How To Start a Trucking Company
Published:Oct 20, 2025
5 min. read
Are you an owner-operator that is considering starting your own trucking and freight company? Do you have questions about where you should start and what steps to take? TenTrucks may be able to help with this step-by-step guide that illustrates how to start a trucking company and valuable tools and technology that can help your brand-new business grow and thrive.
8 Steps to Start Your Own Trucking and Freight Company
Truck drivers or owner-operators that want to have more control over their own careers may want to start their own trucking and freight company — but where do they start? We hope that this list of steps you need to take to start your own trucking company will help you get started and follow your dreams in the industry.
Here are a few important steps to take to start your trucking company:
1. Get Your Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
Whether you plan to operate on your own as an owner-operator or you want to manage your own freight company, it is important that you have your Commercial Driver’s License. This is of vital importance if you plan to be an owner-operator and if you want to manage your own fleet, having experience behind the wheel of a commercial truck will help inform the decisions you make as a business owner.
2. Create a Business Plan
The next step is to create a business plan for your company. You will want to decide if you want to operate as a local carrier, a regional carrier, or a long-haul carrier and what your specialty will be. Freight specialties to consider include Full Truckload, Less-Than-Truckload, refrigerated trucking, tanker trucking, heavy equipment trucking, hazardous materials trucking, expedited trucking, and more.
3. Create and Register Your Business
It is time to create and register your business. This is the first official step toward becoming a business owner and involves formally registering your business in the legal sense as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or other business entity and obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for tax purposes.
4. Apply for the Necessary Permits
When you own a business — a trucking and freight business in particular — it is important that you have the correct state and federal permits to ensure you remain compliant with any and all laws. Permits and certifications that are required for trucking companies include a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) identification number and trucking authority number via the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Business owners will need to file a BOC-3 Form for each state they will be operating in with the FMCSA.
5. Find the Right Equipment
When you have applied for and received your permits, the next step is to find and purchase the equipment that you need to get your trucking company started. The equipment you invest in for your fleet may vary based on the type of carrier you plan to operate as and what specialty you may have as a business. This may mean investing in freezer trucks, smaller box trucks for local and last-mile deliveries, tanker trucks, and other specialized equipment. Use your business plan to determine what equipment is the best to help you achieve your goals.
6. Find the Right Trucking Insurance
Insurance is vital for your trucking business and will help protect your investment in the event of an accident. Insurance that is required for trucking and freight companies includes Primary Commercial Auto Liability Insurance, Motor Truck Cargo Insurance, Comprehensive Collision Insurance, and General Liability Insurance. Additional insurance is not necessary, but is beneficial.
7. Maintain Compliance
Laws and regulations in trucking and transportation are always changing and companies that are not compliant with updated regulations may face financial penalties. It is important for new businesses to ensure they are compliant and maintain compliance as changes take place at local, state, and federal levels. To maintain compliance will require Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) and other equipment.
8. Find Freight and Start Your Business
When you have completed all of the steps listed above, it is time to put your business plan into action, find freight to haul, and work toward your goals. Freight broker services and load boards are valuable resources that can help you find and secure contracts — which provides you with the opportunity to build relationships in the industry and continue to grow.
Why Is a Transportation Management System Important for Trucking Businesses?
A Transportation Management System (TMS) may be an essential tool for new and growing trucking businesses. It serves as a central command center for all logistics and fleet operations. For new and small trucking companies, a TMS is valuable as it allows businesses to compete with larger fleets by maximizing efficiency, reducing costs, and improving customer service. By automating and streamlining many day-to-day processes, a TMS helps companies manage their resources more effectively and make data-driven decisions to support long-term growth.
Here is a look at the key benefits of a TMS for new trucking and freight companies:
- Improves efficiency by automating many time-consuming tasks like dispatching and order entry.
- Reduces costs by optimizing routes to save on fuel, minimize empty miles, and reduce administrative expenses.
- Enhances visibility and provides real-time tracking of trucks and shipments, to allow for proactive communication.
- Streamlines financial management and integrates billing, invoicing, and driver settlements to accelerate payments.
- Scalable operations provide you with a foundational platform that can grow with your business.
READ MORE: What Is the Trucking Industry Outlook for 2026?
Do you hope to start your own trucking and freight business? This step-by-step guide will help answer your questions about how to start a trucking business and how a Transportation Management System can help you grow and thrive.
Contact TenTrucks today for more information on our TMS solutions and dispatching services!