Question 1

What do I need to start a freight brokerage?

Accepted Answer

Four federal pieces: an FMCSA MC number (your operating authority), a BOC-3 process agent on file, a surety bond or trust fund (BMC-84 or BMC-85), and UCR registration. You'll also want solid broker-carrier agreements and rate confirmations. We handle the filings and give you the document templates. You arrange the bond through a bond provider.

Question 2

What do I need to start a motor carrier operation?

Accepted Answer

A USDOT number, MC authority if you run interstate for-hire, a BOC-3 process agent, UCR registration, and your safety paperwork (driver qualification files, maintenance records, safety policies). We file the authority and provide a document package built for your operation type.

Question 3

How long does it take to get my authority?

Accepted Answer

FMCSA processing usually runs about 4 to 6 weeks after we submit. You'll get your MC number during that window, and your authority goes active after FMCSA's mandatory waiting and insurance period. We file accurately the first time to avoid the rejections and resubmissions that add weeks.

Question 4

Do I need an LLC or business entity before I file?

Accepted Answer

It's strongly recommended. FMCSA authority is issued to a legal entity, and bond providers, lenders, and factoring companies will expect one too. Form the LLC yourself or with a formation service, then bring the entity name and EIN to your filing.

Question 5

Can I start dispatching without authority?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Dispatchers work as independent contractors for carriers and don't need their own FMCSA authority. What you do need is a business entity, the right agreements, and operational documents. Our dispatcher startup tools cover those.

Question 6

I'm brand new. Where should I start?

Accepted Answer

Start with an authority package for your operation type, broker or carrier. It bundles the federal filings and gives you portal access to track everything. If you want to learn the business first, the Freight Broker course walks you through it end to end. Not sure which fits? Reach out and we'll point you the right way.

Question 7

Can I buy individual services instead of a full package?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Everything is available à la carte. Packages just bundle the common filings and documents for convenience and savings, but you're free to pick exactly what you need.

Question 8

How much does authority cost?

Accepted Answer

Authority packages start at $597, with all federal filing fees included and no surprise add-ons. The exact price depends on whether you're setting up as a broker or a carrier and what you bundle in. You'll see the full price and everything included before you check out.

Question 9

How are the compliance documents delivered?

Accepted Answer

Instantly. Document products and kits are emailed as a secure download link within minutes of checkout, and the link stays valid for 30 days. No account required for one-off document purchases. Filings that we submit for you (authority, BOC-3, UCR) are tracked in your portal instead.

Question 10

Is the surety bond included in your packages?

Accepted Answer

No. The surety bond (BMC-84) is arranged through a bond provider and is a separate recurring cost. We'll point you to where to get one, but we don't sell bonds directly.

Question 11

What's included in the compliance document packages?

Accepted Answer

Depending on the package: broker-carrier agreements, rate confirmations, carrier packets, safety policies, driver qualification file templates, HR documents, and operational SOPs. Every document is ready to customize and put to use. These are business templates, not legal advice.

Question 12

Do you offer refunds?

Accepted Answer

Filing work and document preparation begin immediately, so refunds are handled case by case. Downloadable document products can't be returned once the download link is sent. If something isn't right, contact support and we'll make it fair.

Question 13

What payment methods do you accept?

Accepted Answer

Checkout runs on Stripe, so all major credit and debit cards are accepted and your payment details are handled securely by Stripe. We never see or store your card number.

Question 14

Do veterans get a discount?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Active military and verified veterans get 15% off the entire order. Verify once with GovX on the final checkout step and you'll get a one-time code that applies to your whole cart, with no paperwork to send us. Veterans also get the Owner's Manual membership free.

Question 15

What's the difference between an MC number and a USDOT number?

Accepted Answer

A USDOT number is your safety identifier with FMCSA and follows your operation for audits, inspections, and crash records. MC authority is your permission to operate for-hire across state lines and to be paid for it. Many carriers need both. We break it all down in our MC vs DOT guide.

