Most new carriers spend their first 90 days focused entirely on the truck. Insurance. Registration. IFTA. Finding loads. That is all necessary. But there is a whole side of getting started that nobody walks you through: what to set up online so that brokers and shippers can actually find you, vet you, and call you back.

This is that walkthrough. In order, by priority, with no filler.

Day 1 to 7: Get Your Digital Foundation in Place

Secure your domain name

Go to Namecheap or GoDaddy and register yourcompanyname.com. Do this before someone else does. A domain costs $10 to $15 a year. Get the .com if available. Avoid hyphens. Keep it close to your legal company name.

Set up a professional email address

Once you have the domain, set up a business email through Google Workspace or Zoho Mail. You want yourname@yourcompany.com, not yourcompany2024@gmail.com. This is the email that goes on your carrier packet, load board profiles, and website.

Day 7 to 21: Build Your Carrier Website

This is the most important digital asset you will build in your first 90 days. At minimum your site needs: your MC and DOT numbers up top, active authority status, equipment type and capacity, lanes you cover, insurance information, a real phone number, and a professional email address.

Faydev already built a preview for your carrier. Check it free at faydev.co/preview. Just enter your company details and see what your site could look like before you spend a dollar.

Day 14 to 30: Set Up Your Google Business Profile

Go to business.google.com and claim your company. Fill out every field: business name exactly as it appears on your MC filing, phone number, website, address, and business category. When a broker Googles your company name, your Google Business Profile shows up on the right side of the results. It takes 20 minutes and costs nothing.

Day 21 to 45: Get Your Load Board Profiles Right

DAT and Truckstop are where most new carriers start finding loads. Fill your profiles out completely. Your website URL goes in your profile. A complete profile with a website link stands out against carriers who have half-empty profiles with no web presence.

Day 30 to 60: Build Your Carrier Packet and Put Your Website in It

Add your website URL to the top of your carrier packet. A broker who receives your packet and sees a professional website URL alongside your credentials has an easier time approving you. Also add your website URL to your email signature.

Day 45 to 90: Start Building a Basic Online Reputation

Get on trucking directories

TruckersReport, CarrierSource, and similar platforms. These listings take 15 minutes each and create additional search results when someone Googles your company name.

Join the right Facebook groups

New MC Authority groups and Owner Operator groups on Facebook are where your audience spends time. Read what other new carriers are dealing with and answer questions where you can.

Ask for your first review

Once you have completed a few loads, ask the broker or dispatcher to leave a review on your Google Business Profile. One or two genuine reviews in your first 90 days puts you ahead of most new carriers.

The 90 Day Checklist

Why This Matters More in Your First 90 Days

The first 90 days of your authority are when brokers are most skeptical of you. Your authority age is visible on SAFER. The way you close that credibility gap is by looking more professional online than any other new carrier they come across. The bar is low. Clear it and you will notice the difference in callbacks.