The carrier packet: what a dispatcher needs before the first load
Every new broker asks for the same packet. If your dispatcher has it on day one, the first load books the same day. If not, the first week is spent emailing PDFs. Here is the list, and what each one is for.
The packet
- MC and DOT numbers, with the authority active and your FMCSA profile matching your legal name and address
- W-9 signed for the entity that invoices
- Certificate of insurance showing auto liability and cargo, with your agent's contact so brokers can be added as certificate holders quickly
- Authority letter (operating authority from FMCSA)
- Notice of assignment from your factoring company, if you factor, and the factor's remit-to details
- Voided check or ACH form if you do not factor
- Driver list: names, phone numbers, CDL expirations, medical card expirations
- Equipment list: truck and trailer numbers, year, equipment type, length, weight capacity
- Your lane preferences: home base, where you want to run, where you will not go, days home
Why each one matters on the phone
A broker setting up a new carrier checks your authority age, your insurance and your safety profile while you are on the line. Anything missing turns "book it" into "send me the packet and I'll call you back", and that load goes to the next carrier. The desk keeps the packet ready to send in one email, from the right MC, every time.
Keep it current
The two that expire quietly are the insurance certificate and the driver's medical card. A good desk tracks both and flags them before a broker does. If your dispatcher runs on a real system, the expiration is on the load before the driver is assigned, not discovered at the shipper.
Send the packet once, keep it current, and the first call of the week is about rate, not about paperwork.