About Trucking Startup Cost

Trucking Startup Cost is an independent reference for people who want to run their own trucking business: owner-operators leaving a lease, drivers getting their first authority, and small fleets adding a truck. We break down what it costs to get from a CDL to your first load, line by line.

What we cover

• Federal registration: USDOT number, operating authority (MC number), BOC-3 and insurance filings.
• Taxes and permits: UCR, Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax, IRP apportioned plates, IFTA fuel tax, and state programs such as Kentucky's KYU weight-distance tax.
• Running costs that hit in year one: insurance, drug and alcohol testing, ELDs and factoring.

How we work

Government fees come from the agency that sets them, and we link every one. Private costs (insurance, process agents, ELDs) are shown as published examples or industry averages and labeled that way. Read how we research.

How the site is funded

Some pages link to partners such as insurance marketplaces, factoring companies, ELD providers and drug-testing consortiums. If you sign up through those links we may earn a referral fee. That never changes a government fee or the numbers in our tables. See our advertising disclosure.

We are not FMCSA, USDOT or any government agency, and we are not an insurance agency, law firm or tax advisor.

Questions or a fee that changed? Contact us.