Trucking Business Plan Template & Startup Kit: 3-Year Projections, New Authority Guide, Calculator

Trucking Business Plan Template and Startup Kit for new owner-operators getting their own authority: an editable business plan for Word and Google Docs, structured to follow the SBA's traditional business plan format, a startup cost calculator with 3-year financial projections, a 21-page new authority guide and printable checklists. Plan your trucking business, price your startup, find your break-even rate per mile and show a lender your numbers.

Built for box truck, hotshot and semi owner-operators in the U.S. The guide's steps were checked against official FMCSA, IRS, UCR, IFTA and state sources on October 6, 2026, and the business plan structure was checked against sba.gov on October 7, 2026.

✓ WHAT YOU RECEIVE (one ZIP, 6 files)
• NEW: Trucking Business Plan Template (Word .docx + PDF copy): 9 sections that follow the SBA's traditional format: executive summary, company description, market analysis, organization and management, service line (lanes, freight, equipment), marketing and sales (brokers, load boards, direct shippers), funding request with use-of-funds tables, financial projections, and an appendix checklist for authority, insurance, equipment and financial documents. Every section has [bracketed] placeholders and guidance prompts, plus a filled SAMPLE executive summary.
• UPDATED: Startup Cost Calculator (Excel .xlsx, 6 tabs): total cash needed to start, monthly costs, break-even rate per loaded mile and a 12-month cash runway, plus new Projections Inputs and 3-Year Projections tabs. You get monthly Year 1 and yearly Years 2 and 3 for revenue (miles × rate per mile), fuel, maintenance, tolls, insurance, compliance, registrations, truck and loan payments, owner pay, net profit, break-even rate, debt service coverage (DSCR) and cash flow. Add an optional loan amount, rate and term, and the payment flows through.
• Trucking Business Startup Guide (21-page PDF): lease-on vs. your own authority; box truck, hotshot or semi; LLC and EIN; USDOT number and operating authority in Motus, FMCSA's new registration system; BOC-3, insurance filings and the protest period; insurance types; UCR, IRP, IFTA and Form 2290; drug and alcohol program and the Clearinghouse; ELD and hours of service; the new entrant safety audit; load boards, brokers, broker credit and factoring; your first 90 days; key renewal dates; official sources list
• New Authority Checklist + First 90 Days Checklist (3-page printable PDF) with check boxes and date lines
• Quick Start PDF

✓ WHO IT'S FOR
• Company drivers and lease-on drivers moving to their own authority
• New box truck, hotshot and semi owner-operators
• Anyone preparing a trucking business plan, startup budget or loan request

✓ HOW IT WORKS
1. Download and unzip the file.
2. Open the calculator and replace the sample data in the orange cells with your own quotes and numbers.
3. Check the Dashboard, Cash Runway and 3-Year Projections tabs.
4. Open the Business Plan Template in Word or Google Docs, fill in each section and copy the projections Summary into section 8.
5. Work through the guide and print the checklists.

✓ SOFTWARE
• Calculator: built as an Excel .xlsx workbook. Every formula was recalculated and checked in LibreOffice Calc. We also test-imported it into Google Sheets on October 7, 2026, and every formula gave the same results. Excel's sheet protection doesn't carry over to Google Sheets, so type only in the orange cells there.
• Business plan: Microsoft Word or Google Docs (.docx), plus a PDF copy.
• Guide and checklists: any PDF reader. Checklists print on US Letter paper.
• No macros, no subscription, no internet connection needed.

✓ PAIRS WITH OUR TRACKERS (sold separately)
Once you're rolling, track every load with the Owner Operator Profit & Load Tracker (https://www.etsy.com/listing/4589303856) and file your quarterly fuel tax with the IFTA Fuel & Miles Tracker (https://www.etsy.com/listing/4589329541). Get both in the Duo Bundle (https://www.etsy.com/listing/4589339606).

✓ IMPORTANT
Educational and planning use only, not legal, tax or financial advice. The business plan template is structured to follow the SBA's business plan format. It does not guarantee a loan, an investment or approval of your operating authority, and every lender sets its own requirements. The projections are estimates based on your own assumptions, not a promise of results. Rules and fees change, so verify every step with FMCSA, the IRS and your state, and talk to qualified legal, tax and insurance professionals. The only government fee stated is FMCSA's $300 per authority application fee (checked on fmcsa.dot.gov on October 6, 2026). Dollar amounts in the calculator are sample placeholders, not official fees or quotes. HaulLedger Studio is not affiliated with the SBA, FMCSA, the IRS, IFTA, Inc., the UCR Plan or any state agency.

✓ DIGITAL DOWNLOAD AND LICENSE
This is an Instant Download. No physical item will be shipped. After purchase, download the ZIP from your Etsy Purchases page. For one buyer's use in one business; please do not resell or share the files. Because this is a digital file, returns and exchanges aren't accepted, but message us if anything doesn't open and we'll help.

✓ AI DISCLOSURE
This original guide, business plan template, workbook, checklists and listing designs were created with AI assistance and reviewed through calculation checks, official-source fact checks and visual checks.