What Happens During a New Entrant Safety Audit?
What is the New Entrant Safety Audit? A New Entrant Safety Audit is an FMCSA review of a new motor carrier’s safety records and safety management controls, completed within the first 12 months of operation. When your new trucking company gets its operating authority,...
What Is an MC Number? An Owner-Operator’s Guide (2026)
An MC number — short for Motor Carrier number — is the identification number the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) assigns to your interstate operating authority. Think of it as the license number of your trucking business: if you haul regulated...
Trucking Authority Terms Every New Owner-Operator Should Know
Starting your own trucking company means learning a new language. From FMCSA filings to IFTA and IRP, you’ll encounter dozens of unfamiliar terms while applying for your trucking authority. This glossary explains the most important terms in the order you’ll...
To Lease On or Not? Part 1
Should New Owner-Operators Lease On with a Trucking Company? Should a new owner-operator lease on? For most drivers buying their first truck, yes — leasing on is the middle step in a trucking career. The carrier finds the loads and handles the majority of the billing,...
Expand Your Trucking Revenue Stream
Have you ever thought that you might be leaving money on the table in your trucking business? Maybe you’re looking for a way to expand your trucking revenue stream? Just getting started? See why a truck freight brokerage start-up needs software from day one....
Freight Brokers and Dispatchers
Some owner operator businesses look for ways to expand their company. The bottom line needs to go up – but the funds to invest in another rig or a secondary driver just aren’t in the bank. So they move laterally as a freight broker for other drivers. It...
Motor Carrier Authority to Brokerage Authority
When a trucking company wants to expand but money is tight, one solution may be to acquire a brokerage authority. For most small fleets or owner operators who have more than one rig, diversifying your company’s revenue stream with a brokerage authority is an...
Navigating Freight Brokerage Authority & Business Setup
It’s a good thing when new people want to move into the freight brokerage. It’s a field that can be tough to break into. Learning the ropes for a freight brokerage can be overwhelming. The steps to get a brokerage authority may seem confusing. But if you...
How To Become a Truck Broker
Have you ever thought about expanding your trucking business? Do you want to know how to become a truck broker? For the filing side of it, see our walkthrough of freight broker authority and the FMCSA requirements. Wondering if dispatching is the cheaper first step?...
How to Get Your Own Operating Authority: A Step-by-Step Guide
Getting your own operating authority gives you the opportunity to schedule your own loads and to negotiate your own rates. As an owner-operator trucker, leasing on to a large carrier company has benefits, but holding your own authority will provide you with...
What Does IRP Stand For?
“What is an IRP?” “What does IRP stand for?” “What’s IRP in trucking?” We see questions like that all the time on the trucker forums. It’s not obvious from the name “International Registration Plan” what...
What Do You Think of Highway.com?
Have you heard about Highway.com? This new company says it offers information about carriers, such as their trucking authority, their DOT number, proof of insurance, that sort of thing. Not a bad idea – we’ve all heard about fraudsters in the trucking...
How to Become a Truck Owner-Operator
You promised yourself that you’d take that step to become a truck owner operator next year. It’s next year. How to become a truck owner operator is the question. So let’s talk about moving into your own rig. Recession: Time to Wait or Time to Jump...
IFTA Sticker Guide: What It Is, Who Needs One, Costs, Fines & Renewal
That small IFTA sticker on the side of your truck may not look important. Driving without it can lead to fines, to the need for temporary fuel permits, or even to being placed out of service in some situations. Even after it expires, you must keep it for four years....
Motivation for Your Trucking Authority
We’re talking about motivation to improve your trucking business this month on the TruckingOffice blog and today, we talk about your motivation for your trucking authority. Once you understand the whats and the whys of getting your own trucking authority,...
How Much Should You Save to Start a Trucking Business?
It’s reasonable to ask how much you need to save to become an owner-operator. Because looking at the numbers on a truck loan can make anyone stop and wonder whether this is something I can do or if I’m crazy for thinking I’ll ever pay it off. That’s normal. It is a...
Your Trucking Authority is the Road to Success
Getting your own trucking authority gives you the opportunity to schedule your own loads and to negotiate your own rates. As an owner-operator trucker, leasing on to a large carrier company has benefits, but holding your own authority will provide you with...
How does Trucking Business Software Help You Start Your Trucking Business?
