About New Authority Guide

New Authority Guide is an independent resource for new motor carriers, owner-operators, and small fleet founders navigating the U.S. trucking startup process.

What This Site Is

Starting a trucking company involves FMCSA registration, insurance filings, state registrations, compliance equipment, and commercial relationships — each with its own timeline, terminology, and requirements. Most of the official documentation is accurate but dense. New carriers often struggle to understand the sequence, the dependencies, and what actually matters first.

This site exists to bridge that gap. We translate regulatory requirements into plain-language guides, organize information by phase (not alphabetically), and build tools to help new carriers run their own numbers before committing.

Our Editorial Team

Marcus spent eight years running a small owner-operator dry van operation out of Nashville, TN — leased on to a carrier, then under his own authority. During that time he worked through FMCSA registration, three IRP renewals, multiple IFTA audits, a new entrant safety audit, and the freight market volatility that comes with running a one-truck operation through rate cycles.

After selling his truck, he spent three years consulting independently with new authorities in the Southeast — helping first-time carriers navigate broker packet setup, factoring agreements, and the compliance paperwork that trips up most new operators in the first 90 days. He founded New Authority Guide in 2026 to put that process in writing, in plain language, for anyone starting from zero.

Areas of focus: FMCSA authority setup, DOT compliance, cash flow planning for new carriers, factoring and broker relationships.

Content on this site is produced and reviewed by the New Authority Guide editorial team. We do not claim to have content reviewed by attorneys, CPAs, or insurance professionals unless explicitly stated. Readers should consult appropriate licensed professionals for their specific situations.

Our Editorial Process

Research against primary sources. All regulatory requirements are verified against official agency documentation — FMCSA, IRS, UCR, IFTA, IRP, and 49 CFR — before any claim is published. Our sources page lists every reference used across the site.
Practitioner review. Content is reviewed for real-world accuracy against the operational experience of our editorial team. We flag the gap between what the regulation says and what new carriers actually encounter.
Explicit uncertainty. Where requirements change frequently — fee schedules, mileage thresholds, exemption criteria — we say so explicitly and direct readers to verify current requirements directly with the governing agency before acting.
Scheduled updates. Guides covering regulations that update regularly (HOS rules, UCR fees, IFTA rate changes, FMCSA policy updates) are reviewed at least annually. The Last updated date shown on each guide reflects the most recent substantive review.

What This Site Is Not

Not a law firm. Not legal advice.
Not an insurance agency. Not insurance advice.
Not a financial advisor. Not financial advice.
Not affiliated with the FMCSA, DOT, IRS, or any government agency.
Not a ranking site. We don't rank commercial products or issue paid endorsements.

Editorial Standards

All content on this site is written for general educational purposes. When we reference regulatory requirements — FMCSA filings, IFTA rules, HOS regulations — we link to the official source and remind readers to verify current requirements directly with the governing agency. Regulations change. We aim to flag this explicitly wherever it matters.

Content is produced by the New Authority Guide Editorial Team. We do not claim to have content reviewed by attorneys, CPAs, or insurance professionals. Readers should consult appropriate professionals for their specific situations.

Source Policy

We maintain a sources page that lists the official and authoritative references used across this site. We do not fabricate citations or invent regulatory requirements. When we cannot verify a specific figure or requirement, we say so explicitly and direct readers to official sources.

Contact

Use the contact page for corrections, suggestions, or general inquiries. We review all messages, though response time varies.

This guide is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, insurance, or financial advice.