Start your trucking business, one step at a time.
First Mile shows your next filing, what to have ready, the official link and how to confirm it worked. Michigan first. Free, and no sign-up.
Your next step toward your first load.
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- Form your Michigan business. File Articles of Organization (form CSCL/CD-700) with LARA to form a Michigan LLC, or decide to run as a sole proprietor. Open CorpFile Online (LARA)
- Get your EIN from the IRS. Apply for an Employer Identification Number on the IRS website. You will use it on FMCSA, IRP, IFTA and Form 2290 filings. Open IRS: Get an EIN
- Get your written lease in place. Ask the carrier you are leasing onto for its written equipment lease and read it before your first load. Open 49 CFR Part 376 (leasing rules)
- Apply for your USDOT number (and MC authority) in Motus. Create a Motus account and apply. Interstate carriers need a USDOT number. For-hire interstate carriers also need operating authority (an MC number). FMCSA's USDOT Wizard shows which you need. Open FMCSA: Move into Motus
- Have a process agent file your BOC-3. Choose a process agent company from FMCSA's blanket company list and have it file your BOC-3 for every state you operate in. Open FMCSA: Process agent list
- Get your insurance filing on record. Work with a licensed insurance agent so your insurer files proof of insurance. Interstate for-hire: the insurer files a BMC-91 or BMC-91X with FMCSA. Michigan-only for-hire: the insurer files a Form E for your CVED Authority. Find a licensed agent (Michigan DIFS Locator)
- Apply for Michigan CVED Authority. For-hire hauling only inside Michigan: apply in the MSP CVED Authority Portal (CAP) through MiLogin. Open MSP CVED: Apply for CVED Authority
- Register for UCR. Register and pay UCR for the year through the UCR Plan's National Registration System. Open UCR Plan
- File Form 2290 if a truck is 55,000 lbs or more. File IRS Form 2290 for each truck with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 lbs or more and keep the stamped Schedule 1. Open IRS: Form 2290
- Get Michigan IRP apportioned plates. Open an IRP account online through Michigan Secretary of State IRP Services. Open Michigan SOS: IRP
- Get a Michigan IFTA license. Apply through Michigan Treasury's IFTA Processing Consortium (IPC) website. Open Michigan Treasury: IFTA
- Drug test and Clearinghouse query before any CDL driver operates. Join a drug and alcohol testing program, get a verified negative pre-employment drug test, and run a full pre-employment Clearinghouse query, before any CDL driver (including you) performs safety-sensitive work. Open FMCSA Clearinghouse
- Build a driver qualification file for each driver. Create a qualification file for each driver with the items in 49 CFR 391.51. Open 49 CFR 391.51
- Choose a registered ELD. Pick a device from FMCSA's registered ELD list and confirm it is still listed. Open FMCSA: ELD list
General information from official sources, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules and fees change, so confirm each step with the agency linked. Helm Partners is a trucking-only insurance agency being formed in Michigan. Our Michigan license is pending. We do not quote or sell insurance until licensed.
Milestones, in the order they depend on each other
Some steps must be done before others can start, and some must be done before a truck or driver runs. These are the dependencies, not a calendar.
Before you apply
Form the business and get an EIN, and use the same legal name and address everywhere. FMCSA says mismatches delay authority.
Sources: FMCSA: insurance filing requirements, IRS: Get an EIN. Last checked Oct 24, 2026.
Before your authority can be granted
Your insurer files proof of insurance (BMC-91 or BMC-91X). FMCSA will not grant operating authority until it is on file, and asks for it within 20 days of your application being published. For-hire carriers also designate process agents (BOC-3), and both must stay on file to avoid revocation.
Sources: FMCSA: insurance filing requirements, FMCSA: process agents. Last checked Oct 24, 2026.
Before a CDL driver operates, including you
A verified negative pre-employment drug test (49 CFR 382.301), a full Clearinghouse pre-employment query (49 CFR 382.701), and a driver qualification file (49 CFR 391.51). FMCSA says having no drug and alcohol program is an automatic safety audit failure.
Sources: 49 CFR 382.301, 49 CFR 382.701, 49 CFR 391.51. Last checked Oct 24, 2026.
Before you run interstate loads
UCR registration for the year, IRP apportioned plates (after you pay online, you can print a 30-day temporary permit until plates arrive) and an IFTA license for qualified trucks, Form 2290 for trucks of 55,000 lbs or more, and a registered ELD.
Sources: UCR Plan, Michigan SOS: IRP, Michigan Treasury: IFTA, IRS: Form 2290. Last checked Oct 24, 2026.
Hauling for hire only inside Michigan
CVED Authority from the Michigan State Police before you run on any Michigan public road, with a Form E from your insurer.
Sources: MSP CVED: regulatory. Last checked Oct 24, 2026.
After you start
FMCSA monitors new carriers for 18 months and says the safety audit happens within 12 months after you begin operations. Update your MCS-150 every 24 months.
Sources: FMCSA: new entrant program, FMCSA: updating your registration. Last checked Oct 24, 2026.
Coverage new carriers ask about
Helm Partners cannot quote or sell insurance yet. Our Michigan license is pending. In First Mile, insurance comes up at the filing step: your insurer files proof with FMCSA, and you can find and verify a licensed agent with the Michigan DIFS Locator.
Primary auto liability
Required to get your authority active. Covers injury and damage you cause to others. FMCSA minimum is $750,000 for most for-hire freight; many shippers and brokers ask for $1,000,000.
Motor truck cargo
Covers the freight you haul. FMCSA does not require it for general freight, but most brokers do, often $100,000.
Physical damage
Repairs or replaces your own truck and trailer after a crash, theft, or fire. Your lender will usually require it.
Bobtail and non-trucking liability
For owner-operators leased onto a carrier. Covers you when you drive without a trailer or off dispatch.
No history means more risk to price.
Insurers price new authorities higher because there is no loss record yet. Driver experience, a clean MVR, the right radius, and a safety plan all help. Two to three years of clean history is what moves the number most.
Read the guidesCommon questions
When do I need insurance for a new authority?
Your insurer should file proof of coverage soon after your application is published in the FMCSA Register. FMCSA asks for it within 20 days of publication. If it is late, FMCSA gives 60 more days, then dismisses the application.
How much liability do I need?
For-hire general freight in trucks of 10,001 pounds or more needs at least $750,000. Many brokers and shippers ask for $1,000,000.
Can Helm quote me now?
Not yet. Our Michigan license is pending, and we do not quote until we are licensed. We will update this page when that changes.