TQL, Echo, Coyote, and C.H. Robinson together move a significant share of US spot freight. Getting approved with all four widens your options considerably. They want mostly the same things, and differ on two: how old your authority has to be, and whose portal you go through.
What all four want
- Active MC authority. Not assigned. Active. See how long that takes.
- $750,000+ auto liability, with $1,000,000 preferred by all four. See insurance requirements.
- $100,000+ cargo. See cargo insurance.
- Complete carrier packet PDF
- Signed W-9
- Current Certificate of Insurance
Set up your portal profiles first
This is the step people do last and should do first. Brokers verify carriers through third-party platforms, and showing up without a profile means stopping mid-application to create one.
| Platform | Used by |
|---|---|
| MyCarrierPackets | C.H. Robinson and many others |
| Highway | Coyote and many mid-size brokers |
| RMIS | Some major shippers and brokers |
Build all three during your authority waiting period. They cost you an evening and save you a week.
Echo Global Logistics
Authority age: the most flexible of the four, commonly reported as working with newer carriers.
Where: echo.com/carriers, then follow up with carrier relations by phone.
Reality: if your authority is young, start here. Apply online first, then call. A voice attached to an application does more here than at the others.
Coyote Logistics (UPS)
Authority age: typically 90 days or more.
Where: coyote.com/carriers. Uses Highway for verification.
Reality: build your Highway profile before applying, not after. Strong Midwest lane coverage and consistent volume once you are in.
Total Quality Logistics (TQL)
Authority age: commonly 6 months or more for standard approval.
Where: tql.com/carriers, carrier setup section. TQL runs its own setup rather than a third-party portal.
Reality: they have a dedicated carrier setup team, and having a finished packet ready when they ask visibly speeds things up. Six months is a real wall, so plan around it rather than fighting it.
C.H. Robinson
Authority age: typically 6 to 12 months of operating history.
Where: chrobinson.com/carriers via Navisphere Carrier. Uses MyCarrierPackets.
Reality: largest broker by revenue and the hardest of the four to enter new. This is not a first-month target. Build authority age and a clean CSA record elsewhere, then apply.
What actually gets you rejected
Authority age is the one you cannot fix today. Everything else you can:
- $750,000 liability when they want $1,000,000
- Missing documents in the packet
- Company name not matching FMCSA registration exactly
- Expired COI
See how to fill out a carrier packet, and which brokers take new authority if these four are all telling you to come back later.
Getting in is not the goal
Approval means you can see their loads. It does not mean anyone calls you. That comes from delivering clean and communicating, which is what turns an approved carrier into one they dial first. See building broker relationships.