Finding your first loads on a new authority
Where the first loads come from, why some brokers say not yet to a new MC, what to have ready before you call, and the checks before you say yes.
Your first loads on a new authority come from load boards, from brokers that onboard new carriers and from shippers you already know, and you get them by calling with your carrier packet ready. Some brokers will not book a new MC until it has some history, so ask each one what it needs, check every broker before you book, and price every load against your own cost per mile.
Before the first call
- Authority active. Look up your own USDOT number in FMCSA's public records. Brokers check the same record, and they will not book you until the authority shows as active.
- Carrier packet. MC and USDOT numbers, a signed W-9, a certificate of insurance and your payment details, plus a notice of assignment if you factor.
- Insurance certificates on request. Know who at your agency issues a certificate naming a broker as certificate holder. Brokers ask for one before the first load.
- Your cost per mile. A month of fixed and running costs divided by every mile the truck ran, empty miles included. It is the floor for every rate you accept.
- Contact details that match. Brokers often compare your phone and email with your FMCSA record, so keep that record current.
Where the first loads come from
- 01Load boards, then the phone. Search load boards such as DAT and 123Loadboard for freight on your lanes, and call the brokers posting it. Ask on the first call whether they book new authorities and what they need from you.
- 02A list of who said what. Write down who said yes, who said not yet, and why. A broker with a minimum authority age is worth calling again once you meet it.
- 03Shippers you already know. A shipper that knows you may book you directly. Put the rate, payment terms and detention terms in writing first.
- 04The brokers you have already hauled for. Deliver as agreed, send complete paperwork once the load delivers, and ask what else they have on your lanes before this load is done.
The short checklist before you say yes
- Broker authority active, bond on file, and its phone and email match the FMCSA record
- Credit and days to pay you can live with
- The rate covers your cost per mile on every mile, deadhead included
- Pickup and delivery times fit your hours of service
- The rate confirmation matches what was agreed: rate, stops, times, detention, TONU and payment terms
- A plan for where the truck goes after it delivers
What new authorities get wrong
Or have us do it
If you would rather drive than work the phones, this is the work we do for owner-operators: finding, vetting and negotiating loads, checking every broker first, and planning the next load before this one delivers. No one can promise a new authority a number of loads or a rate, and we do not. If you want to see how we think first, ask us a question on WhatsApp, by call or by email.
