Get loads
How to get loads with a new MC authority
Updated
You can haul freight in your first 90 days with a new MC, and plenty of carriers do. Who will work with you depends on three things on your public record: how long your authority has been active, the insurance your agent filed and your safety history.
At a glance
- Shortest published wait
- 7 days of active authority at C.H. Robinson
- Liability most brokers ask for
- $1 million or more (20 of the 21 brokers that publish a minimum on their own pages)
- Cargo most brokers ask for
- $100,000 or more (21 of the 22 that publish a minimum on their own pages)
- Federal minimum for general freight
- $750,000 for trucks rated 10,001 lb or more
- Amazon Relay
- 180 days of active authority
Check your MC. Enter your DOT or MC number to see which brokers and load programs accept your authority today, which open up at 90 and 180 days and what coverage would open the rest. Load-ready check
Who sets up a new authority
Each broker sets its own rules, and only some publish them. This is what their own carrier pages said in October 2026.
| Broker or program | Authority age | Liability and cargo | Other requirements | How it pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C.H. Robinson | 7 days | $1 million and $100,000 | Active authority, insurance and safety rating. Setup through Highway | Within 28 days, or Quick Pay in as little as 2 business days at 2% |
| Flock Freight | 90 days | $1 million and $100,000 | No Unsatisfactory or Conditional safety rating | Within 30 days, or QuickPay and same-day pay through TriumphPay |
| Uber Freight | $1 million and $100,000 | Satisfactory or no safety rating. Cargo coverage can't exclude reefer breakdown. $1 million general liability, workers' comp and $1 million employer's liability | 2 business days after POD approval at 2.5%, paid to your own bank account without a factor | |
| TQL | $1 million and $100,000 | Reefer breakdown on your COI if you haul reefer | 28 days, or Quick Pay in 1 day at 5% or 7 days at 3% | |
| J.B. Hunt | No set minimum. Cites the $750,000 federal floor | Cargo needs vary by load, with more for high-value freight. Trailer interchange may be required when you pull trailers you don't own | 21 business days, or Quick Pay in 2 business days at 1.5%, waived on Carrier 360 bookings | |
| Mode Global | One year of continuous authority | $1 million and $100,000 | Satisfactory or no rating to qualify automatically. Workers' comp where your state requires it. Registration by invitation | Quick Pay offered |
| Amazon Relay | 180 days | $1 million with $50,000 trailer replacement coverage included. $100,000 cargo | $1 million general liability per occurrence ($2 million total), workers' comp and $100,000 employer's liability. Safety scores under its limits | Weekly |
Other published waits run from 30 days at OpenRoad Global and 60 at Ryder to 90 days at Armstrong Transport and CEVA. PLS Logistics wants six months, and Averitt and Penske Transportation Management want a full year.
Uber Freight, TQL and J.B. Hunt don't publish an age rule, so ask their carrier teams before you count on a first load. Carrier reports and other lists fill some of those gaps. The load-ready check uses each broker's own rule first and shows where each number comes from.
What brokers check when you apply
- Authority age. Brokers count it from the date your authority became active. CEVA counts its 90 days from your first grant or from a reinstatement, so a reinstatement restarts its count.
- Insurance on file. Your insurer files your liability coverage with FMCSA on a BMC-91 or BMC-91X. Brokers check that filing and ask for a certificate of insurance (COI) that shows your cargo coverage. Some want the COI issued by your agent, naming the broker or its setup platform as certificate holder.
- Safety rating. Uber Freight, Echo Global Logistics, Mode Global, Ryder and Amazon Relay all accept carriers with no safety rating. Flock Freight and Trinity Logistics also turn away a Conditional rating, and NFI and Penske ask for Satisfactory. Every published rule turns away an Unsatisfactory rating.
- Identity. C.H. Robinson, J.B. Hunt and Ryder all run setup through Highway. J.B. Hunt's check covers your company and contact details, active authority and insurance, identity and ownership, plus safety status. Keep your FMCSA registration current so what you enter matches.
