How long does MC authority take in Arkansas?
Reviewed
23 days: that's the median wait from application to active MC authority for a first-time Arkansas carrier in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026, 2 days shorter than the national median of 25 and 10th shortest of 35 states, measured on 33 carriers.
Arkansas vs. the national wait
Arkansas's middle half of carriers took 15 to 45 days, against 16 to 41 for the whole country, a wider spread.
| Days, first filing to grant | Arkansas | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 15 days | 16 days |
| Median | 23 days | 25 days |
| 75th percentile | 45 days | 41 days |
| 90th percentile | 79 days | 70 days |
| Carriers measured | 33 | 5,409 |
Share of Arkansas carriers active within FMCSA's estimate
57.6% of measured Arkansas carriers were active within 28 calendar days and 72.7% within 35, against 56.5% and 68.7% nationally. 12.1% were still waiting after 60 days.
| Active within (FMCSA quotes 20 to 25 business days) | Arkansas | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 18.2% | 16.8% |
| 28 days (20 business days) | 57.6% | 56.5% |
| 35 days (25 business days) | 72.7% | 68.7% |
| 60 days | 87.9% | 85.9% |
Arkansas and its neighbors
Among states bordering Arkansas, Missouri had the shortest median wait (23 days) and Tennessee the longest (30 days).
| State | Median wait | Carriers measured | New carriers, 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 23 days | 33 | 33 |
| Texas | 27 days | 626 | 642 |
| Tennessee | 30 days | 111 | 112 |
| Missouri | 23 days | 89 | 89 |
| Oklahoma | 25 days | 68 | 70 |
| Mississippi | 25 days | 52 | 53 |
| Louisiana | too few | under 30 | 23 |
What stands out in Arkansas
- The fastest quarter of Arkansas carriers were active within 15 days, quicker than the national 16.
- The slow tail is longer here: 10% of Arkansas carriers waited more than 79 days (nationally 70).
- The average (33 days) runs well above the median (23), so a minority of long waits pulls it up.
- Hope accounted for 9.1% of new Arkansas carriers in the window.
Arkansas carriers inside the wait right now
50 Arkansas carriers filed new applications in the last 30 days, while 33 were granted, the 35th most of any state. 100% of the granted carriers were first-time authorities and 100% had liability coverage on file. City, equipment and insurer tables are on the Arkansas page.
Rookiefeed sends each new Arkansas carrier the morning its authority is granted, with the owner's contact details: get 25 new Arkansas carriers free.
Questions
- How long does it take to get MC authority in Arkansas?
- In the last 30 days the median Arkansas carrier waited 23 calendar days from application to active authority, and 90% were active within 79 days. Next door, Missouri carriers waited a median 23 days.
- Do Arkansas carriers get authority within FMCSA's 20 to 25 business days?
- 72.7% of measured Arkansas carriers did, counting from the first filing to the active date, and 18.2% were active within two weeks.
Every new Arkansas carrier, the morning it's granted
About 2 Arkansas carriers get authority on a typical business day. Each comes with the owner's name, phone, email, trucks and insurer, in a 7am email and CSV.