Question 16

What is a BOC-3?

Accepted Answer

A BOC-3 is a process agent designation filed with FMCSA. It names a legal representative in every state who can accept legal documents on your behalf, and FMCSA won't activate any broker or carrier authority until one is on file. FMCSA only accepts a BOC-3 filed electronically by a registered process agent, so you can't file it yourself. We file a blanket BOC-3 covering all 50 states.

Question 17

How much is a BOC-3, and is it a yearly fee?

Accepted Answer

Our BOC-3 filing is $89, a one-time fee. Unlike UCR, it isn't an annual renewal. It stays valid unless you change process agents or your authority lapses and reinstates. It's included when we set up your authority, or you can file it on its own.

Question 18

What is UCR?

Accepted Answer

UCR stands for Unified Carrier Registration, an annual registration required for motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders in interstate commerce. It's priced by fleet size (power units), and our price includes the federal registration filed for you: $75 for 0 to 2 trucks, $220 for 3 to 5, $440 for 6 to 20, and $1,525 for 21 to 100. Fleets of 101 or more are quoted individually, so contact us.

Question 19

What documents do I need to operate legally?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your operation. At minimum, brokers need authority, a BOC-3, a bond, and UCR. Carriers add safety documentation, driver qualification files, and vehicle maintenance records. Our document packages are tailored to each operation type so you're not guessing.

Question 20

Do you handle DOT audits or safety ratings?

Accepted Answer

We provide the compliance documents and safety policy templates that keep you audit-ready, and the My Compliance membership tracks your deadlines and runs a live audit-readiness checklist. We don't represent you in active audit proceedings, but the goal is that a New Entrant or DOT audit never catches you off guard.

Question 21

What actually counts as crossing state lines?

Accepted Answer

More than driving over the border. Freight is in interstate commerce when the shipment's journey starts or ends in another state, even if your truck never leaves yours. Pull a container from a port or a rail ramp to a warehouse two towns over and that load is usually still interstate, because the goods are part of one continuous movement that began somewhere else. FMCSA looks at where the freight is going, not where your wheels turn. This catches more new carriers than any other rule on this page.

Question 22

I only run inside my own state. Do I need operating authority?

Accepted Answer

Usually not. A carrier who hauls for hire and never leaves his own state needs a USDOT number and whatever his state requires, and he carries no MC docket number at all. That changes the moment you accept a load that starts or ends out of state. Your state may also have its own intrastate authority, so check the state rules as well as the federal ones.

Question 23

Doesn't my USDOT number let me cross state lines?

Accepted Answer

No, and this one is expensive to get wrong. A USDOT number identifies you for safety: inspections, crash records, audits. Operating authority is separate. It is permission to haul other people's freight for pay across state lines, and the docket number (MC, MX or FF) is what carries it. Most interstate for-hire carriers need both, and having one without the other is not the same as being registered.

Question 24

Do MC numbers still exist? I read they were going away.

Accepted Answer

They still exist and FMCSA still issues them. FMCSA replaced its old registration systems with Motus in May 2026, and it has said more than once that it intends to retire docket numbers, but it has not done so. What did change is that newly issued USDOT and docket numbers are randomized instead of sequential, so a number no longer hints at when a company registered. Existing numbers were not changed.

Question 25

I haul my own products across state lines. Do I need authority?

Accepted Answer

If the freight is genuinely your own, you are a private carrier and for-hire operating authority is not what you need. You still need a USDOT number, you still follow the safety rules, and you can still be inspected and audited like anybody else. The dividing line is whether you are being paid to haul someone else's goods.

Question 26

What about exempt commodities like raw produce?

Accepted Answer

Certain agricultural and unprocessed commodities are exempt from for-hire operating authority, so a carrier hauling only those across state lines may not need a docket number. The exemption is narrower than most people assume and it turns on what is actually in the trailer, not what the company calls itself. Guess wrong and you are running for hire without authority. Ask before you build a business on it.

