Broker Readiness

Broker Readiness

Not Ready Yet

Complete the critical items below before reaching out to brokers.

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0/14 items

Your Authority

0/3

  • MC Authority is ACTIVE on SAFER

    REQUIRED

    Search your DOT number. Status must say "AUTHORIZED" — not "Pending" or "Inactive".

    Check on SAFER

  • Insurance shows on FMCSA website

    REQUIRED

    Your insurance company must have filed BMC-91X with FMCSA. If it's blank, call your agent TODAY.

    Check FMCSA LIFO

  • Authority active for 30+ days (90+ preferred)

    Many brokers require 30-90 days of active authority. CH Robinson and TQL work from Day 1. Most others need at least 30 days.

Insurance

0/3

  • $1M auto liability insurance

    REQUIRED

    FMCSA minimum is $750K, but 90% of brokers require $1M. If you only have $750K, you'll be rejected by most brokers.

  • $100K cargo insurance

    REQUIRED

    Covers damage to the freight you're hauling. Most brokers require at least $100K. Some shippers want more.

  • Can produce Certificate of Insurance on demand

    REQUIRED

    Brokers will ask for your COI before giving you loads. Have your agent ready to send certificates quickly.

Documents

0/4

  • W-9 form completed

    REQUIRED

    Tax form brokers need for payment. Use your business name and EIN, not your personal SSN.

    Download W-9 (IRS)

  • MC Authority certificate downloaded

    REQUIRED

    Download from FMCSA portal. Brokers ask for this in their carrier packet.

    FMCSA Portal Login

  • Carrier packet ready to send

    REQUIRED

    A packet typically includes: MC cert, insurance cert, W-9, signed broker-carrier agreement, and your factoring company NOA (if using one).

  • Notice of Assignment (if using factoring)

    Your factoring company provides this. It tells brokers to pay the factoring company instead of you.

Operations

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  • Signed up for a load board

    REQUIRED

    DAT One ($40-150/mo) is the industry standard. Also consider 123Loadboard and Truckstop.

    DAT One

    Industry-standard load board — 500M+ loads/year

    Partner

    Rate tools, lane analytics, and broker credit scores to protect your business.

    Access DAT

  • ELD installed and working

    REQUIRED

    Brokers don't check this, but you'll be placed out of service at the first inspection without one.

    Get your ELD set up before your first load

    Partner

    Motive ships in 2-3 days and installs in under an hour.

    Get Motive ELD

  • Factoring company OR 60 days cash reserves

    REQUIRED

    Brokers pay net 30-60 days. Without factoring, you need enough cash to cover 2 months of fuel, insurance, and payments while waiting.

  • Onboarded with at least 1 broker

    Complete the carrier packet process with CH Robinson or TQL BEFORE you need a load. Onboarding takes 1-3 business days.

    CH Robinson Carrier

    Find and connect with brokers

    Partner

    Full-featured carrier platform with advanced search and rate negotiation.

    Access Truckstop