Help center
›
Getting started
getting-started

Getting approved as a carrier

What the application asks for in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the steps after your invite.

Carrier
Updated
October 2, 2026

In 4 steps

  1. Enter your details
  2. Add your country's number and documents
  3. Accept your invite and complete your profile
  4. Add three references and finish your profile

Every new carrier company is checked by the Cargado team before it can bid. You apply through the carrier application; if an application link has expired, you start a new one. What the application asks for depends on the country your company is based in.

Step 1: Enter your details

Enter your name, work email and phone number. Your title is optional. Then choose Continue and pick the country your company is based in.

Top: the whole app, dimmed, with the Your details form highlighted and marked Step 1. Bottom, zoomed in: Your details, Create your carrier account, with First name, Last name, Work email, Phone, Your title (optional) and a Continue button. Badge 1 marks Work email. Badge 2 marks Continue.
  1. Work email: the address we send your invite to.
  2. Continue: takes you to the country screen.

Tip: If your company is in the United States, apply with the email address on your FMCSA registration. When it matches, we may be able to email you an invite sooner, without waiting for our team.

Step 2: Add your country's number and documents

The next screens depend on your country.

  • United States: enter your USDOT number. We match it to your FMCSA record and fill in your legal company name from there. There are no documents to upload. You may be offered a short verification step afterward; if so, the button reads Continue rather than Submit for review.
  • Mexico: enter your legal business name and the RFC tied to your SICT permit. Tell us whether you also have a USDOT number. Then upload your documents: your Constancia de Situación Fiscal, your acta constitutiva, your SICT permit, a proof of address no older than three months, and your legal representative's ID (both sides of the INE, or the photo page of a passport). Choose Submit for review. If you gave a USDOT number, you may see a verification step first; then the button reads Continue.
  • Canada: choose the registration you have: a CVOR number in Ontario, an NIR number in Québec, or an NSC number in every other province. Enter the number and your legal business name. Tell us whether you have a USDOT number and whether you have employees, meaning drivers or staff on your payroll. Then upload your safety fitness certificate, your certificate of incorporation and your certificate of insurance. If you have employees, also upload your workers' compensation clearance (WCB, WSIB or CNESST). Choose Submit for review. If you gave a USDOT number, you may see a verification step first; then the button reads Continue.
Top: the whole app, dimmed, with the Required documents list highlighted and marked Step 2. Bottom, zoomed in: Required documents for a Mexico carrier, Tax Status Certificate, Articles of Incorporation, SICT Permit, Proof of Address and Legal Representative ID, each marked uploaded, then 5 of 5 uploaded and a Submit for review button. Badge 1 marks the document list. Badge 2 marks Submit for review.
  1. Required documents: the list for a Mexico carrier. A persona física is not asked for an acta constitutiva, so that list has four documents instead of five.
  2. Submit for review: sends your application to our team.

Important: For a United States company, we check the FMCSA record as you type. You cannot continue if the number is not found, the authority is not active, the number is registered as a broker rather than a carrier, or the company is registered in another country. Not sure which number you need? See Your DOT, MC, RFC, NSC, CVOR and NIR numbers.

Step 3: Accept your invite and complete your profile

If we did not invite you right away, your application goes to our team, and we email you when the review is done. Open the invite email, set your password and sign in. A short setup then walks you through your profile, operations, service areas, GPS and telematics, inviting your team, and your references. Your equipment and service areas help decide which freight reaches you.

Top: the whole app, dimmed, with the Service areas step of the setup highlighted and marked Step 3. Bottom, zoomed in: three country cards, Canada off, United States of America on with its DOT and MC numbers, and Mexico on, then Which routes do you haul? with Mexico to United States and Mexico Domestic both set to Yes. Badge 1 marks the country switches. Badge 2 marks the routes.
  1. Service areas: switch on each country you service.
  2. Which routes do you haul?: answer Yes for each lane you run.

Step 4: Add three references and finish your profile

Give us three companies you have hauled for: brokers or 3PLs, freight forwarders, or shippers. Other carriers do not count. Each reference has to be a different company. Finish profile unlocks once the third one is added.

Top: the whole app, dimmed, with the three reference cards and the Finish profile button highlighted and marked Step 4. Bottom, zoomed in: one reference card, Pied Piper Logistics, Broker/3PL, with contact, email and phone and Edit and Remove links, then 3 of 3 references added and a Finish profile button. Badge 1 marks the reference card. Badge 2 marks Finish profile.
  1. A reference: the company, its type, a contact name, email and phone.
  2. Finish profile: unlocks once the third reference is added.

Important: We then check your references. Until we finish, you will see a page that says we are getting you set up. You can still adjust your organization settings in the meantime. Once your references check out, we turn on bidding for your company.

Tip: This step decides how fast you can bid, so let your references know we will be in touch.

