Operations & Technology

Authority does not pay you — moving freight does. Once your docket is active you have a narrow window where cash burn is highest and revenue is zero. This silo covers the operating stack: a TMS sized for one to ten trucks, load board access, a carrier packet that clears broker onboarding without a phone call, and how to price your first lane.

Guides in this silo

5.18 min read · updated 2026-06-18
Choosing a TMS for 1–10 Trucks Without Overbuying
What a transportation management system actually needs to do at one to ten trucks, the features that are worth paying for, and the migration cost of choosing wrong.
• At 1–3 trucks you need load records, rate confirmation storage, invoicing, and IFTA-ready mileage. Nothing else is urgent.
• Expect $30–$100 per truck per month. Anything quoting an implementation fee is sized for a fleet you do not have.
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5.28 min read · updated 2026-06-20
Load Boards for New Carriers: Access, Pricing, and the 90-Day Problem
Which load boards accept a brand-new authority, what they cost, why some brokers will not book you for 90 days, and how to find the ones who will.
• Load boards themselves will accept a new authority — the restriction comes from individual brokers, not the board.
• The "90-day rule" is a broker cargo-policy and internal-risk requirement, and plenty of brokers do not have it.
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5.37 min read · updated 2026-06-22
The Carrier Packet That Gets You Onboarded in One Email
Exactly which documents belong in a carrier packet, how to assemble a single send-ready PDF, and the mistakes that stall broker onboarding for days.
• A complete packet is six documents: W-9, signed broker-carrier agreement, certificate of insurance, FMCSA authority letter, notice of assignment, and a carrier profile sheet.
• The certificate of insurance must name the broker as certificate holder — a generic certificate gets rejected.
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5.49 min read · updated 2026-06-25
Booking Your First Load: Pricing, Negotiating, and Not Getting Burned
How to price a lane from your real cost per mile, what to verify before accepting, how to read a rate confirmation, and the fraud patterns that target brand-new authorities.
• Know your all-in cost per mile before you call. Without it you are guessing, and new carriers guess low.
• Price the round trip, not the headhaul — a great rate into a dead market is a bad load.
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