New trucking companies by equipment type
Reviewed · Numbers are Rookiefeed analysis as of , updated daily
Dry van is the most common equipment among new trucking companies: 87.5% of carriers granted for-hire authority in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026 registered cargo that points to it, followed by flatbed at 14.4%. FMCSA doesn't record trailer type, so equipment is inferred from the cargo classes each carrier registers, and one carrier can count toward several types.
Every equipment type, last 30 days
Carriers granted new for-hire authority in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026, out of 5,591 nationally. Shares add up to more than 100% because a carrier that registers several cargo classes counts once for each type, and some carriers register cargo that doesn't map to any.
| Equipment | New carriers | Share of all new carriers |
|---|---|---|
| Dry van | 4,893 | 87.5% |
| Flatbed | 804 | 14.4% |
| Car hauler | 439 | 7.9% |
| Hopper/Bulk | 419 | 7.5% |
| Reefer | 338 | 6% |
| Intermodal | 194 | 3.5% |
| Livestock | 86 | 1.5% |
| Tanker | 82 | 1.5% |
Who the new carriers are, by equipment
Each type's own 30-day numbers: the state with the most new carriers of that type, the share that started with one truck, and the share that are first-time authorities. Each type's page has the full breakdown.
| Equipment | Top state | 1 truck | First-time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry van | Texas (11.7%) | 68.8% | 97.7% |
| Flatbed | Texas (14.8%) | 54.6% | 96.9% |
| Car hauler | Florida (13.7%) | 62.2% | 95.9% |
| Hopper/Bulk | Texas (14.1%) | 52.3% | 95.5% |
| Reefer | California (18.9%) | 59.5% | 92.3% |
| Intermodal | California (23.2%) | 61.3% | 92.8% |
| Livestock | Texas (12.8%) | 59.3% | 100% |
| Tanker | Texas (14.6%) | 36.6% | 90.2% |
How equipment is inferred from cargo classes
Every carrier lists the cargo it hauls on its MCS-150 registration by checking boxes from a fixed set of classes. We map those classes to the equipment dispatchers and agents talk about. Any one matching class puts the carrier in that type.
| Equipment | Cargo classes that point to it |
|---|---|
| Reefer | Refrigerated Food, Fresh Produce, Meat |
| Flatbed | Metal (sheets, coils, rolls); Building Materials; Logs, Poles, Beams, Lumber; Machinery, Large Objects; Construction; Oilfield Equipment |
| Car hauler | Motor Vehicles; Drive/Tow away |
| Tanker | Liquids/Gases; Chemicals |
| Hopper/Bulk | Commodities Dry Bulk; Grain, Feed, Hay; Coal/Coke |
| Intermodal | Intermodal Containers |
| Livestock | Livestock |
| Dry van | General Freight; Paper Products; Beverages; Household Goods; US Mail |
Where the inference is weak
- General Freight maps to dry van, but hot shot, box truck and flatbed carriers can check it too, so the dry van count can run high.
- Carriers can check more boxes than they end up hauling, which inflates the smaller types.
- Hot shot, box truck and power-only aren't cargo classes, so they can't be inferred. Fleet size and the "Other" cargo description on the row are the best hints.
- Passenger carriers and cargo classes like Garbage/Refuse, Utilities or Water Well don't map to a freight trailer and are left out.
- The registration can lag. A carrier that changes what it hauls may not update its filing right away.
Combining equipment with other filters
Equipment on its own is a broad cut. It gets useful when you stack it with the other fields on the row. A flatbed dispatcher in the Southeast might filter to flatbed, one to five trucks, first-time authority and the states they know. An agent with a reefer market might take reefer in their licensed states and check the BIPD amount for carriers sitting at the minimum.
When a carrier shows several types, read the full cargo list on the row. A carrier with Refrigerated Food and General Freight is probably running a reefer that also takes dry loads; a carrier with ten unrelated cargo boxes probably checked everything at registration, and a short question on the first call will tell you what it actually pulls.
Why equipment matters if you sell to new carriers
- Dispatchers keep trucks loaded on the lanes and freight they know, so a reefer dispatcher shouldn't spend the morning on car haulers. See dispatch equipment targeting.
- Insurance appetite changes by equipment. Tankers and hazmat need higher limits and different markets, and reefer cargo carries spoilage risk.
- Factors can price and verify faster when they know the freight.
- Calling with the right equipment in mind is one of the simplest ways to sound like you looked them up before you dialed.
Getting new carriers by equipment
Rookiefeed puts the inferred equipment and the full cargo list on every new carrier row, by 7am Central, with the owner's name, phone, email and insurer. 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 rows with equipment filled in using the free list builder. National totals are on the stats page.
Questions
- What equipment do most new trucking companies run?
- Dry van, by the cargo classes they register: 87.5% of carriers granted new authority in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026. FMCSA doesn't record trailer type, so the count comes from cargo boxes on the FMCSA registration, and one carrier can count toward several types.
- Does FMCSA record what trailer a carrier uses?
- No. The FMCSA registration records cargo classes, power units, trailers and drivers, but not trailer type. Equipment is inferred from cargo: refrigerated food points to reefer, building materials and machinery point to flatbed, liquids and chemicals point to tanker.
- Can I find new hot shot or box truck carriers by equipment?
- Not reliably from the FMCSA registration. Hot shot and box truck aren't cargo classes, and those carriers may simply check General Freight. Fleet size, power units and the carrier's own description of other cargo are better hints, and a short question on the first call settles it.
Every new carrier, by 7am
Owner name, phone, email, fleet, equipment and insurer for each carrier FMCSA authorized yesterday, as a CSV.