How many new intermodal carriers get MC authority a month?
Reviewed
194 for-hire carriers that got FMCSA operating authority in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026 registered cargo that points to intermodal equipment, 3.5% of all new carriers and about 8 per business day. California had the most.
Where they are
California led with 45 new intermodal carriers in the last 30 days, ahead of Texas with 24.
| State | New carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| California | 45 | 23.2% |
| Texas | 24 | 12.4% |
| Florida | 16 | 8.2% |
| Illinois | 12 | 6.2% |
| Alabama | 9 | 4.6% |
| Washington | 8 | 4.1% |
| South Carolina | 6 | 3.1% |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | 3.1% |
| Georgia | 6 | 3.1% |
| North Carolina | 5 | 2.6% |
Cities with the most new intermodal carriers
Houston had 5 of them, 2.6% of the national total for intermodal.
| City | New carriers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houston | 5 | 2.6% |
| Naperville | 3 | 1.5% |
| Los Angeles | 3 | 1.5% |
| Wilmington | 2 | 1% |
| Sumter | 2 | 1% |
| Seattle | 2 | 1% |
| Ontario | 2 | 1% |
| Nazareth | 2 | 1% |
How big they are
61.3% started with one truck, compared with 67% of all new carriers.
| Power units | Share |
|---|---|
| 1 truck | 61.3% |
| 2 to 5 trucks | 31.4% |
| 6 to 10 trucks | 3.1% |
| 11 to 50 trucks | 2.6% |
| 51 or more trucks | 0.5% |
| Not reported | 1% |
Who insures them
| Insurer on file | Share |
|---|---|
| United Financial Casualty Company | 12.4% |
| Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance CO., Ltd. (U.S. Branch) | 5.7% |
| Artisan & Truckers Casualty Company | 5.7% |
| GEICO Marine Insurance Company | 5.2% |
| Progressive Express Insurance Company | 4.6% |
| Progressive Specialty Ins. CO. | 4.1% |
How new intermodal carriers compare
Equipment is inferred from registered cargo classes, and one carrier can count toward several types; new carriers by equipment compares all 8 types.
- First-time authorities: 92.8% (all new carriers: 97.9%).
- Median wait from application to grant: 28 days (all new carriers: 25).
- Hazmat registered: 12.9% (all new carriers: 6.5%).
- The top three states hold 43.8% of new intermodal carriers.
If you dispatch, factor or insure intermodal carriers
About 8 new intermodal carriers get authority on a typical business day, and the busiest day in the window had 49. Rookiefeed puts the equipment on every row of the 7am email, so you can call the intermodal trucks you know how to keep loaded or insure: build a free list or see new trucking companies by state.
Questions
- Which state has the most new intermodal carriers?
- California, with 45 of the 194 new intermodal carriers in the 30 days ending October 19, 2026 (23.2%), going by the cargo classes they registered with FMCSA.
New intermodal carriers in your 7am email
194 got authority in the last 30 days. Each row has the owner's contacts, trucks, equipment and insurer, so you can filter to intermodal in your CRM.