Inactive to active vs new authority

Re-activate the old ones for a couple of reasons, one of which you mentioned but I will list out a few in no particular order:

1. Brokers / Shippers do look at the numbers ( if they take a quick glance ) which most do it will appear as though you have been in business for a lot longer than you have which shows stability from there view. If they take a long glance ( which a few do ) they will be able to see that it has been inactive for a while. At least on the ones that only take a short glance you will not have to put up with the must be in business for 6 months or 1 year type brokers.

2. Insurance will be less or at least you shouldnt get the " new in business " surcharge by having a prior track record. You may have to request previous years loss runs which may or may not be a pain from 6 years ago but I am positive it can be done. The new in business surcharge can be around 20% and sometimes higher. If your father had a good number of claims then it may be better to go with new numbers but if there were very few claims it may work out better.

3. If a DOT guy has to pick real quick between a high MC number or a low MC number which one do you think he is going to take a harder look at. If it were me and I had to quickly choose I would look at the high number. In no way do I think it is fair or right however it is just the way it is...kind of like brokers pushing the $1.50 / mile freight.

These are just my thoughts on the subject and I am sure others will chime in and agree or disagree.

 

I would still go with the old ones...maybe you do not get the advantage of No.2 above however the other two would still apply and more than likely you would avoid the FMCSA "New Entry Audit" - which isnt a huge deal it is just one less thing to deal with which counts for a lot in this business.

 

You will need to pay a $80 reinstatement fee to reactivate the old number. New authority costs $300 and you will need to wait a few weeks to get your authority back. You can get a reinstatement letter on the old number in a few days. You can change the name, but I believe there is a fee to make the change, but I don't think it is very much. I would probably go with the older number so that I could start a little faster and for less cost. You will still need insurance to be active prior to your authority being reinstated or if you decide to get your own MC number. Good luck.