Question 27

I'm leased to another carrier. Do I need my own authority?

Accepted Answer

Not while you run under theirs. An owner-operator leased to a carrier hauls under that carrier's authority and insurance, and that carrier is who FMCSA holds responsible. You need your own authority the day you want to haul for yourself and be paid directly by shippers and brokers.

Question 28

Do I have to register with every state I drive through?

Accepted Answer

Not for authority. Federal operating authority covers interstate movement in every state. What the states want is the tax and plate side: apportioned plates through IRP, fuel tax through IFTA, and in a few states a separate weight-distance tax, including New York, Kentucky, New Mexico and Oregon. Rolling through one of those unregistered is a roadside problem, not a paperwork problem.

Question 29

Can I take local loads in another state?

Accepted Answer

Interstate authority does not automatically let you run purely local freight inside a state that is not yours. A load that starts and ends inside another state is that state's intrastate commerce, and that state decides who may haul it. If you are planning regular local work away from home, check that state first.

Question 30

Do brokers need authority to arrange loads across state lines?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is its own kind. Broker authority and carrier authority are separate and are not interchangeable, so a company that both hauls and brokers needs both. Arranging interstate freight for pay without broker authority is illegal, and the people on the other side of those loads have a claim against you when it goes wrong.

Question 31

My authority was approved. Why isn't it active?

Accepted Answer

Approved and active are two different things, and the gap between them is where most new authorities sit dead. FMCSA will not activate you until your insurer files proof of insurance and a BOC-3 process agent designation is on file. Both come from third parties, which is why an application can be filled out perfectly and still go nowhere for weeks. This is the most common reason a new carrier or broker waits with nothing appearing to happen.

Question 32

What insurance does FMCSA require to run interstate?

Accepted Answer

For general freight in a vehicle over 10,001 pounds the federal minimum is $750,000 of liability. Non-hazardous freight in a lighter vehicle is $300,000, and certain hazmat goes to $5,000,000. Your insurer files the proof directly with FMCSA, and your authority does not activate until they do. Treat those as the legal floor, not as what a broker or shipper will actually require before they load you.

Question 33

What is the broker bond, and how much is it?

Accepted Answer

A broker or freight forwarder must keep a $75,000 surety bond (BMC-84) or trust fund (BMC-85) on file. It is not insurance protecting you. It is a guarantee for the carriers and shippers you deal with, and they can claim against it when you do not pay. Let it lapse and FMCSA moves to revoke broker authority quickly. We point you to a bond provider; we do not sell bonds.

Question 34

What is UCR, and who has to register?

Accepted Answer

Unified Carrier Registration is an annual registration for anyone operating in interstate commerce: motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders and leasing companies. It is charged per company by fleet size rather than per truck, so a broker with no trucks still registers. The year opens October 1 and is due by December 31, with enforcement starting January 1. You register once, through one state, and it covers you everywhere.

Question 35

What is the MCS-150 biennial update, and when is mine due?

Accepted Answer

It is the update FMCSA requires every two years to keep your USDOT registration current, and it is required even when nothing about your operation has changed. Your due date comes from your USDOT number, not from the day you registered: the last digit sets the month (1 is January through 9 is September, and 0 is October), and the next-to-last digit tells you whether yours falls in odd or even years. Miss it and the number is deactivated, which can carry up to $1,000 a day to a $10,000 maximum and puts you out of service at the scale.

Question 36

Do brokers file the MCS-150 too?

Accepted Answer

No. A broker runs no trucks, so the biennial equipment and mileage update is not the broker's obligation. The broker's equivalent failure point is the bond. Keep the bond in force, keep UCR current, and keep your contact details accurate with FMCSA so notices actually reach you.

Question 37

What is the New Entrant safety audit?

Accepted Answer

Every new interstate carrier spends roughly its first 12 months in New Entrant status, and FMCSA audits you inside that window. It is a records audit rather than a driving test: driver qualification files, your drug and alcohol program, hours of service, maintenance records and insurance. Most failures are missing paperwork rather than unsafe equipment, which is the maddening part and also the part you can fix in advance.

