Lease on to a carrier, or get your own authority?
The percentage looks like the whole question and it is not. Your own MC replaces the carrier's 14% with a list of bills, a cash-flow gap and a second job booking freight. Here is the comparison with numbers, and who each option actually fits.
Same truck, same $8,000 gross week, two ways to run it
| Cost | Lease-on (LoadMo terms) | Own authority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier percentage | 14% ≈ $56,000 / yr | $0 | What the 14% buys is everything below |
| Liability & cargo insurance | $350 / wk ≈ $17,500 | $14,000–$25,000 / yr | New authorities pay the most; premiums fall after 2–3 clean years. $1M liability + $100K cargo minimum for most brokers. |
| Plates (IRP), HVUT 2290, UCR, BOC-3, MC filing | $0 | $2,500–$4,500 first year | Apportioned plates $1,500–$3,000; 2290 $550; UCR under $100; FMCSA filing $300 |
| IFTA filing, permits (NY HUT, KYU, NM, OR) | $0, filed for you | $500–$1,500 / yr + your time | Quarterly IFTA, plus weight-distance states if you run them |
| Trailer | $200 / wk ≈ $10,000, or your own | Your own: $600–$900 / mo lease or purchase | Roughly a wash |
| Dispatch / admin | $100 / wk ≈ $5,000 | Dispatch service 5–10% ≈ $20,000–$40,000, or your own hours | Booking 4–6 loads a week is 8–12 hours of calls and emails |
| Getting paid | Every Friday, not tied to broker payment | Factoring 2–4% ≈ $8,000–$16,000, or wait 30–45 days | Most new authorities factor for the first year |
| Load boards, ELD, TMS, drug consortium | $0 (ELD and PrePass provided) | $2,500–$4,000 / yr | DAT or Truckstop $500–$1,800, ELD $400–$600, consortium $100–$200 |
| Rates you can get | Carrier's broker relationships and lanes | Load-board spot market; many brokers require 6–12 months of authority | New MCs often see lower rates and more cancellations in year one |
| Total, year one | ≈ $88,000 (with carrier trailer) | ≈ $50,000–$95,000 + your booking hours | Range depends mostly on insurance quote and whether you factor or use a dispatcher |
Ranges are typical 2026 figures for a one-truck dry van operation and vary by state, driving record and credit. Get your own insurance quote before deciding — it is the number that decides the answer.
Own authority fits you if…
You have $15,000–$25,000 in cash for the insurance down payment, plates and the first 45 days before money comes in. You have direct shippers or brokers who will load you from week one, or you enjoy booking freight and are good at it. You plan to add trucks, so the fixed costs get spread. You have two or more clean years of experience so the insurance quote is survivable.
If those are true, your own MC will usually keep more of the gross by year two or three, once insurance drops and your broker list is built.
Lease-on fits you if…
You want to drive, not run an office. You do not want a 30–45 day cash-flow gap or a factoring bill. You are new enough to your own truck that a $20,000 insurance quote would sink the first year. You want the weekly deposit to be predictable and someone else to file IFTA, keep the plates current and chase the broker.
On fair terms — a real percentage of linehaul plus FSC, accessorials passed through, deductions in writing, escrow that comes back, no forced dispatch — lease-on is the lower-risk way to run one truck. The 14% is the price of not being the back office. The question is only whether the carrier's terms are fair; here is how to check.
Straight answers
Is it better to lease on to a carrier or get your own authority?
For a one-truck dry van operator with under $20,000 in reserve, lease-on on fair terms is usually the lower-risk choice in year one: no new-authority insurance quote, no 30–45 day payment gap, no factoring, and no second job booking freight. Your own authority tends to win by year two or three if you have cash, a broker or shipper list, and want to grow to several trucks.
How much does it cost to get your own trucking authority in 2026?
Roughly $3,000–$5,000 in filings and plates (FMCSA MC/USDOT $300, BOC-3, UCR, apportioned plates $1,500–$3,000, HVUT $550), plus the insurance down payment, which is the big one: a new one-truck authority commonly pays $14,000–$25,000 a year for $1M liability and $100K cargo, with 15–25% down. Add a load board, ELD and drug consortium ($2,500–$4,000 a year) and 45 days of operating cash.
What does the carrier's 14% actually pay for?
On a lease at 86%, the carrier's 14% covers its liability and cargo insurance, plates, permits, IFTA and UCR filing, broker relationships and credit, dispatch, billing and collections, weekly settlements not tied to broker payment, and compliance. On $400,000 a year gross that is $56,000; replacing it yourself typically costs $50,000–$95,000 in year one plus your own time booking freight.
Can I lease on with my own trailer?
Yes. At LoadMo, bringing your own 53' dry van removes the $200 weekly trailer rental; the carrier's trailer is optional. Some carriers require their trailer — ask.
Can I switch from lease-on to my own authority later?
Yes, and it is the common path: run under a carrier for one to three years, build savings and broker contacts, then file your own MC when the insurance quote makes sense. At LoadMo, escrow is returned within 45 days of leaving and there is no penalty for terminating on the lease's notice terms.
Do brokers work with new authorities?
Many will not load an MC under 6–12 months old, or will only at lower rates; some require 90 days minimum. This is the hidden cost of your own authority in year one and the reason new operators often factor and use load boards heavily until their history is built.
Run it through the planner
Pick your home region and program. The planner shows loaded miles, gross, the 86%, every deduction, escrow and fuel — the same arithmetic as a settlement.
Three questions. Tina calls the same day.
No SSN on the form, no fee, nothing to sign until you have read the lease.