How to Get Loads With a New MC Authority

Your authority is active, you're insured, and the truck is ready. Then broker after broker asks how old your MC is and moves on. Getting your first loads isn't about finding a secret list. It's about knowing which brokers will say yes, having your paperwork ready when they do, and running the first few loads so well that the next ones come easier.

Why brokers say no at first

A brand new MC has no inspection history, no on-time record and no references. Brokers also know fraudsters often use new authorities.

So many set an authority age rule: some take day-one carriers, many want 90 days, and some want 6 to 12 months. It's risk management, not a judgment of you, and it's why your first goal is volume of good conversations, not one perfect load.

Get your packet ready before you call

Brokers that take new authorities move fast. If your paperwork takes a day, the load is gone. Have these in one folder on your phone:

• Your authority letter, MC and USDOT numbers. FMCSA explains how authority works on its operating authority page
• A certificate of insurance showing the limits brokers expect, usually $1,000,000 auto liability and $100,000 cargo
• A signed W-9
• A voided check or bank letter, or your factor's notice of assignment
• A one-page carrier profile: equipment, trailer length, weight limits, home base, preferred lanes and contact numbers

Ask your insurance agent how fast they can send a certificate naming a new broker. Some brokers need it within the hour.

Using load boards with a new MC

Load boards are where most new carriers start, and they work if you use them carefully.

• Filter for new authorities. Many boards let brokers show their authority age requirements or credit info. Use it, so you're not calling brokers who will never load you.
• Check credit before you call. A broker that accepts anyone and has poor days to pay is a trap, not an opportunity.
• Call fast, but don't rush the check. Good loads go in minutes. Check the broker's authority on FMCSA's SAFER company snapshot, plus its bond and contact details, anyway. Here's how to check a broker in a few minutes.
• Post your truck too. Posting your truck with clear equipment details and lanes brings brokers to you.

Calling brokers directly

Many good loads never reach a load board. Brokers fill them from carriers they already know. To get on those lists:

• Look up brokers that move freight on your lanes and with your equipment. Load board history, shippers near your home base and other carriers are good leads.
• Call the carrier sales or capacity team, not the general line, and ask how they onboard new carriers.
• Send your packet the same day, and follow up once a week with where your truck will be empty.

Expect a lot of "not yet." Write down each broker's authority age rule and call back when you pass it.

What to say on the call

Keep it short and specific. Brokers want to know if you can cover their load, not your life story. Something like:

Then ask for the rate, the pickup and delivery details, the weight and the accessorial terms. Don't accept on the phone until you've checked the broker and seen the rate confirmation.

Your first 10 loads

Your first loads are as much about your record as your revenue. Choose loads that are easy to run perfectly:

• Reasonable miles and clear appointment times
• A broker that checks out, with solid days to pay
• A delivery area with outbound freight, ideally back toward home
• Freight you know how to handle and secure

Then run them well: on time, quick check calls, clean paperwork. Ask each broker that treated you right for the carrier rep's direct number. Repeat loads with the same brokers turn into references, and references open doors at bigger brokers.

Track what's working

Keep a simple log from your first call. A spreadsheet or a notebook is enough. For every broker you talk to, write down:

• The broker, the rep's name and their direct number
• Their authority age rule, and the date you can call back if they said "not yet"
• Loads offered, the rate per mile and whether you booked
• How fast they paid, and how they handled detention or problems

After a month, the log tells you which brokers to call first, which lanes pay, and which brokers to drop. It also turns the "call back at 90 days" list into loads the week you hit 90 days.

Loads to avoid

• Loads below your cost per mile. A busy week that loses money doesn't build a business.
• Rates far above the lane. When a stranger offers a new authority a great rate with pressure to book now, check it twice. It's a common setup for fraud.
• Brokers with poor credit who take anyone. Getting loaded is easy. Getting paid is the hard part.
• Loads you can't run on time. One late delivery early on can cost you that broker for good.

Where a dispatcher helps

A dispatcher who works with new authorities already knows which brokers load day-one carriers, which have good credit, and how their onboarding works. That can save weeks of calls.

It's the core of our dispatch for new authority carriers: we focus your search on brokers that say yes, check every one, and fill out setup packets with you. For the rest of your first 90 days, from insurance to the safety audit, read our new authority trucking guide.