Just got your CDL, or driving for a company and doing the math on going solo? You don’t need years behind the wheel to run good loads — you need someone who books the freight, reads the rate con, and handles the phone while you drive. Fortuna is that desk. We tell you straight what your setup can and can’t do yet, then get you moving.
Brokers don’t ask how many years you’ve driven. They check four things: your certificate of insurance, how old your authority is, your safety profile, and whether you have completed loads behind you. A clean truck and ten years at the wheel won’t move a broker who sees an MC number issued last week. Plenty of them won’t touch an authority under 30, 60 or 90 days, and the good freight usually opens up only after a couple of months of load history.
That wall has nothing to do with how well you drive. Running under an established carrier’s authority steps around it. That authority already has the age, the history and the insurance a broker wants to see, so you haul while your own paperwork would still be sitting out the clock. When you’re ready for your own MC, you go in with load history instead of starting cold.
Company driver, or out on your own?
If you’re still driving for a company, you know the routine — you just don’t keep the upside. Going solo means the revenue is yours, but so is every empty mile and bad load. The middle path a lot of drivers start on: keep your truck moving under an established carrier’s authority (a lease-on) while you learn your lanes and your numbers, then step up to your own MC when it makes sense. We’ll tell you which of those actually fits where you are right now. Before you make either move, run it against a readiness checklist — the reserve, the insurance, and the lending groundwork that decide whether the first few months work.
CDL, ELD, and the short list
To run legally you’ll generally need a valid CDL for your class, a truck with a compliant ELD, and current insurance and registration. Beyond that it’s a short stack of setup documents — nothing exotic. If you’re not sure what you’re missing, we walk the list with you before you commit to anything.
How fast you’re loaded
Once your paperwork checks out, getting to a first load is usually a matter of days, not weeks — often around a week for drivers running under a carrier’s authority. We won’t promise a number we can’t control, but we’ll be straight about what your timeline realistically looks like once we see your setup. No contract to sign, and no forced dispatch once you’re rolling.
Your first week with a dispatcher
New drivers usually want to know what actually happens after that first call. Here’s the typical order it plays out in — exact timing shifts with your paperwork and carrier onboarding.
After that first week the pattern settles: your dispatcher builds a short list of lanes that fit your truck and calls a day or two ahead when one opens up. By around day thirty you should typically have a real read on your average rate per mile. By around day ninety, you’ll generally know whether staying leased on suits you or whether it’s time to start building toward your own MC.
Day 1, the setup call. We go over your CDL class, your truck, your ELD, and your insurance, and you tell us the lanes and miles you want to run. Nothing gets booked yet. This call is just to see what you’re working with.
Day 2 to 3, paperwork and carrier match. If you’re leasing on, we match you to a vetted carrier and walk through the agreement with you line by line before you sign anything. If you already hold your own MC, we get your carrier packet ready for brokers instead.
Day 4 to 5, first load offered. Your dispatcher brings you a load with the real rate con attached, so you see the number, the lane, and the pickup window before you say yes. Passing on it costs you nothing.
Day 6 to 7, rolling. Truck loaded, dispatcher on the phone if a broker or a scale has a question.
Common questions
I just got my CDL — will any broker book me?
Freight is booked in the carrier’s name, not on your personal résumé, so a green CDL isn’t the wall people think it is. What brokers verify is authority, insurance and a clean safety record — the carrier side. We match you to a setup where that’s covered and book from there. We can’t promise a specific rate or income, but a new driver with a legal truck gets loaded.
I’m still a company driver. Can I get set up before I quit?
Yes. You don’t have to walk off the job to find out whether solo works for you. We can go through your setup, your documents and the likely numbers while you’re still employed, so you jump with a plan instead of a hope.
What documents do I need to start?
Generally a valid CDL for your class, a truck with a working ELD, and current insurance and registration, plus a short set of setup documents. If you’ll be running under a carrier’s authority to start, there are a couple more forms on their side. We’ll hand you the exact list for your situation — no guessing.
How soon could I be running my first load?
Once your paperwork clears, first loads commonly come within about a week for drivers running under a carrier’s authority. That’s a typical range, not a guarantee — your actual timeline depends on your documents, your truck and your lanes, and we’ll tell you honestly what to expect.
Should I get my own MC right away, or lease on first?
Depends on where you are. A brand-new MC hits what the industry calls the ’kill zone’ — many brokers won’t touch authority under 30, 60, or even 90 days old, no matter how clean your truck is. Leasing onto a vetted carrier sidesteps that wall and gets you hauling now while you build load history. Your own MC means you keep more once you’re past that window. No forced dispatch either way — we lay out both and let you choose.
Get loaded this week.
A real dispatcher picks up, day or night, in your language: English, Ukrainian or Russian. No contract to start.