Well Sonnies opinions make sense....except the part about getting your own authority first before you bought the truck. That ISNT feasable. I am filling out the papperwork as we speak, I MUST have my insurance FIRST....so how could I have insurance without owning a truck (dont know how)????? Would love to know how that could be done?
As far as taking a bus (this one had an issue with too).......well I am 100% cheapskate, and NO expenses while waiting around (freght is slow now") and I would have slept on the SIDEWALK if they would let me (without rousting me!"they kicked my sorry ass outta the bus terminal when I got to Charloette) if I could have saved a buck. If I have to drive up to Sacramento to camp on Arnies doorstep to get the rest of my authority I am gona sleep in my hatchback n screw paying 40 bucks a night for a motel! ;-p
(Sacs about a 7 hour drive or so from me)

then how does an a "all owner operator" co get insurance?
They own no equipment

Dunno...how do they? What I said was "I" dont know how to get insurance without a truck....my broker was insistant I buy a truck first and tell her the Vin before she finished writing me a policy...maybe some will...dunno?
Well thinking about it wanted to add maybe this is a broker thing, but wanted to say I HIGHlY recommend Cindy at Westrern Truck Ins for anyone going near the LA area, she worked like hell to get me the best quotes and I had a slight problem for her to negotiate,(no recent Exp)
Maybe certain brokers wont write policies up for you in advance and some will....dunno?....as an individual I could see them hesitant to do that ahead of time cuz they are working for free? dunno?

Sonny's talking about liability and cargo, and Pepe's talking about physical insurance. I think :?:

Hmmm Sid, as I hold my faxed insurance binder in my hand it seems to include all 3 (or I got hosed lol)....hmmm maybe they will only do 2 of the 3 without the truck?

I talked to the same girl that Pepe did for insurance. They need a truck to put the insurance on otherwise they wouldn't know how to quote it. The Authority people need proof of insurance too.

Maybe other states are different, but this is how it seems to be in CA.

The Owner Operator company getting insurance without owning trucks is interesting. I'll ask about that next time I talk to an insurance agent.

Interesting
 

I've read it both ways; get truck first, then insurance, then authority and also get authority, then insurance, then truck. It makes sense to me that you can't insure a truck/driver you don't have yet and also makes sense that you can't get authority without proof of insurance. That said, it doesn't seem like the most economical way of doing things (though maybe the only way possible.) I'm going to ask my contact who started from the ground up, without any experience whatsoever what order he did this and why. I seem to remember him waiting on insurance though. I'll post what I find out for your hashing out.

Re: Interesting
 

Hmmm not sure how they get insurance without a truck....hmmm maybe something to do with a corperation versus private individual? ...dunno...just know for sure; authority, then insurance would NEVER work, as I fill out the forms faxed to me from OOIDA they need my insurance in place already.

You must have cargo and liability insurance before you will be granted motor carrier authority. The smart thing to do is to apply for authority and have your insurance lined up but not pay any premiums until the waiting period has elapsed and the Feds send you a letter telling you to have your insurance do their filings. Otherwise you will be paying premiums for 1-2 months before you will actually have your authority letter in hand and be able to start hauling freight. You will have a specific amount of time to have your insurance filings done. Most insurers will not bind motor carrier coverage without tying it to a specific truck and trailer. The reason being is that you could have several trucks, but only pay premiums on one. That doesn't mean that you need collision insurance with the same company. In fact, I don't even have collision coverage on one truck and trailer since there is no lien on them. If you want to go ahead and pay for your insurance prior to getting notice from the Feds on your authority, then you are free to do so, but it isn't necessary until they notify you. By the way, what did they quote you on premium?

I got my insurance before I bought the truck. I was pretty much told to make up a truck then change it when I bought it. That's what I did on the spot when I bought my truck I'm in now. I called them, gave them the VIN and other info and they faxed a binder to me at the truck dealership.