Since January 1, 2003, new U.S. and Canadian carriers face an on-site audit within 18 months. Knowing the rules comes with the USDOT number

What the announcement actually said

On January 1, 2003 the audit clock started. The Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 gave rise to the first New Entrant interim final rule: show you know driver qualifications, hours of service, testing, vehicle condition, accidents and hazmat, and expect an on-site audit within 18 months.

The process pairs a certification on the application with an audit that reviews data and documents and includes an interview. The agency's idea was to teach first and verify afterward, not to register a company and then lose track of it. Educational assistance is built in. A carrier that fails basic safety management does not get permanent authority.

This interim rule treated Canadian entrants the same as U.S. ones, and about 40,000 applications a year were expected at that point. The later 16-fail rule made certain violations impossible to forgive on that audit.

This is the program as designed in 2003. The 16 automatic fails that came later supply the enforcement. Between them they explain why a two-week-old MC cannot stand in for an authority with a long clean record.

A new entrant cannot skip the audit. A rented number that tries to dodge both this framework and the 16-fail enforcement is what the later "do not sell" notice deals with.

What it changes on Monday morning

Royser is new, and this program is how a new carrier earns its place. A new MC offering $1.50 under market is often still inside this 18-month window, so ask questions before you tender. See the 16 fails and why you should not sell the number.

Read About Royser, and find our packet on the broker packet page. We will not coach someone else's USDOT through an audit.

Shippers who want the real truck and not a remix can use Price a lane. For lanes around Chicago, see the Chicago region page.

Call +1 (224) 877-0350. If an authority is 11 weeks old, it is usually still inside this window.

What we will do, and what we will not

We are a new carrier and we run to the 18-month standard. We will not lease our number to anyone, and we will not coach a stranger through an audit so they can undercut a legal load.

We do not treat a 2003 framework and a 2008 enforcement rule as a single document. They are two dates in one probation story.

A named carrier with its own trucks. Call +1 (224) 877-0350 and a person will answer, if you want MC# {{MC}} on the door, because that one is ours.