---
title: "How long does MC authority take in Utah?"
url: "https://rookiefeed.com/guides/mc-authority-time/utah"
updated: "2026-10-19"
---

# How long does MC authority take in Utah?

> 23 days: that's the median wait from application to active MC authority for a first-time Utah carrier in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026, 2 days shorter than the national median of 25 and 9th shortest of 35 states, measured on 40 carriers.

## Utah vs. the national wait

Utah's middle half of carriers took 16 to 38 days, against 16 to 41 for the whole country, a tighter spread.

| Days, first filing to grant | Utah | United States |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile | 16 days | 16 days |
| Median | 23 days | 25 days |
| 75th percentile | 38 days | 41 days |
| 90th percentile | 79 days | 70 days |
| Carriers measured | 40 | 5,409 |

## Share of Utah carriers active within FMCSA's estimate

62.5% of measured Utah carriers were active within 28 calendar days and 70% within 35, against 56.5% and 68.7% nationally. 12.5% were still waiting after 60 days.

| Active within (FMCSA quotes 20 to 25 business days) | Utah | United States |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 days | 15% | 16.8% |
| 28 days (20 business days) | 62.5% | 56.5% |
| 35 days (25 business days) | 70% | 68.7% |
| 60 days | 87.5% | 85.9% |

## Utah and its neighbors

Among states bordering Utah, Arizona had the shortest median wait (23 days) and Nevada the longest (34 days).

| State | Median wait | Carriers measured | New carriers, 30 days |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Utah | 23 days | 40 | 44 |
| [Arizona](https://rookiefeed.com/guides/mc-authority-time/arizona) | 23 days | 117 | 123 |
| [Colorado](https://rookiefeed.com/guides/mc-authority-time/colorado) | 25 days | 89 | 93 |
| [Nevada](https://rookiefeed.com/guides/mc-authority-time/nevada) | 34 days | 53 | 57 |
| Idaho | too few | under 30 | 22 |
| Wyoming | too few | under 30 | 22 |

## What stands out in Utah

- The fastest quarter were active within 16 days, the same as nationally.
- The slow tail is longer here: 10% of Utah 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.
- Salt Lake City accounted for 13.6% of new Utah carriers in the window.

## Utah carriers inside the wait right now

58 Utah carriers filed new applications in the last 30 days, while 44 were granted, the 32nd most of any state. 93.2% of the granted carriers were first-time authorities and 100% had liability coverage on file. City, equipment and insurer tables are on the [Utah page](https://rookiefeed.com/new-trucking-companies/utah).

Rookiefeed sends each new Utah carrier the morning its authority is granted, with the owner's contact details: [get 25 new Utah carriers free](https://rookiefeed.com/list-builder?states=UT).

## Questions

### How long does it take to get MC authority in Utah?

In the last 30 days the median Utah carrier waited 23 calendar days from application to active authority, and 90% were active within 79 days. Next door, Arizona carriers waited a median 23 days.

### Do Utah carriers get authority within FMCSA's 20 to 25 business days?

70% of measured Utah carriers did, counting from the first filing to the active date, and 15% were active within two weeks.

## Sources

- [FMCSA FAQ: application processing times](https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/faq/how-long-does-operating-authority-or-usdot-number-application-processing-take-if-you-file)