Your equipment. The right filing scope.
Hotshot Authority Setup Service
Starting a pickup-and-trailer business under your own authority? We coordinate the business and federal filing chain. First resolve the combination ratings, freight, and insurance profile—not just whether your pickup needs a CDL.
One-time service fee. Agency, insurance, equipment, and vendor costs are separate. Private service—not FMCSA.
Who this service fits
Independent for-hire property carriers whose actual interstate operation and insurance plan have been confirmed, and who need the formation and application handoff organized.
Pause before purchasing if…
Leased-on operators buying their own authority solely because they own a pickup; owners who have not identified the trailer, ratings, cargo, or insurability; specialized hazmat launches without a confirmed scope.
Existing or revoked authority, transfers, specialized cargo, and uncertain registration paths require confirmation. Do not assume a standard new-carrier package covers them.
Resolve these facts before spending
Document the actual combination
Gather pickup and trailer manufacturer ratings, VINs if known, axle information, and intended load profile. Do not decide registration or licensing from an unloaded scale ticket or the word hotshot.
Separate licensing from operating authority
A non-CDL combination is not automatically exempt from authority or safety obligations. Verify the driver, vehicle, cargo, compensation, and commerce tests separately before authorizing applications.
Price the commercial insurance handoff
Give the licensed agency the same cargo, radius, garaging address, truck, and trailer profile used in the filing. Ask who submits the financial-responsibility filing and who confirms agency acceptance.
Concrete work. Visible boundaries.
Authority Only: the included service work
- LLC formation in your base state
- EIN acquisition
- USDOT + MC application (Motus filing)
- BOC-3 process agent designation
- UCR registration for the current year
- Docket monitoring through the 21-day protest period
- Email support until authority reads ACTIVE
Authority Only does not establish a drug-testing program, procure an ELD, or handle your insurance program. Launch Kit 30 adds applicable operating handoffs; requirements still depend on your combination and drivers.
Outside this tier
- Insurance broker coordination
- Compliance program setup
- Factoring, TMS, or ELD selection
Keep four different budgets separate
- Our service
- $599 for the listed Authority Only work—not an all-in company launch.
- Government charges
- $300 per permanent federal authority type when required; USDOT registration itself is free. State formation, UCR, plates, taxes, and other credentials are separate.
- Third-party costs
- BOC-3 providers, insurance, and vendor contracts are separate line items. Obtain current charges and written quotes for your actual profile.
- Operating reserve
- Keep cash for fuel, premium installments, repairs, deductibles, and the time between delivery and customer payment.
Your handoff into the service
Keep one pickup-and-trailer profile across the insurer, application, driver files, and applicable plate and fuel-tax accounts. Missing trailer facts should be resolved before a generic package becomes a filing instruction.
Completed entity or federal records are reviewed before new work. No duplicate filing, automatic discount, or transfer of prior vendor payments is promised.
What stays with the owner
You provide accurate business, address, equipment, driver, and cargo facts; keep account access; personally complete required identity verification; authorize submissions and contracts; and pay separate costs.
A licensed agency arranges insurance. Agencies grant registrations and authority. You maintain records, renewals, safe equipment, qualified drivers, taxes, and compliant daily operations after setup.
See what actually gates activationBefore you buy
Frequently asked questions
Primary sources
Keep the service decision grounded
Day One Authority sells the services described; this is not an independent ranking. We are not FMCSA, a law firm, an insurance agency, or a tax advisor. Confirm scope, cancellation terms, and start-of-work timing before purchasing: launch@dayoneauthority.com.