Make sure to factor in all of your expenses in order to determine your per-mile rate. Get together with other fleet loads to see if you can find some work Finally, becoming a government contractor can also make you marketable for different cargo. Doing prospecting and networking could also net you some clients. There are load boards that can give you knowledge of specific jobs. If you are still interested in owning a trucking company after jumping through all of these hoops of paperwork, you then need to find some freight to haul.

Speaking of taxes, The International Fuel Tax Agreement offers a decal that gives you a license for fuel across the country. The Heavy Vehicle Use Tax governs any vehicle that weighs more than 55,000 pounds, so you will need to consider that. Taxes are always part of a business and need to be planned for. The third license you will need is an IRP license, or International Registration Plan, so that you can freely move between states and across the country and most of Canada. Understandably, insuring yourself and your truck is extremely important, as it protects both you, your company, and others on the road. Secondly, your Unified Carrier Registration will verify that you are covered for insurance for your truck.

These allow you to haul cargo legally in the United States. First, you will need to acquire federal DOT and Motor Carrier Authority numbers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), an offshoot of the US Department of Transportation, has many regulations that you must adhere to in order to run a successful trucking business. There is a lot of red tape to get through if you want to own a trucking company.

You can finance a car like you do a personal car or house, but do some research to get a vehicle that will fit well into your plan. Choose wisely and know that you will have quite an expenditure for this.

The most important part of a trucking business is the truck itself. Sometimes a smaller trucking business will actually be a bigger money maker because there is less overhead and fewer employees to pay. You need to determine what type of freight you will haul, as well as how big you want to build your business. Make sure you understand what is involved before you venture into this line of work. Starting a trucking business involves more than just jumping in a truck and taking off down the road. If you want to start a trucking business, make sure to have a business plan. You won’t get very far if you cannot legally drive a truck! Although you probably already have a driver’s license, a higher level of skill is needed to drive a big rig, and so you need this specialty license. There are a few specific steps you need to take if you are interested in starting your own trucking business.

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