How to get box truck contracts with your own truck

Where box truck contract work comes from

• Final-mile carriers that deliver furniture, appliances and large items for retailers. These often want a 26 ft truck with a liftgate, sometimes a two-person team.
• Delivery and moving apps that post jobs owner-operators can accept.
• Expedite and freight carriers that run time-sensitive loads.
• Load boards, which list one-off loads rather than ongoing contracts.
• Examples from the nationwide list: final-mile carriers J.B. Hunt Final Mile and AIT Worldwide Home Delivery contract box trucks and require your own USDOT and MC numbers, while MML Alliance and P&J Carriers take 26 ft trucks without your own authority. Apps such as Bungii, Lugg and Roadie use box trucks for on-demand delivery and moving jobs.

CDL, DOT and MC: what you need

You need a CDL for a single vehicle rated or loaded to 26,001 lbs or more, or to haul placarded hazmat. Most 16 ft box trucks, and 26 ft trucks rated at 26,000 lbs or less, can be driven on a regular license if you don't overload them. The rating is on the sticker in the driver's door jamb. For interstate work in a truck rated 10,001 lbs or more, you'll still need a DOT medical card even without a CDL.

Box trucks are rated 10,001 lbs GVWR or more, so interstate commercial work generally needs a USDOT number, and for-hire interstate work needs MC authority. Interstate commerce can include in-state deliveries of goods shipped from another state, so final-mile work may count even if you never cross a state line. Some carriers require you to have both; others lease you on under their own authority and insurance, which is the faster way to start.

Insurance that carriers commonly ask for

Commonly $1M auto liability and $100K cargo insurance, but it varies by company. These are company requirements, not the law: with your own authority, the federal minimum for general freight in a truck rated 10,001 lbs or more is $750K liability, and federal rules don't require cargo insurance. If a carrier leases you on, it may cover some of this. Get the exact amounts from each company before you buy a policy.

Step by step

1. Check your truck's GVWR to know whether you need a CDL.
2. Decide whether to get your own USDOT/MC authority or start with carriers that lease you on.
3. Get insurance quotes for the amounts carriers in your area ask for.
4. Find carriers in your metro that take box trucks (below) and apply on each company's own site.