Get approved as a carrier
What the application asks for in the United States, Mexico and Canada, how USDOT verification works, and what happens before you can bid.
A new carrier company can bid once the Cargado team approves it. You apply at app.cargado.com/carriers/request-access, for free. What the application asks for depends on the country your company is based in. Carriers based in the United States upload no documents.
Step 1: Enter your details
Enter your First name, Last name, Work email and Phone. Your title is optional. Complete the Verify you are human check and choose Continue.
Tip: If you have a USDOT number, apply with the email address on your FMCSA registration. When your work email matches it exactly, you may be able to skip the verification code.
Step 2: Add your country's number and documents
Under Where is your company based?, choose your country.
- United States: enter your USDOT number. We match it to your FMCSA record and show your registered company name. No documents.
- Mexico: enter your Legal business name and RFC, and answer Do you have a USDOT number? Then upload Tax Status Certificate, Articles of Incorporation, SCT Permit, Proof of Address (no older than three months) and Legal Representative ID (INE front and back, or passport). Your RFC tells us whether you are a persona física or moral. A persona física is not asked for Articles of Incorporation, so that list has four documents, not five.
- Canada: under Which registration do you have?, choose CVOR (Ontario), NIR (Québec) or NSC (all other provinces). Enter the number and your Legal business name. Answer Do you have a USDOT number? and Do you have employees?, meaning drivers or staff on your payroll. Then upload your Safety Fitness Certificate, Certificate of Incorporation and Certificate of Insurance. If you have employees, also upload your WCB / WSIB / CNESST Clearance.
Every document is required. The last button reads Submit for review, or Continue if verification comes next.
Important: We check a USDOT number against FMCSA as you type. You cannot continue if it is not found, not active, has broker authority but no carrier authority, or belongs to another country. See Your DOT, MC, RFC, NSC, CVOR and NIR numbers.
Step 3: Verify your USDOT number, if you have one
If you entered a USDOT number, you may see Verify your carrier. We send a one-time code to the contact details FMCSA has on file for your company. Enter the code to confirm you represent the company. If you cannot reach that contact, choose I don't have access to these to ask our team for help. Details are in Verify your USDOT number.
Step 4: Accept your invite and complete your profile
If you verified, check your email for an invitation. If it doesn't arrive, choose I didn't receive the invitation on that screen. If you did not verify, your application goes to our team, and you get the same invitation once they set up your company. Open the email, accept the invitation, set your password, accept the terms and set up two-factor sign-in.
A short setup then walks you through your profile, operations, service areas, GPS, your team and References. See How do I set up my company profile?
Step 5: Add three references and finish your profile
On References, under Add your commercial references, choose Add Reference to add three companies you have hauled for: brokers (3PLs), freight forwarders or shippers. Other carriers do not count, and each reference has to be a different company. For each, give the company, its type, and a contact's name and email. Finish profile unlocks once the third reference is added.
Important: Our team checks your references before approving your company. Until then, you see a page that says We're working on getting you set up, and you can still adjust your organization settings. Once your company is approved, the Load board appears the next time you sign in. We do not send an approval email.
Tip: Let your references know we may contact them.
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. Mexican and Canadian carriers who reached the documents may also get an email link back to it.
- Joining a company that is already on Cargado: ask an admin at your company to invite you, or verify with your USDOT number. See What happens after you apply. Once a company is approved, there are no references to add.
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.