Insurance that opens more loads
Most brokers that publish a rule want $1 million in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo coverage. The federal minimum for general freight is $750,000 for trucks rated 10,001 lb or more, so a carrier filed at the minimum loses a big share of broker freight before authority age even comes up.
| If you have | You'll miss | What to add |
|---|---|---|
| $750,000 liability, the federal minimum | Most broker freight | Raise liability to $1 million |
| No cargo coverage | Most broker freight | $100,000 motor truck cargo |
| Cargo without reefer breakdown | Reefer loads at TQL and Uber Freight | Reefer breakdown coverage |
| No trailer interchange | Some power only freight, including J.B. Hunt loads on its trailers | Trailer interchange coverage |
| Auto and cargo only | Amazon Relay | General liability, workers' comp, employer's liability and $50,000 trailer replacement coverage |
The $100,000 cargo figure comes from brokers, since federal rules set no cargo minimum for general freight. At $750,000 in liability you can still look at Ryan Transportation and JTS Freight, which list $750,000 in liability and $100,000 in cargo on their own pages.
In 60 premium reports from owners on trucking forums, the middle half paid $12,000 to $25,200 a year, with a median near $17,700. That counts monthly figures times 12, and the seven reported down payments ran $2,000 to $6,000.
One Virginia owner reported $11,000 a year with $2,000 down and $900 a month for $1 million in liability. The reports mix single trucks and fleets, different equipment and different limits.
See your coverage gap. The load-ready check shows which coverage stands between you and the loads you want. The check doesn't ask for your name, phone or email. Load-ready check
Ways to work while your authority ages
- Brokers with short waits. Start with the brokers above that publish short waits, then call. Owners on the forums describe doors opening at 30, 60 and 90 days and more after six months and a year. The broker list shows each broker's own rule.
- Load boards. DAT runs $59 to $339 a month as of October 2026. Brokers can set authority-age rules on their posts, so some loads won't show to you yet. Direct Freight works before you have an MC number, up to three calls a day on its no-cost plan.
- Dispatchers. One service's published rates run from 5% of each load for dry van, reefer and flatbed to 12% for box trucks. Walk away from any dispatcher who asks for a deposit, your passwords or control of your broker accounts. See truck dispatcher services for more.
- Leasing on. You haul under another carrier's authority and insurance, which skips the wait entirely. Compare it in leasing on versus your own authority.
- Direct shippers. Call local manufacturers, equipment dealers and distributors that ship their own freight. With no broker's age rule in between, they set their own terms. Start with direct shipper freight.
Keep your filing from lapsing
Your authority depends on your liability filing staying in place. If your insurer cancels and no new filing replaces it, FMCSA revokes the authority.
Getting it back takes new filings, an active USDOT number and an $80 reinstatement request. CEVA, for one, then counts its 90 days from the reinstatement.
Your insurer has to file a cancellation notice, form BMC-35, with FMCSA. The cancellation usually takes effect 30 days after FMCSA receives it, so a renewal problem shows up weeks ahead. Those 30 days come before the cancellation, and once it takes effect you can't haul until a new filing is in place.
Bind your renewal early and check that the new filing posted before the old one ends.
The steps to restore a revoked authority are on the reinstatement page.
See where your filing stands. Look up your MC in the status check to see your insurance filing and any cancellation posted to it. Check your status
Frequently asked questions
Can I get loads with a brand-new MC?
Yes. C.H. Robinson publishes a seven-day minimum, OpenRoad Global 30 days, Ryder 60 days and several brokers 90 days. If a broker doesn't publish an age rule, ask its carrier team.
What insurance do brokers want from a new authority?
Most brokers that publish a rule ask for $1 million in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo.
Can I get broker loads with $750,000 in liability?
A few do. Ryan Transportation and JTS Freight list $750,000 in liability and $100,000 in cargo on their own pages, but 20 of the 21 brokers that publish a liability minimum ask for $1 million or more.
How long until Amazon Relay accepts me?
Amazon Relay asks for 180 days of active authority. It also wants $1 million in general liability per occurrence, workers' comp and $100,000 employer's liability on top of auto and cargo coverage.