Good to know

  • Files: documents can be PDF, JPG, PNG or HEIC, up to 20 MB each.
  • Stopped partway through? You can come back to your application for 30 days after your last activity. If your company is in Mexico or Canada and you reached the document step, we may also email you a link that picks up where you left off.
  • Joining a company that is already on Cargado: if your company already has an active Cargado account, you join it instead of starting a new one, and there are no references to add. Ask an admin at your company to invite you.
  • Questions? Email carriers@cargado.com with your company name and the number you applied with.

Still stuck?

Email us and a person on our team will answer. Send the posting link or a screenshot if you have one.

carriers@cargado.comfor carrierssuccess@cargado.comfor brokers and shippers

Related articles

Get started in nine minutes
The whole loop for a new account: set it up, price it, post it, work the bids.
getting-started
Install and use the Excel add-in
How to get the add-in into Excel, sign in with your Cargado account, create the Cargado sheets, and every function it gives you.
market-rates
Your first week: five things brokers ask us
Five things brokers tell us on their first call after signing, and what is actually true.
getting-started
Part 1 · Set up your account
The right people invited, freight split the way your team works, and your own carrier vetting still in charge.
getting-started
Part 2 · Price it first
A rate on the lane before you quote it: in the app, in Excel for a whole RFP, or through the API.
getting-started
Part 3 · Post it right
A posting carriers actually bid on, and the three habits worth building from day one.
getting-started
Part 4 · Work your bids
Every bid answered, a carrier booked, and loads flowing straight out of your TMS.
getting-started
Two-factor authentication: set it up, and what to do if you are locked out
Connect an authenticator app, a text message or a passkey, and the one step that gets you back in if you lose your device.
account-access
Cancel, pause or close your account
There is no self-serve cancel button. Here is who to email and what to expect.
account-and-billing
"There is already a user with this email" when you invite someone
What that error means, the two cases behind it, and how to get your teammate in.
account-access
Your DOT, MC, RFC, NSC, CVOR and NIR numbers
Which identifier Cargado asks a carrier for, country by country, and what each error message means.
getting-started
Why you cannot bid on a posting
What blocks a bid, what does not, and what the generic message actually means.
the-marketplace
After a match: reaching the carrier, or the broker
What the match message gives you, where the chat is, and how contact details get exchanged.
the-marketplace
Find your invoice, and change where it is sent
Where invoices live, who on your team can see them, and how carriers get paid.
account-and-billing
Plan limits, and what the usage warning emails mean
What counts against your plan, what happens when you reach the limit, and who can lift it.
account-and-billing
Block a carrier from your freight
The Do Not Use list: per posting you can do it yourself, company-wide we do it for you.
the-marketplace
Change your language, and read chat in your own
Where the language setting lives, which languages we support, and how chat translation works.
language-support
Does the market rate include fuel?
Yes. The Low, Mid and High totals in the app include fuel. That does not mean tolls, border crossing charges or every accessorial are included.
market-rates
Get an API key for your integration
How to get an API key when your system is not one of the TMSs Cargado integrates with, what the permissions mean, and how to keep the key safe.
integrations
How you get paid after you win a load
Cargado does not pay for the load. What happens between the match and your invoice, and who to ask about payment.
account-and-billing
Getting approved as a carrier
What the application asks for in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and the steps after your invite.
getting-started
Post a round trip or a multi-stop load
Two options on the posting form you already use: the Round Trip checkbox, and extra pickups and deliveries.
the-marketplace
Post LTL or partial freight
There is no separate LTL form. Pick Partial truckload (LTL), and give carriers the size so they can tell if it fits.
the-marketplace
Rename a workspace, or make it private
Where workspace settings live, who can change them, and exactly what private does.
account-and-billing
Filter the freight you see: hazmat, trailer, crossing and more
Every filter in freight search, including how to hide hazmat, overweight and oversized loads.
the-marketplace
Desktop app, mobile app or browser
They are the same Cargado. Where to get the apps, and the one real difference: notifications.
getting-started
Reset your password
The reset link on the sign-in page, and what to check when the email does not arrive.
account-access
Point someone to a specific posting
Postings do not show carriers a load number. Send the posting link instead.
the-marketplace
Persona física and persona moral: how your RFC sets your documents
Cargado reads your RFC to tell whether you are a persona física or a persona moral, then asks for the documents that match.
getting-started
Why isn't my posting getting bids?
What Cargado's matching engine looks at when it notifies carriers, and the fixes that bring bids back.
the-marketplace
Why does my posting say Respond?
Respond means a carrier's bid is waiting for your answer. Find it in Pending Bids, join the chat, then accept, counter or reject.
the-marketplace
How to read a market rate
What Low, Mid, High and Confidence mean on a Cargado market rate, plus the 12-week chart, extended markets and currency.
market-rates
Look up a market rate in the app
Price one lane on the Rates tab: trailer, origin, destination, crossing and currency, then read, share or post from the result.
market-rates
What does a TMS integration do?
A TMS integration syncs your loads into Cargado and posts them under your rules. When set up for it, Cargado also sends bid events to your TMS.
integrations
