Trucking Authorization Types

Suppose you’ve worked as an employee freight driver or owner-operator on a lease. If that is the case, you may be ready to move to obtaining your trucking authority and operating your own business. This is particularly true when you’ve had experience in both these roles. The process of getting your trucking permit could be relatively easy, but knowing what is required of you about the area in which you work could be more challenging.

What are the different types of authority for trucking?

The ability to run and manage an enterprise for freight shipping depends on having a truck authority comprised of registration and license granted by the federal government. A company like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires specific documents and insurance protection before giving authority to the truck, which is necessary to operate a truck legally by showing best practices of trucking compliance. Below are the various types of authority for trucking.

Household Broker

Businesses that make money by transporting belongings of households of others in exchange for a fee fall under this category. Household goods broker Apart from being able to move items, the business will require operating authority if it provides binding or nonbinding estimates, protective packing and packing services, inventory of the items, and loading and unloading services.

Property Broker

The term “broker of property” refers to this category “broker of property,” which is the one that handles the transfer of personal property owned by third parties who are not included in those of the household items. Similar to the way they don’t take possession of household items, the broker doesn’t take responsibility for the property nor accept responsibility for it.

Household-Goods Hauler

This class, also called “Motor Carrier of Household Goods,” usually refers to professional moving companies. Only items used in private homes can be transferred through carriers with this operating authority. This includes items bought at a factory or store and then requested to be delivered to the client’s home via a motor carrier.

Property Transporter

The operating authority granted to this class includes all regulated commodities, MC Number,  excluding consumer products. The FMCSA obliges the company to provide proof of liability in the case of bodily injury or property damage claims.

International Household Goods Carrier

A company that transports household items internationally but is headquartered within the United States and is owned by more than 55 percent by a citizen of the United States or a Mexican citizen is required to apply for this kind of operation authority. Only those companies that meet specific requirements like CA Number & Permit are granted this kind of operation authority within the area. International household goods require their point of origin in a nation that is not that of the United States or their final destination be in a different country than those in the United States under this authority.

Regulated Commodity Hauler

This category is subject to the exact specifications as the first. However, it refers to any product that is not considered a household good. This includes businesses that transport international cargo that is not household items.