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New authority dispatch
Your MC came through, your insurance is filed, and now you're finding out that a lot of brokers won't touch a carrier under six months old. Here's how the first 90 days actually go.
or $400/week flat
first 90 days
The honest version
What nobody tells you before you file for authority
Many brokers and load boards apply an age requirement to carriers — commonly six months, sometimes ninety days — before they will set you up. Their insurance and risk policies drive it, and no amount of arguing changes it. That means the freight available to a brand new authority is a fraction of what's available to an established one, and it pays less.
The second problem is that you have no track record. Brokers who will work with new authorities often do so at lower rates, because they're taking the risk on an unproven carrier. Your first ninety days is not about maximising rate per mile. It's about building a clean on-time record with enough brokers that at month four the good freight opens up.
What we do in your first 90 days
- Work the brokers who do onboard new authorities. There's a real list, and it's shorter than you'd like. We work it systematically rather than getting rejected at random.
- Get your paperwork bulletproof first. MC and DOT active, insurance filings correct, W-9, COI, notice of assignment. One error here and every setup packet gets rejected.
- Protect your on-time record. Early on, one late delivery matters more than one cheap load. We book conservative transit times until you have a record to point to.
- Build broker relationships deliberately. Repeat loads with the same broker build the history that opens their better freight. We prioritise repeats over one-offs.
- Reset your expectations with real numbers. We'll tell you what your first month is likely to gross before you sign up, not after.
Before you spend money on a dispatcher
If your authority is not yet active, your insurance filings are not showing on FMCSA, or you don't yet have working capital for fuel while you wait 30 days for your first payments, a dispatcher is not your bottleneck. Fix those first. We'll tell you the same thing on the phone, and we won't take a signup from a carrier who isn't ready to run.
Not filed yet? We handle authority setup as a separate service — USDOT, operating authority, BOC-3, UCR and consortium enrollment for a flat $649 plus government fees at cost. Start your application or see what's included.
Answers
New authority dispatch — questions
Can you dispatch a brand new MC authority?
Yes, once your authority is active and your insurance filings are showing on FMCSA. We work the brokers who onboard new authorities and build your credit history load by load. Expect a smaller pool of available freight and lower rates for roughly the first 90 days — that's the market, not the dispatcher.
Why won't brokers work with my new authority?
Many brokers apply a minimum age requirement to carriers, commonly six months and sometimes ninety days, driven by their own insurance and risk policies. It isn't personal and it can't be argued around. The way through it is a clean on-time record with the brokers who will work with you now.
What should I expect to gross in my first month?
Below what an established carrier in the same lanes would gross, because your broker access is restricted. We'll give you a specific number for your equipment and region on the intake call, based on the freight we can actually reach for you — not a marketing figure.
How much is dispatch for a new authority?
8% of gross linehaul, or $400 per week flat, for the first 90 days. After that you move onto the standard rate for your equipment type. The higher rate reflects the extra setup work — we're completing carrier packets with a lot more brokers to find the ones who'll take you.
Want to see what's moving in your lanes this week?
Send your MC number and your usual lanes. We'll pull live loads you could run and show you the rates before you commit to anything.