Question 38

Do I need apportioned plates and IFTA?

Accepted Answer

Generally yes, once you run interstate in a truck over 26,000 pounds or with three or more axles. IRP is the apportioned plate that splits your registration across the states you actually run in, and IFTA is the quarterly fuel tax return that settles what you owe each of them. Both go through your base state, not FMCSA, and both are separate from your operating authority.

Question 39

My address, company name or entity changed. What do I have to update?

Accepted Answer

More than people expect, and quickly. FMCSA needs the change, your insurer may have to refile if the named insured is different, your process agent record should match, and your state registration, IRP and IFTA accounts all need it too. A legal name or entity change is the heavy one, because it can mean a new filing rather than an edit. Tell us early and we will tell you which of those it is.

Question 40

What happens if my authority gets revoked?

Accepted Answer

The usual cause is insurance falling off, and FMCSA moves faster than people expect once that happens. Revocation ends your ability to haul for hire legally, and brokers and shippers who check authority stop giving you loads the same day. Getting it back means curing whatever caused it and going through reinstatement, which costs you time you do not get back.

Question 41

Do I need a CDL to run interstate?

Accepted Answer

If the vehicle or combination is rated over 26,001 pounds, carries placarded hazmat, or is built for 16 or more passengers, yes. That same threshold pulls you into the DOT drug and alcohol program, which is why a single-truck operation over that line still has to join a consortium. Below it, the CDL rules may not apply while other safety rules still do.

Question 42

Is moving household goods different?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is its own authority type with its own consumer protection rules covering estimates, disclosures and claims. General freight authority does not cover moving people's belongings. Say so at the start if that is your plan, because it changes what gets filed and what you are required to hand the customer.

Question 43

What is the Owner's Manual membership?

Accepted Answer

It's a plain-English library of the federal law that actually governs freight: a written guide to every major subject, for real trucks, a fully searchable freight-law library, and search you can use in plain English, so you can describe a late payment or a failed drug test instead of naming the rule. You can download the official PDF for any guide. It's $9.99 a month, taxes included, cancel any time, and it's free for veterans.

Question 44

What is the My Compliance membership?

Accepted Answer

My Compliance keeps your operation from lapsing. It tracks every deadline (MCS-150, UCR, HVUT, IFTA), manages driver qualification files with e-sign consent links, runs a live audit-readiness checklist, sends automatic alerts on insurance, authority, or out-of-service changes, and stores every record in a secure document vault. It's $14.99 a month, taxes included, and that covers a one-truck operation. Each truck after the first is $5.99 a month, added once you connect your USDOT.

Question 45

Can I cancel a membership anytime?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both memberships are month to month with no contract, and you can cancel anytime from your portal billing page. You keep access through the end of the period you've already paid for.

Question 46

How do I sign up for a membership?

Accepted Answer

Create an account and start your plan from the store or your portal, then finish setup and billing inside the portal. My Compliance and the drug and alcohol consortium will ask you to connect your USDOT so we can price trucks and enroll drivers correctly.

Question 47

Do I need to be in a drug and alcohol testing consortium?

Accepted Answer

If you have CDL drivers operating a vehicle over 26,001 lbs GVWR, hauling placarded hazmat, or carrying 16 or more passengers, FMCSA requires DOT drug and alcohol testing (49 CFR Part 382). A single-driver operation can't self-administer random testing, so FMCSA requires you to join a consortium. That's exactly what this is for.

Question 48

What does the consortium include?

Accepted Answer

Membership puts you in an FMCSA-compliant random testing pool (50% drug and 10% alcohol rates), with access to 20,000+ SAMHSA-certified collection sites across all 50 states, a Medical Review Officer on every result, Clearinghouse queries and reporting, a written drug and alcohol policy, and a Certificate of Enrollment emailed within minutes. Testing and the pool are run by a third-party FMCSA-registered C/TPA.

