Get legally ready to haul
No broker can book a carrier that is not legal to run, so start there. Before you call anyone, check your own record on SAFER (opens in a new tab) the way a broker will.
Your operating authority should show active. Your liability insurance should be filed with FMCSA. For general freight in a truck of 10,001 lb or more, the federal minimum is $750,000 (opens in a new tab), and DAT (opens in a new tab) notes most shippers and brokers require $1 million, plus cargo coverage, so ask before you buy a policy.
Then check the details people forget. Your phone number, email and address on SAFER should be the ones you actually use. Brokers fighting fraud call the number FMCSA lists, and FMCSA's own guidance (opens in a new tab) tells them to. If that number rings an old phone, you lose the load before you hear about it. If your authority is new, read hauling with a new MC for what brokers look for in the first months.
Set up with the broker
Every broker sets up a carrier before the first load. Setup means sending a packet of documents and signing the broker's carrier agreement.
| Document | Why the broker needs it |
|---|---|
| MC authority letter | Shows you can haul for hire |
| W9 | For paying you and tax reporting |
| Certificate of insurance | Sent by your agent, naming the broker |
| Broker carrier agreement | The terms for every load |
| Voided check or NOA | Where your money goes |
Send the certificate of insurance from your agent, not as a file you edited. Read the carrier agreement before you sign it, because the payment terms, claims rules and fines for every future load live there. At Powerhaul the carrier packet is the same five documents, sent in any order, and every document is encrypted when it is stored.
Book the load
Once you are set up, there are two ways to get freight from a broker: book what it posts, or call about your lanes.
Most brokers post loads on public load boards and many have their own. Powerhaul posts its freight on a load board for approved carriers, and every load on it is posted by our team. Call or book, confirm the rate, and the broker sends a rate confirmation. Read it before you sign: the rate, stops, times and fines are all on it.
The other way works better over time. Tell the broker's carrier team your equipment, where you are empty and when, and the lanes you like to run. A broker with a load near your empty point would rather call a truck it knows than post the load and wait. A short message after each delivery, saying where you will be empty next, is how carriers turn one broker into steady freight.
Haul it so they call back
Brokers remember every carrier who made a load easy and every one who made it hard. The first few loads decide which list you are on.
- Arrive on time, with the right equipment, ready to load
- Accept the tracking link and answer check calls
- Report a delay before the appointment, not after
- Count the freight and note any damage on the bill of lading
- Send the signed paperwork the day you deliver
None of this is complicated, which is why it stands out. A carrier that does all five is the carrier a broker calls at 6 p.m. when a load falls through, and that call often pays well. Cancelling a load the night before does the opposite, and that carrier often stops getting the call. If a load goes wrong, call the broker first and early. A problem reported early is usually fixable.
Hauling for Powerhaul
Getting set up with Powerhaul is built around your MC number. There is no password to remember. You sign in with your MC or USDOT number, and we send a code to the contact FMCSA has on file for it, so nobody gets in as you.
From there you finish the carrier packet, and our team checks your company against FMCSA records. Once you are approved, the load board opens. The rate on every load comes from a person on our team, and the rate con matches what was said on the call.
If you want the details first, the haul with us page explains how we work with carriers, and the carrier FAQ covers pay, packets and factoring. When you haul, read our guides on getting paid and checking a broker. The same checks you would run on any broker are the ones we expect you to run on us.