How to Apply for Interstate Trucking Authority

Expand your options as a truck driver by getting an interstate trucking authority, a business license that allows you to travel across state lines. You choose which clients you wish to serve (consumers or businesses) and what sort of cargo you want to transport.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Decide whom you want to work for. A common authority lets you work with the public with a moving company, for instance. To do interstate trucking for businesses, you'll need contract authority.
2. Determine what goods you want to transport. You need household goods authority to work as a mover. General commodities is appropriate for work with trucking companies. To arrange transport between states without taking responsibility for the cargo, get a broker authority.
3. File for a USDOT number. This is issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). They regulate safety measures for commercial transportation activities.
4. Fill out the OP-1 form with the FMCSA for obtaining interstate operating authority. This shows you've got adequate insurance to cover property loss or damage and personal injuries.
5. File the BOC-3 form. This designates you have a process agent in all 50 states who's willing to receive and forward legal documents to you.
6. Obtain liability and cargo insurance. You won't get interstate trucking authority without it. Find a broker who specializes in insurance for commercial carriers. Make sure the business name on the policy matches the one you used in your OP-1 filing.
7. Expect the interstate trucking authority registration process to take at least 30 days. Once you get your license, you must register it with the Single State Registration System. This is something you'll have to do yearly.

Tips & Warnings

• Operating without authority can cost you thousands of dollars at both the federal and state levels.
• You can hire a permit company to help you with the filing, but watch out for hidden costs.

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