Guides for people who move freight
Questions about paying for equipment, covering the risk, and keeping the operation legal, answered in plain language and sourced to the original rule or publisher.
- ArticleInsurance · Primary auto liability
Nirvana exits non-fleet trucking insurance
Nirvana has stopped issuing new non-fleet trucking policies. What the program exit means for insurance capacity serving small trucking operations.
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- ComparisonAuthority and operations · Running the operation
Should I lease on to a carrier or run my own authority?
Leasing on vs running your own authority as an owner-operator: who holds the authority, finds freight, carries insurance, and keeps the risk.
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- GuideInsurance · Physical damage
What is physical damage coverage, and why does a truck lender require it?
Physical damage coverage pays to repair or replace your own truck. Why lenders and lessors require it, what they ask for, and what to check.
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- GuideInsurance · Motor truck cargo
Do I need motor truck cargo insurance if FMCSA does not require it?
FMCSA does not require cargo insurance for general freight, yet carriers are liable for the load and brokers ask for it. How that fits.
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- GuideFinancing · Equipment financing
Can I finance a used truck, and what do providers look at?
Yes, used trucks can be financed. What providers weigh about the truck and about you, what to check before you sign, and a labeled payment example.
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- GuideAuthority and operations · Compliance
What happens in the FMCSA new entrant safety audit?
When the new entrant safety audit happens, what the auditor reviews, the 16 violations that fail it automatically, and what follows a pass or a fail.
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- ComparisonInsurance · Occupational accident
Do owner-operators need occupational accident insurance or workers' compensation?
Occupational accident is a private policy for injured owner-operators. Workers' comp is a state system. How they differ and who decides.
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- ComparisonFinancing · Equipment financing
How do a TRAC lease, a $1 buyout lease, and a truck loan differ?
How a TRAC lease, a $1 buyout lease and a truck loan work, who carries the end-of-term risk, and a labeled example of what each can cost at the end.
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- ComparisonInsurance · Bobtail and non-trucking liability
What is the difference between bobtail and non-trucking liability insurance?
Bobtail and non-trucking liability are different coverages for an owner-operator's tractor. What each usually answers, and what your lease must say.
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- GuideFinancing · Factoring
Can a brand-new trucking authority use freight factoring?
Whether factoring is open to a new trucking authority, what providers look at when you have no history, and what to read before you sign.
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- GuideAuthority and operations · Getting authority
How long does it take for new trucking authority to become active?
FMCSA says new authority filings can take 20 to 25 business days, longer with review. What sets the pace, and how to check your status.
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- GuideAuthority and operations · Running the operation
How do I work out my cost per mile?
Add your fixed and per-mile costs, divide by every mile you drive, and you have your break-even rate. A worked example, labeled, and what it leaves out.
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- GuideAuthority and operations · Getting authority
How do I get my own trucking authority?
The steps to get a USDOT number and MC operating authority: what FMCSA charges, which filings must be on record, and how long it takes.
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- GuideInsurance · Primary auto liability
How does my trucking insurance get filed with FMCSA?
Who files your proof of insurance, what BMC-91, BMC-91X and MCS-90 each are, and what 49 CFR 387 says about timing and cancellation.
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- GuideAuthority and operations · Compliance
What compliance does a trucking company have to keep up with?
What a trucking company keeps up: FMCSA registration, insurance filings, UCR, IFTA, IRP, Form 2290, drug testing, and the new entrant audit.
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- GuideFinancing · Equipment financing
How do I finance my first truck with a new authority?
How truck financing works when your authority is new: loan, lease and lease-purchase, what providers look at, and a labeled payment example.
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- GuideFinancing · Equipment financing
Can I finance a truck with bad credit?
Truck financing with bad credit is possible, but it usually costs more. How to read the total cost, what strengthens a request, and what to watch for.
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- GuideInsurance · Primary auto liability
What insurance does a new trucking company need?
What federal rules require a new trucking company to carry, what brokers and lenders commonly ask for on top, and who files what. No prices.
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- GuideInsurance · Primary auto liability
What decides what a trucking company pays for insurance?
What insurers weigh when they price trucking insurance: your units, radius, freight, drivers, history, limits, and deductibles. Factors, not prices.
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- ComparisonFinancing · Factoring
What is the difference between recourse and non-recourse factoring?
Recourse and non-recourse factoring decide who absorbs a customer's non-payment. What non-recourse usually covers, what stays with you, and what to read.
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- GuideFinancing · Factoring
What does freight factoring cost, and what fees come with it?
How a freight factoring fee is built: flat versus per period, reserves, add-on fees and minimums, with a labeled example and a calculator.
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- ComparisonFinancing · Merchant cash advance
What is the difference between APR and a factor rate?
A factor rate sets the total you repay. An APR also counts time. How they differ, a labeled example, and what California and New York require.
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- GuideFinancing · Factoring
How does freight factoring work for a trucking company?
Advances, reserves, recourse, notice of assignment and fees: how freight factoring works, what to read in the contract, and a labeled cost example.
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- GuideInsurance · Primary auto liability
What does primary auto liability cover for a trucking company?
Primary auto liability pays for injury and damage your truck causes to others. What it covers, what it leaves out, and the federal minimums.
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- GuideFinancing · Equipment financing
What credit score do I need to finance a truck?
Why there is no single credit score for truck financing, which scores providers look at, how credit changes the payment, and how to check yours first.
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- GuideFinancing · Working capital
How much financing can a trucking company get?
How providers size a trucking financing offer: revenue, cash flow, debt service coverage, collateral, and credit, with a labeled payment example.
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- GuideFinancing · Equipment financing
What financing options does a trucking business have?
The financing products trucking businesses use, grouped by what the money is for: trucks, cash gaps, or unpaid invoices. Where to read more on each.
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- GuideFinancing · Merchant cash advance
What is a merchant cash advance, and is it safe for a trucking company?
A merchant cash advance is repaid by daily debits and priced by a factor rate. What it costs, how stacking and confessions of judgment work.
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- GuideFinancing · SBA loans
Can a trucking company get an SBA loan?
How SBA 7(a), 504 and microloans work for trucking companies, what each can fund, size limits for trucking codes, and why it takes longer.
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- GuideFinancing · Equipment financing
How does truck and equipment financing work?
How truck and trailer financing works: what it pays for, how the lien works, loan versus lease versus TRAC, how to compare offers, and tax basics.
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- ComparisonFinancing · Equipment financing
Should I finance or lease my truck?
Truck loan, $1 buyout lease, fair market value lease or TRAC lease: who owns the truck, what happens at the end, and a labeled payment example.
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- GuideFinancing · Working capital
What is working capital financing for a trucking company?
What working capital financing is for a trucking company, the common forms, how it differs from a term loan, and how to compare offers in dollars.
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- GuideFinancing · Working capital
Why do trucking financing requests get denied?
The common reasons trucking financing requests are turned down, what providers look for, the documents to have ready, and how to ask for the reasons.
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