Box truck owner operator requirements

Checked October 2026

The short answer: most companies ask for the same six things: a box truck of the right size (usually 26 feet) with a liftgate, commercial insurance with their name covered, a clean driving record, the legal papers for the path you run (authority or a lease), a smartphone, and the strength — or the helper — to handle the freight. The exact limits change by company. Here is the list they sort by.

The truck

• Size: 26 feet is the most asked-for; 16 feet opens local and appliance doors. Some companies set a model-year floor — trucks around ten years old or newer pass most lists.
• Liftgate: required for furniture, appliance, and final-mile work, and by Amazon Relay. A pallet jack is expected with it.
• Weight rating: 26,000 pounds or under keeps the work non-CDL; companies state which side of the line they hire.
• Shape: a clean, dry, presentable box. Companies are putting their name on your truck in the customer's driveway.

The insurance

Companies that hire you under your own authority typically ask for $1,000,000 in auto liability and $100,000 in cargo cover — the same limits brokers and Amazon Relay ask for. The federal floor for general freight is $750,000, but the hiring market runs at the higher figures. If you lease on, the carrier's policy covers you under dispatch and you carry a smaller policy of your own. Our insurance guide breaks down the pieces and the prices.

The papers

Driver's license for the truck's class, medical card when the weight and interstate rules call for it (our DOT guide gives the plain rule), your DOT and MC numbers if you run your own authority, and the business papers — LLC or sole proprietor, EIN, W-9. Companies keep a driver file; having every paper in one folder, ready to send the same day, is itself a requirement you can beat other drivers on.

The driver

A record clean enough to insure, the ability to pass a background check and a drug test where the work requires them, and — for furniture and appliance work — a helper you can bring. Final-mile work also asks for a smartphone and, often, a delivery app the company runs.

The honest note

No single list governs every company. Each one publishes its own asks, and the book prints what we hold for each company. Read the company first, then call with your facts straight — the scripts in the members book are built to carry exactly these answers.