Question 49

How much does the consortium cost?

Accepted Answer

Owner-operators are $85 a year for the first driver, plus $25 a year for each additional driver. Fleets pay a flat $295 a year for unlimited drivers. Individual tests are billed at member rates when they happen, for example $69 for a pre-employment, random, or post-accident screen and $12 for a Clearinghouse query. No setup fees and no long-term contract.

Question 50

How does random testing actually work?

Accepted Answer

Each quarter, a computer randomly selects drivers from the pool. Selected drivers get an SMS and email with a prepaid test passport and the three closest collection sites, then walk in with no appointment for a standard 5-panel DOT screen. A Medical Review Officer reviews the result and reports to the Clearinghouse as required.

Question 51

How do I enroll in the consortium?

Accepted Answer

Enroll from your compliance dashboard after you connect your USDOT, so drivers are added correctly. Your Certificate of Enrollment is emailed within minutes, so you're covered right away.

Question 52

What is the Foundation Freight dispatch service?

Accepted Answer

A real dispatcher works your truck. We find the freight, negotiate the rate instead of taking the first number offered, handle broker setup, rate confirmations and check calls, and route you home when you want to be home. Every load lands in your portal with its documents, a message thread, and a status you update from the road.

Question 53

What equipment do you dispatch?

Accepted Answer

Foundation Freight dispatches open deck: flatbed, step deck, RGN, Conestoga. We also work hotshots at 40' and up, CDL or non-CDL. If you run dry van, reefer, power only, a box truck, a straight truck, a sprinter or cargo van, or a deck under 40 feet, we are not the right shop, and the signup hands you to a dispatcher who works that market.

Question 54

What does dispatching cost?

Accepted Answer

Two ways to pay, and you pick at signup: $375 per truck per week flat, charged at the start of your week, or 8% of the gross rate on every load we book, totaled and charged every 7 days. Your week starts the day you sign up, so your billing day is your day, not ours. Cancel anytime from your billing page.

Question 55

Do you take your fee out of my load payment?

Accepted Answer

No. The broker, or your factor, pays you exactly what the rate confirmation says. We bill you for dispatching separately. We never sit between you and your money.

Question 56

Are you acting as a broker?

Accepted Answer

No. We dispatch as your agent, working under your authority and your insurance, and the dispatch agreement says so in writing. Arranging freight for compensation without broker authority is a federal violation (49 U.S.C. 14916), and we are not doing that with your company on the line.

Question 57

Do I need my own authority to be dispatched?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You need active operating authority in your own name, and signup checks your USDOT number against the FMCSA record. If your authority is not live yet, we file it as a separate service and you can come back when it clears.

Question 58

What can I do in the portal?

Accepted Answer

After you buy an authority package, the portal is your command center. You can track your filing in real time through every stage, upload and store documents, view orders and billing, manage memberships, and reach your training and resources in one place.

Question 59

How do I track my filing?

Accepted Answer

Your portal dashboard shows a live progress track for your authority filing. As we move it forward with FMCSA, the stages update: received, processing, filed to FMCSA, BOC-3 filed in all 50 states, FMCSA accepted, insurance, and finally authority active. You always know exactly where things stand.

Question 60

Do I need an account to buy documents?

Accepted Answer

No. One-off document products and kits check out without an account and arrive by email as a secure download link. You'll want an account for filings, memberships, and anything we track for you in the portal.

Question 61

I bought the wrong thing or need to change my order. What do I do?

Accepted Answer

Reach out to support as soon as you can. If we haven't started the filing yet, changes are usually simple. Because filing and document work begin quickly, the sooner you tell us, the more we can adjust.

Frequently asked questions

Getting Started

Services & Pricing

Compliance & Filings

Crossing State Lines

Registration & Renewals

Memberships

Drug & Alcohol Consortium

Dispatch Service

Portal & Delivery

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