across every filing.
Can I start hauling as soon as I get my MC number?
No. You can haul only after the 10-day protest period ends, your insurance and BOC-3 are on file, and your authority shows ACTIVE.
Can I file Form 2290 with my Social Security number?
No. The IRS requires an EIN for Form 2290, and it says a new EIN can take about four weeks to be established in its systems.
Do I need IFTA and IRP for a hotshot truck?
Only if the truck or combination qualifies (three or more axles, or over 26,000 pounds) and runs in two or more jurisdictions.
Does a one-truck owner-operator need drug testing?
Yes, if the truck requires a CDL. You need a negative pre-employment test and must be in a random pool of two or more drivers (49 CFR 382.103(b)).
When should I install my ELD?
Before your first load. The ELD has to record your first day on duty, so install and test it while you wait for your authority to go active.
