[can-do]

o/o 10+ years . Leased on with an ok company for the last four years making profit as an o/o after a few hard-earned lessons . Getting good rates out of base area ( st louis) but lousy stuff coming back , even worse when I have to give up 27 % to company. Time to take it to the next level ( I think I said that already ) , not only for more of the pie on backhauls but for future security for my business as well.............. My current dilemma is the process one has to go thru to get operating authority without paying unnecessary fees to someone to do what I can do myself.
I already have my dot #, got a great quote on insurance, Truck and Trailer is already plated through the company I'm currently with , but I don't have a clue as to what I'll actually need to get my m c number or what order to get such things as boc3 agent, ifta reg, drug consortium, permits and the like..................................... I don't post here hardly at all but I read a lot of great stuff here and please forgive me for being redundant with these questions I know these answers have been revealed here before but I didn't take note at the time.................Any advice I can get will be greatly appreciated ...................thanks

[GMAN]

You already have your truck and trailer. You can apply for authority online. The filing fee is $300. Prior to receiving authority you will need cargo and liability insurance. I suggest $100,000 cargo and $1MM liability. The feds only require $750M cargo, but most brokers and shippers require the limits that I mentioned above. You will need registered agents. If you are a member of OODIA they will do the filing for you and act as your registered agent at no charge. There are services available for a fee. In order for you to get a commitment on insurance you will need a tractor. Since you already have that and a trailer the only thing you need to do is get your insurance and apply for authority. At one time you could apply for authority and you had a certain amount of time to secure your insurance. I don't believe that you can even apply until your insurance is valid. You can find out for sure when you go online. You just follow the directions and fill in the blanks.

[GMAN]

Once you have your authority and insurance you may want to get your own base plate and permits. If you run under your own authority you need to have your base plates in your name. You don't want to have plates registered under another carrier when you are trying to run your own authority. You can get your IFTA permit or license when you get your base plate. There should not be a charge for IFTA.

You don't need to join a drug consortium until after you receive your authority. OOIDA offers a drug consortium or you can check around. There are a number of them across the U.S. There may also be a local drug consortium that you could join.

[can-do]

Thanks G-Man for your help. You seem to be one of the most knowledgeable people on here and I value your opinion greatly. I got my insurance binder today (GREAT RATE), and I'm joining ooida to get them to act as my agent. The $45 membership fee is only about $10 higher than what most process agents charge. Unfortunately though I'm based in IL. and my base plate (very expensive ) is paid for 50% of my money which the co wants their 50% back before they'll do what needs to be done to have the plates solely in my business name. I already have my dot # and IL ur paid. I will be filing for my m C # tomorrow as soon as I can get what I need from ooida.
I will keep you posted on my progress and thanks again for your sole response!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GMAN]

You are welcome, Can-do. You can renew your OOIDA membership a couple of times a year for $25. If you attend any of the truck shows, you can also renew at the discount rate. Don't forget to join a drug consortium once you get your authority back.