New Entrant Safety Audit: What FMCSA Checks in Your First 18 Months
Every new USDOT carrier goes through FMCSA's New Entrant Safety Assurance Program. One missing drug testing program or uninsured run can fail the audit on its own.
Category: Owner-Operators
Running your own authority: USDOT and MC numbers, insurance, IFTA, IRP, Form 2290, UCR, leases and the costs of a one-truck business.
Hot Shot Trucking Requirements: USDOT, CDL, Insurance and ELD Rules
The federal weight lines that decide which rules a pickup-and-trailer operation must follow, with a table by truck and trailer combination.
How Carrier Lease-Purchase Truck Programs Work and Red Flags to Check
Lease-purchase deals put the truck payment and the freight in the same company's hands. Federal leasing rules set the minimum the contract must disclose.
Owner-Operator vs Company Driver: The Real Cost Lines Compared
The gross on a settlement is not take-home pay. What separates the two jobs is the list of bills a company driver never sees.
IFTA Fuel Tax Reporting: Who Files, Due Dates and a Worked Example
IFTA splits the fuel tax you paid at the pump among the states you actually drove in. One quarterly return to your base state settles the difference.
IRP Apportioned Plates: Who Needs Them and How Fees Are Split
One plate, one cab card, many states. The International Registration Plan divides registration fees by where the truck actually ran.
Form 2290 Heavy Vehicle Use Tax: Who Owes It, Rates and Deadlines
The heavy vehicle use tax is due once a year, by the end of the month after a truck first hits the road in the tax period. The stamped Schedule 1 is what the DMV wants to see.
How Trucking Fuel Cards Work: Discounts, Fees and Controls Compared
A fuel card discount is only as good as the network you actually fuel in and the fees behind it. How the main card types work and what their published terms say.
Commercial Truck Insurance Requirements: Federal Minimums by Cargo
What the federal rules require, what lenders and brokers add on top, and how FMCSA knows a carrier is covered. Plus the terms owner-operators mix up most: bobtail, non-trucking liability and occupational accident.
Box Truck Business Requirements: DOT Number, Authority and Insurance
Cargo vans and 26-foot box trucks skip the CDL, but not federal registration. The rules that switch on at 10,001 lb, the insurance minimums on each side of that line, and the taxes that do not apply.