How long does MC authority take in Texas?
Reviewed
27 days: that's the median wait from application to active MC authority for a first-time Texas carrier in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026, 2 days longer than the national median of 25 and 27th shortest of 35 states, measured on 626 carriers.
Texas vs. the national wait
Texas's middle half of carriers took 17 to 42 days, against 16 to 41 for the whole country.
| Days, first filing to grant | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | 17 days | 16 days |
| Median | 27 days | 25 days |
| 75th percentile | 42 days | 41 days |
| 90th percentile | 70 days | 70 days |
| Carriers measured | 626 | 5,409 |
Share of Texas carriers active within FMCSA's estimate
54% of measured Texas carriers were active within 28 calendar days and 67.4% within 35, against 56.5% and 68.7% nationally. 15.5% were still waiting after 60 days.
| Active within (FMCSA quotes 20 to 25 business days) | Texas | United States |
|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 15.8% | 16.8% |
| 28 days (20 business days) | 54% | 56.5% |
| 35 days (25 business days) | 67.4% | 68.7% |
| 60 days | 84.5% | 85.9% |
Wait by Texas city
Cities with at least 10 measured first-time grants. Houston carriers had the shortest median (26 days) and Austin the longest (35 days).
| City | Carriers measured | Median days |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | 80 | 26 |
| Dallas | 29 | 27 |
| San Antonio | 27 | 26 |
| Fort Worth | 21 | 29 |
| Austin | 18 | 35 |
| El Paso | 18 | 32 |
Texas and its neighbors
Among states bordering Texas, New Mexico had the shortest median wait (21 days) and Oklahoma the longest (25 days).
| State | Median wait | Carriers measured | New carriers, 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 27 days | 626 | 642 |
| Oklahoma | 25 days | 68 | 70 |
| New Mexico | 21 days | 33 | 34 |
| Arkansas | 23 days | 33 | 33 |
| Louisiana | too few | under 30 | 23 |
What stands out in Texas
- The fastest quarter of Texas carriers needed up to 17 days, against 16 nationally.
- The slow tail matches the country: 10% waited more than 70 days.
- The average (35 days) runs well above the median (27), so a minority of long waits pulls it up.
- Houston accounted for 13.4% of new Texas carriers in the window.
Texas carriers inside the wait right now
906 Texas carriers filed new applications in the last 30 days, while 642 were granted, the most of any state. 98.8% of the granted carriers were first-time authorities and 99.1% had liability coverage on file. City, equipment and insurer tables are on the Texas page.
Rookiefeed sends each new Texas carrier the morning its authority is granted, with the owner's contact details: get 25 new Texas carriers free.
Questions
- How long does it take to get MC authority in Texas?
- In the last 30 days the median Texas carrier waited 27 calendar days from application to active authority, and 90% were active within 70 days. Next door, New Mexico carriers waited a median 21 days.
- Do Texas carriers get authority within FMCSA's 20 to 25 business days?
- 67.4% of measured Texas carriers did, counting from the first filing to the active date, and 15.8% were active within two weeks.
Every new Texas carrier, the morning it's granted
About 28 Texas 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.