Before a shipper gives you a first load, they will ask for a standard set of papers: proof of your authority, your insurance certificate, your W-9, and basic facts about your truck and lanes. None of it is personal. It is how they protect themselves, and having it ready before you call is what makes you look like a business.
Your authority and MC number
First, they want to know you are legal to haul for hire. That means your operating authority is active, and they will often check it themselves with your MC number.
Have your authority letter saved as a clean file. Know your MC number by heart — you will say it on nearly every call. If your authority is new, do not hide it. Plenty of shippers will still work with a newer carrier who is ready and careful. What scares them is a carrier who cannot produce the papers at all.
Your insurance certificate
Insurance is the big one. Shippers commonly ask to see cargo and liability cover at the levels their own rules require, and many ask to be listed as a certificate holder so they get notice if your cover changes.
The paper they want is your certificate of insurance, sent by you or straight from your insurance agent. Keep your agent's phone number handy, because a shipper may ask for a fresh certificate with their name on it, and your agent can turn that around fast. If your cover is below what a shipper requires, you will lose the load — so know your limits and be straight about them.
Your W-9 and how you get paid
The W-9 is a simple tax form with your business name and tax number. A shipper needs it to pay you and to report that pay the right way. Fill it out once, sign it, date it, and keep it in your packet.
They will also ask how you want to be paid and where to send it, and what your payment terms are. Have a straight answer ready: your billing details, the email for invoices, and the phone number of the person who handles pay questions — even if that person is you.
References and your record
Some shippers ask for references — other shippers or brokers you have hauled for who can say you did the job right. Line up two or three before you are asked. Ask those people first if it is fine to share their name.
Others will check your safety record and inspection history themselves. You cannot fix your record on the phone. What you can do is know what is on it, so nothing a shipper finds is a surprise you cannot explain in one calm sentence.
Your equipment and lanes
Expect plain questions: What trailer do you run? What year is your truck and trailer? Do you have straps, tarps, or a liftgate need covered if their freight needs it? What lanes do you want, and where will you not go?
Answer straight, including the limits. A carrier who says "I do not run the Northeast in winter" sounds more trustworthy than one who says yes to everything and then turns down the load. Shippers plan around what you tell them. Give them facts they can plan on.
Have it ready before you call
- Authority letter and MC number
- Current insurance certificate, plus your agent's number
- Signed W-9
- One sheet with your equipment, lanes, and contact details
- Two or three references you have cleared in advance
Put it all in one file, ready to send in a minute. The setup is not a test of your driving. It is a test of whether working with you will be easy. Pass it before the first call and the first load gets much closer.
The short version
Shippers ask for your authority, insurance certificate, W-9, references, and straight facts about your equipment and lanes. Each one answers a simple worry: are you legal, covered, payable, and proven. Keep all of it in one ready file and send it the moment they ask.