New Trucking Authority Checklist: Everything to Do After You Get Your MC Number
An MC number is the start of operating authority, not proof you can legally haul freight. Many new carriers get the number, take a load, and only later realize their authority was never activated -- or that they missed a step that triggers a failed audit nine months down the road. This 30-day checklist walks through everything to do after the MC number arrives.
Day 1: Verify the MC number on SAFER
Go to safer.fmcsa.dot.gov and look up your USDOT number. Confirm the operating authority status, insurance status, and BOC-3 status. If any of the three shows missing or pending, your authority is not active and you cannot operate.
Day 1 to 3: BOC-3 filing
Designate a process agent in every state. Only a registered process agent can file the BOC-3 on your behalf. Confirm acceptance on SAFER. See our full BOC-3 Filing Explained guide for details.
Day 1 to 7: Insurance filing
Bind your commercial liability coverage and ask your insurance carrier to file BMC-91X directly with FMCSA. Confirm the filing shows on SAFER. Operating before the insurance filing is accepted is a critical violation. Most owner-operators carry $1,000,000 in primary liability because that is what most brokers require.
Day 1 to 7: UCR registration
Register UCR for the current calendar year at ucr.in.gov. Fees scale with fleet size. If you cross January 1 without registering, you can be cited at the roadside.
Day 1 to 14: Drug and alcohol consortium enrollment
Enroll in a DOT-compliant Consortium/Third Party Administrator before the first dispatch of any CDL driver, including yourself. The C/TPA provides your written drug and alcohol testing policy template, random pool selection, and Clearinghouse designated representative service if you authorize it.
Day 1 to 14: FMCSA Clearinghouse registration
Register as an employer at clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov. Run a pre-employment full query on every CDL driver -- including yourself -- before they operate. Annual limited queries are required thereafter.
Day 1 to 14: ELD selection and installation
Pick an ELD from the FMCSA registered devices list. Install the device, place the user manual and malfunction instructions in the cab, and verify the make and model on FMCSA's website. Run a test trip and confirm logs upload correctly.
Day 1 to 30: Build the compliance binder
Build a binder organized into the six audit categories:
Driver qualification files
Application, CDL, MVR, medical card, road test, previous employer verifications, drug test, Clearinghouse query.
Drug and alcohol testing
Written policy, signed driver acknowledgment, consortium enrollment confirmation, Clearinghouse registration.
Hours of service
ELD registration confirmation, in-cab instruction sheet, malfunction procedures.
Vehicle maintenance
Written maintenance program, annual inspection, DVIR procedure, identification record.
Insurance and authority
Certificate of insurance, MCS-90, BMC-91X confirmation, BOC-3 confirmation, UCR confirmation, MC and DOT numbers.
Accident register
Written register, zero-accident cover page if applicable.
Day 30: Pre-audit dry run
Before you take a heavy haul of loads, sit down and pretend you are the FMCSA auditor. Pull every document the auditor will request. Note any gaps and close them now. The audit notice could arrive as early as month 4. Better to find gaps in month 1.
How ClearToHaul handles your first 30 days
ClearToHaul's Done-For-You Compliance Package executes everything above in seven days for $997 one time, guaranteed to pass your New Entrant Safety Audit or we fix everything free. Combine it with the Startup Package to handle BOC-3 and UCR at the same time.
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