I never read a more depressing board than todays getloaded message board. Lot of independants either going out or down to their last dollar.
Also brokers going out of busness and saying goodbye to their broker friends. Looks like the picture is not too rosey. Its going to be slow anyway through the holidays and probably until the spring when plants, landscaping stuff gets busy.In a nut shell,in my opinion this is not the time to get your authority. Stay leased to somebody.

Things are a bit slower than usual in most markets. I don't expect things to get much better until spring. That doesn't mean that you can't make a decent living driving a truck. I would suggest waiting until after the first of the year to get authority unless you have a nice nest egg to see you through the slow time. If you plan on getting your authority, you may want to keep in mind that it usually takes a few weeks to get your authority and have everything you need to start running. You will need permits for several states in addition to motor carrier authority. You will need insurance, base plates, etc., All that takes time. If it were me and I planned to get my authority, I would probably wait until after the first of the year. But there is always opportunity to excel in slow times. It gives you time to prepare for when things improve. The next few months would likely be a good time to purchase a truck. There will be a lot of marginal owner operators and independents who won't be able to hang on during this time. Many will lose their trucks. Quite a few have done so already. A negative for some and be a positive for others.