# Cost to Start a Trucking Company

> The full year-one cost stack for a one-truck carrier - $300 MC, $46 UCR, BOC-3, Form 2290, insurance, IRP - with a budget table.

Source: <https://www.fasttruckingcompliance.com/guides/cost-to-start-a-trucking-company>
Publisher: Fast Trucking Compliance
License: All rights reserved. Citations welcome with attribution and a link back to the source.

## Key takeaways

- Year-one cost for a one-truck interstate carrier is about $13,000-$24,000 in filings, registrations, and insurance before the truck.
- Federal fees are small: USDOT is free, MC authority is $300 per type under 49 CFR §360.3T, UCR is $46 for 0-2 vehicles (2026), Form 2290 is $100-$550 per truck under 26 USC §4481.
- Primary liability insurance ($750,000 minimum under 49 CFR §387.9) typically costs $9,000-$14,000 for general freight in year one and is the largest line.
- IRP apportioned plates ($1,500-$3,500 for one tractor) are the second-largest line and require an IRS-stamped 2290 Schedule 1.
- Steady-state years run roughly $10,000-$15,000; the one-time filings fall away and insurance renews lower with a clean loss history.

## Topics covered

- trucking startup costs
- MC authority fee
- UCR fee
- BOC-3
- Form 2290
- BMC-91 insurance
- IRP
- IFTA
- drug consortium
- ELD

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