Why is there no market rate for my lane?
What each no-rate message means, in the app, Excel and the API, and what to do next, including posting the lane as a potential.
market-rates
How Cargado vets carriers
Cargado checks a carrier's authority and identifiers before they can bid; your own onboarding still decides who you dispatch.
the-marketplace
Manage your team: invites, roles and access
Invite teammates, pick their role, change an admin and deactivate access from Organization > Members.
account-and-billing
Price a bid file in Excel
Price a whole RFP with the Excel add-in: map your file's wording, point one row at the RFP, then copy it down to every lane.
market-rates
How do I cover Mexico freight?
Mexican carriers are on Cargado directly and are approved before they can bid, so you don't need your own Mexican network. You book and pay them your way.
the-marketplace
Get market rates through the API
What the Market Rates API returns, how to get a key, and what to know about batching, caching and test data before you build.
market-rates
How do I control my Cargado notifications?
Choose email, WhatsApp or push for your bid, chat and posting updates. These switches are for your account only, and one must stay on.
account-and-billing
Download the weekly market rate export
With an Enterprise plan that has the export turned on, download a weekly CSV of market rates through the API.
market-rates
Which border crossing should I put on a posting?
The crossing field shows only on routes between Mexico and the U.S. or Canada, is required, and helps decide which carriers are suggested and notified.
the-marketplace
Market Rates for carriers
When Market Rates is on for your company, look up a lane's rate range on the Rates tab. It is free for carriers for a limited time.
market-rates
Post flatbed, oversize, power-only and other special moves
Flatbed, RGN, oversize and power-only moves post on the standard form. Transload and container drayage have no posting type, and tanker is not supported.
the-marketplace
How do I set up my company profile so the board shows the right freight?
Fill in Operations and Service Areas after approval. They decide which postings show on your Load board and which ones you get alerts for.
getting-started
How do I add people from my company?
Invite coworkers by email from Members, pick their role, and add them to a chat. Adding people is free and has no seat limit.
getting-started
How do I read the load board?
What the Load board shows, what each part of a row means, and how a Load, a Lane and a Potential posting differ.
the-marketplace
What does a posting tell me before I bid?
How to read a posting from top to bottom: the summary, stops and border crossing, equipment, load details, requirements and the company.
the-marketplace
How do I bid on a load or lane?
Open a posting from the Load board. Book now at the pre-approved rate if one is shown, or enter your rate and choose Submit bid.
the-marketplace
How do I answer a counteroffer or see why a bid was rejected?
Open Bids, click a bid marked Counter, then accept, counter or reject. A Rejected bid means the rate was not taken; you can bid again.
the-marketplace
How does chat with a logistics company work?
Start a chat from any posting, before or after you bid. Phone numbers and emails unlock in that chat once a rate is accepted.
the-marketplace
I won the freight. What happens now?
Once your rate is accepted, you onboard with the logistics company if needed and they send a rate confirmation. Find wins under My loads and My lanes.
the-marketplace
How do I get alerts for the lanes I want?
Search the Load board for a lane, save it with a name, and choose email, WhatsApp or push alerts for new spot loads and lanes on it.
the-marketplace
How do I post an empty truck?
Click Post under Posted Trucks, enter where the truck is, its trailer and the day it is free, and see loads that fit one truck or all of them.
the-marketplace
Fill out a posting, section by section
A top-to-bottom guide to the new-posting form: what each section asks, what carriers see, and which fields change with the route.
the-marketplace
Who handles the border crossing: Pre-set transfer or Transfer by carrier?
Pick Transfer by carrier when the carrier you book crosses the freight, and Pre-set transfer when someone else already has the crossing.
the-marketplace
Post a lane you already cover without your current carrier seeing it
List your current carrier under Incumbents on a lane posting. They won't see it or bid, so you can test the market without them knowing.
the-marketplace
What happens when I set a target rate? Instant Responses, explained
Set the highest bid you'll accept and Cargado answers carriers in seconds. Carriers see a lower Book Now rate, never your number.
the-marketplace
Who are my suggested carriers, and how do I work the Coverage tab?
The Coverage tab lists the carriers Cargado suggests for your posting, shows why each one fits, and keeps every bid and chat in one list.
the-marketplace
Message a carrier before they bid
Open any suggested carrier on the Coverage tab and send a message. The chat starts when you send, and the carrier sees your posting with it.
the-marketplace
What should I write in the custom message?
Your custom message rides on the posting email and WhatsApp alert. Put the one reason to take this freight in the first 100 characters.
the-marketplace
Find, filter and repost your freight on the Freight tab
The Freight tab holds every posting your company has made. Pick a view, choose whose freight you see, search by ID, then post it again or duplicate it.
the-marketplace
How long does my posting stay live, and why did it come down?
Loads come down when their appointment passes, Lanes after their End Date. A bidding deadline can end Lanes and Potentials sooner.
the-marketplace
Post freight inside Mexico
You can post freight that moves only inside Mexico. Pick a Mexican unit such as a Torton or 3.5 Ton, and set the rate in pesos if you like.
the-marketplace
What does the Analytics tab show, and can a manager see the whole team?
Analytics shows your whole company's postings, bids and Market Rates use. Everyone on your account sees the same company-wide view.
the-marketplace