Calling new carriers: TCPA, DNC and CAN-SPAM basics for reps

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This is a plain-language summary of federal rules for sales teams, written by a data company, not a law firm. It isn't legal advice. Rules change, courts disagree on details and several states add their own requirements. Have a lawyer review your calling and texting program before you scale it.

Why new carriers are a special case

A new trucking company is a business, but it's often one person. The phone number on the FMCSA registration is frequently the owner's personal cell, the same phone they use for family. Federal phone rules mostly turn on the type of number and the way you dial, not on whether you think of the call as business to business.

100% of recent grants came with a phone number, and many of those are cells. That's why a list that flags cell numbers matters: it tells you which numbers need the most care.

There's also a practical reason. New carriers report getting a flood of calls and texts after their authority goes public, and some stop answering unknown numbers. The careful approach is also the one that gets answered.

TCPA: calls and texts to cell phones

• Calls made with an autodialer or an artificial or prerecorded voice to a cell phone need the called party's prior express consent. If the call is telemarketing, that consent has to be in writing (47 CFR 64.1200(a)).
• The FCC treats text messages as calls under the TCPA, so marketing texts to a cell need prior express written consent too.
• A rep dialing a cell number by hand, one call at a time, isn't using an autodialer or prerecorded voice. Those calls still have to follow the time-of-day and do-not-call rules below.
• Ringless voicemail and AI voice tools can count as prerecorded or artificial voice. Don't use them on cells without consent.
• The TCPA lets people sue: $500 per violation, up to $1,500 if willful (47 U.S.C. 227(b)(3)). Class actions over texts and dialers are common.

Do-not-call rules

• Call between 8am and 9pm in the called party's local time (47 CFR 64.1200(c)(1)). Check the carrier's state before you dial.
• The National Do Not Call Registry protects residential numbers, and wireless numbers can be registered. When a number is the owner's personal cell, scrub it against the registry before a sales call unless you have their permission.
• Keep your own internal do-not-call list. Anyone who asks not to be called again goes on it, and you honor that request across your whole team (47 CFR 64.1200(d)).
• Show a real caller ID and identify yourself and your company at the start of the call.
• Some states, Florida among them, have their own telephone solicitation laws that go further than federal rules on consent, calling hours and call counts. Check the states you call into.

CAN-SPAM: email

Email to a business address doesn't need consent under CAN-SPAM, but commercial email has to follow the law's rules (FTC compliance guide):

• Accurate From, To and routing information, and a subject line that isn't misleading.
• Make clear the message is an ad or solicitation.
• Include a valid physical postal address.
• Give a clear way to opt out, and honor it within 10 business days.
• You're responsible for email sent on your behalf, including by a vendor.

A safe default for new-authority outreach

For the email side, see how to email new trucking companies. For a call flow that fits these rules, see the factoring call script.

• Dial by hand, one call at a time. No autodialers, prerecorded messages or AI voice on cell numbers without written consent.
• Don't send cold marketing texts. If a carrier asks you to text them, save a record of that request.
• Email first or right after the call, with your full company details and an opt-out.
• Log every opt-out and do-not-call request in one place your whole team checks.
• Write down your process and have a lawyer review it once.

What the data can and can't do

Rookiefeed flags which numbers FMCSA lists as cells and includes an email for about 99.8% of carriers, so you can choose email for a first touch. It doesn't give you consent to call or text anyone, and it doesn't scrub against the National Do Not Call Registry. That part is your process. Rookiefeed is $59 a month for one state once a week, $149 for one state every day, $299 for up to 8 states and $599 for every state, and you can cancel any time.

See the fields for yourself in the free list builder.

Questions

Are calls to trucking companies exempt from the TCPA because they're business calls?

Not reliably. The TCPA's autodialer, prerecorded-voice and texting rules apply to cell phones whether the owner uses them for business or not, and many new carriers list a personal cell. Business-to-business calls get some exemptions under other rules, so ask a lawyer how they apply to your program.

Can I text a new carrier about my services?

Marketing texts to a cell phone need prior express written consent under the TCPA. Texts count as calls under the FCC's rules. Without written consent, use a hand-dialed call or a CAN-SPAM-compliant email for first contact, and only text if the carrier asks you to.

What hours can I call new trucking companies?

Federal rules allow telephone solicitations between 8am and 9pm in the called party's local time. Some states set narrower windows or limit how many times you can call a number in a day, so check the rules for the states your carriers are in.

Do I need consent to email a new trucking company?

Not under CAN-SPAM, which is an opt-out law. But every commercial email must have accurate header information, an honest subject line, your physical postal address and a working opt-out that you honor within 10 business days. This summary isn't legal advice.

Related

• How to email new trucking companies
• A call script for new-authority carriers
• Why new carriers get so many calls
• Trucking leads: a daily list of carriers that just got authority
• Hotshot trucking leads from new MC authorities