Best place for authority help?

zanico

Expert Expediter
Just wondering where the best place would be for getting help with trucking authority. There are several web sites that offer help. I just don't know which one would be the best.
 

Dakota

Veteran Expediter
An advertiser here
Commercial Insurance Solutions is helpful
They are also a good place to get insurance, they saved me alot
 

fastman_1

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
FMCSA. If you can read this is the way to go,We are in the process now.so far its been like butter.
 

JohnMueller

Moderator
Staff member
Motor Carrier Executive
Safety & Compliance
Carrier Management
Getting your own Authority is the easy part - sure, anyone can do it online. Reality sets in within the first 18 months when that "New Entrant" compliance review comes.

Remember, you become a "Carrier" when you have your own Authority, and whether you run 1 truck or 5,000 trucks, you are still expected to comply with all of the regulations. This includes auditing hours of service, conducting all required drug and alcohol testing, Driver Qualification files, vehicle files, vehicle maintenance files.......

I wish you luck.

Thanks,

HotFr8Recruiter
 

nightcreacher

Veteran Expediter
two best days of my life
the 1st day I got my authority
2nd,the day I gave it up,and back then the regs were not as tough then
 

pjjjjj

Veteran Expediter
Just wondering where the best place would be for getting help with trucking authority. There are several web sites that offer help. I just don't know which one would be the best.

It depends which authorities you require. I have yet to see a company who offers a complete package (*ding ding ding* business opportunity!). You have to know exactly what you're going to be doing, where you're going to be going, what you're going to be hauling, timing, weights, measurements, all the various rules of all the various states you'll be traveling in or through. It's much more than just paying the $300 to FMCSA for your MC and your DOT. It is a large undertaking, and the larger your truck is, the more overwhelming the regs are.

You can hire a company to do it all for you, as long as you are sure they are aware of everything in every state you'll be passing through, picking up from, or delivering to. Or you can educate yourself through tedious research since it will ultimately be you who pays the price for any errors or omissions. And if you don't educate yourself first, you aren't going to know for sure whether the company you consider hiring to do all the paperwork for you really knows everything you need to know.

I have never seen an industry with so many opinions and confusion as to what the regs actually are, and I believe this affects even people in positions of authority. I have seen people swear up and down that something is a fact, when their info is outdated or just simply wrong. And I'm talking about carriers (owners), freight brokers, and DOT officers, people who should know the facts and be current. And if one DOT officer may tell you the wrong thing, it isn't going to help or protect you with the next one who knows his stuff.

Info that is relevant one day can easily change unless one keeps abreast of all changes as they happen. It's a daunting task to not only educate yourself in the first place, but to keep up with new regs and changes to existing ones. I suspect that people may relax a bit after they learn what they initially need to know, but then they fall behind in their knowledge because it's too difficult and time consuming to keep up unless that is the main focus of one's duties on a day to day basis.

Good luck, you're going to need it, and especially if you're in a big truck and you're traveling all over the US and Canada.
 

zanico

Expert Expediter
Thank you all for your time, help and input. The more I read on this subject the more confusing it gets. But is it true that if I drive a cargo van only in my home state all I need is my USDOT number and nothing else.
 

Crazynuff

Veteran Expediter
Thank you all for your time, help and input. The more I read on this subject the more confusing it gets. But is it true that if I drive a cargo van only in my home state all I need is my USDOT number and nothing else.

Actually , if your cargo van isn't over 10,000 lbs. GVWR you can operate your van outside your state without authority unless you haul hazmat . Cargo vans are exempt from other Federal regulations just as they are from HOS and logging .
 

zanico

Expert Expediter
Actually , if your cargo van isn't over 10,000 lbs. GVWR you can operate your van outside your state without authority unless you haul hazmat . Cargo vans are exempt from other Federal regulations just as they are from HOS and logging .

Really, I thought I had read only if you stay in your home state. If that's true it makes things much simpler. I will be driving an under 10,000 lbs. cargo van, no hazmat. I'm assuming I will still need a USDOT number?
 

Jefferson3000

Expert Expediter
Getting your own Authority is the easy part - sure, anyone can do it online. Reality sets in within the first 18 months when that "New Entrant" compliance review comes.

Remember, you become a "Carrier" when you have your own Authority, and whether you run 1 truck or 5,000 trucks, you are still expected to comply with all of the regulations. This includes auditing hours of service, conducting all required drug and alcohol testing, Driver Qualification files, vehicle files, vehicle maintenance files.......

I wish you luck.

Thanks,

HotFr8Recruiter


The new Entrant audit is the freebee. It was a piece of cake. They are nice, informative and very helpful. Most, if not all of these are done by a contracted service, not FMCSA themselves. They don't expect you to know it all. If there is anything you haven't done to their liking (barring not logging or something crazy), they will make sure you know how to comply, in case you get a real audit. If you weren't logging, they might slap you around good. However, they are not out to make you fail before you've gotten off the ground.

The whole idea behind the new Entrant audit is to make sure there are less problems in the future.
 

Crazynuff

Veteran Expediter

repojohn10

Seasoned Expediter
It depends which authorities you require. I have yet to see a company who offers a complete package (*ding ding ding* business opportunity!). You have to know exactly what you're going to be doing, where you're going to be going, what you're going to be hauling, timing, weights, measurements, all the various rules of all the various states you'll be traveling in or through. It's much more than just paying the $300 to FMCSA for your MC and your DOT. It is a large undertaking, and the larger your truck is, the more overwhelming the regs are.


Permits Plus does a great job at starting and up/down grading your needs.
I also have to disagree with "how hard it is". It's simple paperwork to fill out, you just have to have your ducks in a row the first time. If you mess the paperwork up, have fun then.... As far as the larger truck you get, the more overwhelming it is.......not really. As soon as you license yourself as a commercial carrier/truck then all the "commercial" rules apply. Yes, I know their are different rules pertaining to weight classes in regards to logging, but either way you look at it, you have to have compliant paperwork on file for the company and drivers ......

I have help start 2 companies and the worst part is getting everything in order before you start the application process. It's simple, just *** backwards sometimes. lol. You have to have insurance on file before you can activate your MC #'s, tag the truck under an IRP account (26k &1 or more), all that has to be done before you can IFTA the truck, lol. Its a "dumb" process sometimes, but its ok if you get it in order before you even start.

The part that gets people is the $ for #'s, insurance, tags, inspections, drug tests.........all that has to be done and paid for LONG BEFORE you ever put your first load on the truck/trailer.

Just my 2 cents.

Chop
 
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