How to start a trucking company, step by step

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 6, 2026

Starting an interstate trucking company means a USDOT number, usually operating authority, proof of insurance, a process agent, and a handful of tax and safety registrations. FMCSA's new Motus system went live on May 19, 2026, and that's where you now apply. Here's the order to do it in and what the government charges. [6][7][8][9][10]

1. Get your business basics in place

   You'll need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS before you can file Form 2290, the heavy vehicle use tax return; a Social Security number won't work. [5]

2. Check what you need from FMCSA

   Interstate companies running commercial vehicles need a USDOT number. A truck or truck-and-trailer counts when its weight rating or actual weight is 10,001 pounds or more. If you haul other people's regulated freight for pay, you also need operating authority (an MC number). Private carriers hauling their own goods and carriers hauling only exempt commodities don't. [6][7][11]

3. Apply in Motus for your USDOT number and authority

   Apply at motus.dot.gov. You sign in with Login.gov and pass identity verification with a phone or tablet, a government ID, and a face scan. A filing service can't start the application for you. The USDOT number is free; operating authority costs $300 for each authority type, paid by card, and isn't refundable. [1][2][10][12][13][14]

   Go to Motus motus.dot.gov ↗

4. File insurance and your BOC-3 within 20 days

   After FMCSA publishes your application, your insurer must file proof of liability coverage (BMC-91 or BMC-91X) and your process agent designation (BOC-3) must be filed within 20 days. For-hire carriers of non-hazardous freight in vehicles of 10,001 pounds GVWR or more need at least $750,000 in liability coverage ($300,000 if every vehicle in the fleet is under 10,001 pounds). [8][15][16][17]

5. Wait for authority to show as active

   Anyone may protest within 10 days after your application is published. You can start operating only when FMCSA's records show your authority as issued; a paper certificate isn't proof. [14][18]

6. Set up drug and alcohol testing and the Clearinghouse

   If your drivers need a CDL, your testing program must be in place the day you start operating, including a negative pre-employment drug test before anyone drives. An owner-operator who is the only driver must be in a random testing pool of two or more covered employees, and must designate a C/TPA to handle Clearinghouse reporting on his or her own testing. Each Clearinghouse query costs $1.25. [19][20][21][22][23]

   Go to the Clearinghouse clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov ↗

7. Register for UCR

   Interstate carriers pay Unified Carrier Registration every year. For 2027 it's $55 for 0 to 2 vehicles. [3][25]

   Go to UCR ucr.gov ↗

8. Pay the heavy vehicle use tax and get plates

   Trucks with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more owe the federal Form 2290 tax, up to $550 a year. States generally want the stamped Schedule 1 as proof of payment before registering the truck. [4][5]

   IRS Form 2290 page irs.gov ↗

9. Get your IFTA license and decals

   If your trucks are IFTA qualified vehicles (generally two axles and over 26,000 pounds, or three or more axles) and you run in two or more member jurisdictions, apply for an IFTA license with your base jurisdiction. You file fuel tax returns every quarter. [27]

10. Mark your trucks and set up logs

    Each truck must display your USDOT number. Unless an exception applies, your drivers must record hours of service on an electronic logging device, and only devices on FMCSA's registered list may be used. [28][29][30]

11. Get ready for your new entrant safety audit

    New carriers are monitored for 18 months, and FMCSA says the safety audit will happen within 12 months after you begin operations. It checks driver qualification, hours of service, maintenance, the accident register, and drug and alcohol testing. [31][32]

Common questions