When you drove for a transportation company, they took care of the paperwork. The dispatcher assigned your loads, and the accounting department sent the invoices. The compliance department tracked your driver records and vehicle maintenance records. ...
2021 Trucking Business Goals
Are you making New Years Resolutions? Lots of people do that right about now, but since New Years Day was on a Friday, they decided to wait to get started until today. Then, about 3 weeks later, their trucking business goals have already been forgotten. That may be...
Plans, Goals, and TruckingOffice
A lot of people don’t like setting goals. It’s frustrating when they don’t achieve the goal. Goals lead them to blame themselves, to make excuses, and makes a person feel bad instead of helping people complete a task. So is goal setting a bad thing?...
Building Your Trucking Business Goals
Six months ago, we posted a series of blog posts about your trucking business – in particular, writing a business plan for your owner-operator trucking company. Did you do it? Setting Trucking Business Goals Are you seeing your company moving toward your...
Owner Operator Business Plan 7: Plan Building
Building an Owner-Operator Trucking Business Plan Your business plan will have an executive summary a company overview a marketing plan a set of goals or milestones a list of the current staff a financial plan. TruckingOffice can help you as we break down each step of...
Owner Operator Business Plan 6: Financial Statement
Building an Owner-Operator Trucking Business Plan Your business plan will have an executive summary a company overview a marketing plan a set of goals or milestones a list of the current staff a financial plan. TruckingOffice can help you as we break down each step of...
Owner-Operator Trucking Business Plan 5: Management
Your business plan will have an executive summary a company overview a marketing plan a set of goals or milestones a list of the current staff a financial plan. Each of the separate parts helps to create a full picture of your trucking business and will help you...
Owner Operator Business Plans 4: Goals and Milestones
Building an Owner-Operator Trucking Business Plan Your business plan will have an executive summary a company overview a marketing plan a set of goals or milestones a list of the current staff a financial plan. TruckingOffice can help you as we break down each step of...
Owner Operator Business Plans 3: Marketing Plan
Building an Owner-Operator Trucking Business Plan Your business plan will have an executive summary a company overview a marketing plan a set of goals or milestones a list of the current staff a financial plan. TruckingOffice can help you as we break down each step of...
Owner Operator Business Plans 2: Company Overview
Building an Owner-Operator Trucking Business Plan Your business plan will have an executive summary a company overview a marketing plan a set of goals or milestones a list of the current staff a financial plan. TruckingOffice can help you as we break down each step of...
Owner Operator Business Plans 1: Executive Summary
Start Your Own Trucking Company For many men and women, finding a job isn’t enough. They want a career. To build a business. To create a legacy. For self-reliant people, trucking can help them achieve those things. It’s not an easy career. It can take...
Owner-Operator Business Plans
Why Build a Business Plan? Aren’t business plans just for big corporations that want to get investor’s money? As you plan, keep our trucking authority terms glossary handy for the FMCSA terminology you’ll encounter along the way. No, they...Building Your Trucking Team to Reach Your Goals
[bs_well size=”md”] TruckingOffice Wants Truckers to Succeed We’ve been focusing some of our blog posts on goals and goal setting. SMART goal setting SCHEMES to figure out your action plan Measurements to determine where your strengths and weaknesses...A Benchmark Is a Mile Marker to Your Goals
[bs_well size=”md”] TruckingOffice Wants Truckers to Succeed We’ve been focusing some of our blog posts on goals and goal setting. SMART goal setting SCHEMES to figure out your action plan Measurements to determine where your strengths and weaknesses...Staying Motivated on Your Trucking Business Goals
[bs_well size=”md”] TruckingOffice Wants Truckers to Succeed We’ve been focusing some of our blog posts on goals and goal setting. SMART goal setting SCHEMES to figure out your action plan Measurements to determine where your strengths and weaknesses...Action Plans for Your Trucking Business Goals
Did you already forget your New Year’s Resolutions? What about our Leap Day Goal Setting challenge? Yep, most of us do forget our good intentions within weeks of making those resolutions. There are two things that can help us be more successful: Number 1:...
Should You Get Your Own Trucking Authority? A Decision Guide for Owner-Operators
To make real money as an owner-operator trucker, you need your own authority. Sure, you can offer your services to a leasing firm, and doing so is a great way for those with challenged credit to get their own rig. But obtaining an authority can help you to...Free Load Profit Calculator for Truckers
How To Get Your Own Trucking Authority
Get Your Own Trucking Authority
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