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Friday, March 4, 2016

How to Obtain Your Operating Authority

You’re a trucker -- so whether you’ve been on the road for 30 years or you're a greenhorn that’s new to the industry, you get the treat of obtaining and maintaining your operating authority. Sure is a pain isn’t it? Yeah, we know, but that’s what we do here: take care of your operating authority so you can get back to trucking. Take a look and see what all you’ll need in order to obtain your authority and how we can help!

Obtain Your MC# 


This here is one of the first steps in obtaining your interstate operating authority, and this number is issued to interstate carriers by the FMCSA. Need an MC#? Give us a call or fill out a service request!

Obtain Your USDOT#

Now you're probably thinking to yourself, "Wait, I have to get another number!?" We know, it's a lot -- not only will you need to get your MC# to operate interstate, you’ll also have to get your USDOT# if:
  • You operate interstate (across state and international lines)
  • You transport passengers or cargo
  • Your vehicle has a total gross or combined weight of 10,000 lbs or more

If you meet all three of these criteria, you must register with the FMCSA and obtain a DOT#. Also please note that many states now also require carriers to have DOT#’s, especially those transporting hazardous materials.

File Your BOC-3


Even if you’re new to trucking, you’ve almost undoubtedly heard this term tossed around among your trucking brethren. But what does it mean? Well, BOC-3 stands for blanket of coverage, and it needs to be filed before your MC# can be activated. For this reason, many truckers choose to take care of both their MC# and BOC-3 filing at the same time. Although, it can get a little tricky to find someone that can do that,. Because in order to file your BOC-3 with the FMCSA, you need a FMCSA designated process agent. Any idea where you can find one of those? That’s right, we're one of those, and we can get it done for you the same day!

Register for IRP


The International Registration Plan is mandatory for all interstate carriers that weigh over 26,000 pounds or that have three or more axles. Once you register, you will receive an IRP license, and these licenses must be renewed every year. Although unfortunately for you, the deadlines vary from state to state, so if you’re confused about when yours is you'll need to give us a quick call!

Register for IFTA


IFTA, as most of you already know (or should know, anyway) stands for the International Fuel Tax Agreement, and you have to register with IFTA if you operate interstate with a vehicle that weighs over 26,000 pounds or that has three or more axles. Once you register, you’ll get a license and decals for your truck, and you’ll need to renew those every year. And we do IFTA too, so come the end of the quarter, just send us over your mileage and fuel information and we’ll get you taken care of!

Pay Your HVUT


In addition to all of these other items, you’ll also need to pay some taxes. No surprise, right? Especially when you’re dealing with the federal government. So if your vehicle weighs over 55,000 pounds and travels over 5,000 miles on public highways (7,500 for agricultural vehicles), you’ll need to pay this tax. To do so, the easiest way is to give us a call and let us do it for you. Think about it, would you rather deal with filling out and sending this form to the IRS yourself, or just give us a quick five-minute phone call? Yeah, we don’t blame you there. 

Familiarize Yourself With the New URS System


The Unified Registration System is a new fully-electronic system that was created to streamline the FMCSA’s current registration process. Instead of having to deal with countless registrations and licenses individually, this system aims to make the entire process easier. If you’d like to learn more, you can view our helpful post answering questions about the new URS system to see how exactly it works and when it will be fully implemented. Or, if that doesn't answer your question, you can always talk to us!

Sensing a bit of a trend here? Yeah, we really pride ourselves on making the lives of the truck drivers that keep our country moving a little easier. If you need any help obtaining any of the items above, just give us a call at 803.386.0320 or send us a service request! What are you waiting for?


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