New Authority Setup Checklist (Print This)

The order below is not arbitrary — each step depends on the one before it. Skipping ahead creates 3-week delays.

• 1) EIN (Employer Identification Number) — free at irs.gov, 10 minutes
• 2) LLC formation in home state ($50–$500 depending on state)
• 3) FMCSA Form OP-1 online ($300)
• 4) USDOT number (issued within 48 hours of OP-1)
• 5) Primary liability + cargo insurance quotes → bind → BMC-91 filed by insurer
• 6) BOC-3 process agent designation ($20–$50)
• 7) UCR annual fee (tier-based, $46 for 1–2 trucks)
• 8) IFTA + IRP (International Registration Plan) with base state
• 9) HVUT Form 2290 ($550/year for a truck over 55,000 lbs)
• 10) Drug & alcohol consortium enrollment (DISA, TransCorp, ISN — $50–$150/year per driver)
• 11) ELD provisioning (Motive, Samsara, Geotab, KeepTruckin)

New authorities regularly skip consortium enrollment because there's no one telling them it's required for a solo owner-operator. It is. Even one owner-operator driving under their own MC must be in a random-testing pool per 49 CFR §382.305.

This is the #1 finding on the new-entrant safety audit. Get enrolled before you turn a wheel.

Day 0: file OP-1. Day 2: USDOT arrives. Day 5–10: insurance bound, BMC-91 filed, BOC-3 filed, UCR paid. Day 21–35: MC active. Day 21+: IRP plates arrive (varies by state, 5–15 business days). Day 21+: HVUT Form 2290 stamped Schedule 1 arrives (24 hours online, 5 days by mail).

First legal load: after MC active AND IRP plates on truck AND HVUT Schedule 1 in the truck.

Order: EIN → state LLC → OP-1 (USDOT + MC) → insurance binding + BMC-91 → BOC-3 → UCR → IRP + apportioned plates → IFTA → 2290 HVUT → ELD provisioning → drug/alcohol consortium enrollment.

Filing OP-1 before the LLC is registered creates a name mismatch that voids the application. Filing UCR before insurance activates locks you out of the UCR portal until the FMCSA record shows an active authority. Do these in order and each downstream step has the data it needs.

State LLC $50–$500 (varies); OP-1 $300; insurance first-year premium $9,000–$14,000 (annual, paid monthly after down payment of $1,500–$3,500); BOC-3 $40–$50; UCR $46; IRP + apportioned plates $1,500–$2,500 (varies by base state and truck value); IFTA license $10–$25; HVUT $550 per truck over 55,000 GVW.

ELD $30–$50/mo per truck; drug/alcohol consortium $50–$100/yr per driver. All-in startup filings and first-quarter insurance for a 1-truck authority: $6,500–$9,500 before the truck payment starts.