New to trucking? FMCSA audits every new carrier in its first 12 months — walk in already passing. 7-day free trial →
49 CFR Part 385 · Safety Audit Prep

Walk into your FMCSA safety audit already passing.

Every new carrier is audited in its first year. X3 scores your readiness across every area an auditor reviews, flags automatic-failure gaps first, builds your document checklist, and coaches you across your whole 18-month window — grounded in verified 49 CFR.

★ Build my launch plan Check my readiness →

7-day free trial · full AI team included · compliance prep, not legal advice.

New-Entrant Readiness
LIVE PREVIEW
82
/ 100 · on track to pass
Drug & Alcohol programGAP — fix first
Driver qualification filesPartial
Hours-of-service recordsReady
Vehicle maintenance & insuranceReady
Illustrative preview. Your report is built from your own self-assessment and cites the governing rule.
49 CFR Part 385 · New-Entrant Safety Audit·Audit within the first 12 months·No drug & alcohol program = automatic fail·16 automatic-failure violations (§385.321)·18-month monitoring window·Every answer cited to the rule· 49 CFR Part 385 · New-Entrant Safety Audit·Audit within the first 12 months·No drug & alcohol program = automatic fail·16 automatic-failure violations (§385.321)·18-month monitoring window·Every answer cited to the rule·

The first 12 months decide whether you keep your authority.

FMCSA audits every new entrant within a year of getting authority. Fail the safety audit and your new-entrant registration is revoked — you're off the road. Most failures aren't bad driving; they're missing paperwork and a missing program. We make sure you're not the carrier that walks in blind.

1st yr
Every new carrier is audited within 12 months of authority.
16
Automatic-failure violations under §385.321 — one is enough.
18 mo
Your monitoring window — we coach the whole way.
$0
Cost of a lost authority you didn't have to lose.
New Entrant Tools

Everything you need to launch and pass — in one place.

Every plan includes the full toolset and the AI crew — a complete command center for your first 18 months. Here's what you get:

🧭
New Carrier Command Center

Log in and see your business health, what's due, and your next move — your whole first 18 months at a glance.

Readiness Self-Assessment

Grade yourself across all 8 audit areas and get a scored report with your automatic-failure gaps first — cited to the rule.

🎯
Audit Simulator

Run a mock FMCSA safety audit and get your estimated pass probability plus the exact risks to fix first.

🗺
18-Month Launch Plan

A required-setup checklist and milestone timeline across your whole new-entrant window, each gap routed to the tool that fixes it.

📅
Compliance Calendar

Every deadline in your first 18 months — MVR reviews, drug consortium, MCS-150, permits, your audit window — dated from your authority.

💵
Startup Cost Planner

See your monthly burn, cash runway and breakeven before you commit — your own numbers plus honest industry ranges.

📋
Document Checklist

The exact records an auditor wants — and it adapts as you hire drivers, add trucks, haul hazmat or enter new states.

✉️
Government Mail Decoder

Upload any FMCSA letter and get plain-English what-it-is, what-to-do, the deadline, and the risk — cited to the rule.

🔔
Compliance Coach

Weekly, milestone-aware tasks emailed across your 18 months so nothing slips.

📡
Live FMCSA Snapshot

Pull your live FMCSA record — status, safety rating, ISS, insurance and CSA BASICs — so you see what an auditor sees.

💬
AI Concierge + specialists

Ask any new-entrant question and get an answer grounded in verified 49 CFR and cited to the actual regulation.

How it works

Assess → Score → Fix → Pass.

1
Self-assess

Answer a short questionnaire on each audit area.

2
Score

Get a readiness score and see automatic-failure gaps first.

3
Checklist

A clean document checklist and a report you can act on today.

4
Launch plan

An 18-month plan with milestones and the right X3 tool per gap.

5
Coach

Weekly milestone tasks by email across your window.

Your AI crew

Seven specialists — not one chatbot.

Each agent owns one part of the job. Every answer is grounded in the X3 DOT Skills corpus and verified 49 CFR, and cited to the rule — never made up.

The X3 New Entrant AI crew
00 · Agent
New Entrant Concierge

Answers any new-entrant safety-audit question, with the rule cited.

01 · Agent
Safety-Audit Prep

Walks you through every audit factor area before the auditor does.

02 · Agent
Factor-Area Checker

Grades the factor areas an auditor scores and flags your gaps.

03 · Agent
Written-Policies Builder

Drafts the written policies and procedures you're required to have.

04 · Agent
Record Setup

Stands up driver, vehicle, HOS and D&A recordkeeping from day one.

05 · Agent
MCS-150 / Biennial

Keeps your MCS-150 and biennial update accurate and on schedule.

06 · Agent
CAP Builder

Builds a corrective action plan if the audit turns up findings.

Simple pricing by fleet size

Same tools for everyone — priced only by truck count.

Every plan gets the full toolset and AI crew. It starts with a 7-day free trial.

Starter
$99/mo
up to 5 trucks
Readiness Self-Assessment + scored report
18-Month Launch Plan + milestones
Compliance Coach weekly emails
Live FMCSA snapshot + document checklist
Full 7-agent AI crew + concierge
Start 7-day trial
Most popular
Growth
$199/mo
up to 15 trucks
Readiness Self-Assessment + scored report
18-Month Launch Plan + milestones
Compliance Coach weekly emails
Live FMCSA snapshot + document checklist
Full 7-agent AI crew + concierge
Start 7-day trial
Pro
$299/mo
up to 30 trucks
Readiness Self-Assessment + scored report
18-Month Launch Plan + milestones
Compliance Coach weekly emails
Live FMCSA snapshot + document checklist
Full 7-agent AI crew + concierge
Start 7-day trial
Fleet
$299 + $10/truck
over 30 trucks
Readiness Self-Assessment + scored report
18-Month Launch Plan + milestones
Compliance Coach weekly emails
Live FMCSA snapshot + document checklist
Full 7-agent AI crew + concierge
Start 7-day trial

Prices in USD/month. Your plan is based on how many trucks you run — we may verify this against your FMCSA (SAFER) record. 100+ trucks — contact sales for a custom plan. Compliance assistance grounded in the CFR — not legal advice or an FMCSA determination.

FAQ

Questions new carriers ask.

+What does the new-entrant safety audit actually check?
An FMCSA auditor reviews your compliance across factor areas: your drug & alcohol program, driver qualifications (CDLs, medical certs, DQ files), hours-of-service records, vehicle maintenance and inspections, insurance and the accident register, plus your operating authority and MCS-150. X3 grades you on each one and shows you the gaps first — with the governing rule cited.
+How long is the new-entrant period, and when is the audit?
New entrants are monitored for 18 months, and FMCSA conducts the safety audit within the first 12 months of receiving authority. X3's Compliance Coach emails milestone-appropriate tasks across that whole window so nothing slips.
+What causes a new entrant to fail?
Under 49 CFR §385.321 there are 16 automatic-failure violations — a single one fails the audit. The most common is having no drug & alcohol testing program at all. X3 flags automatic-failure gaps at the top of your report so you fix the things that actually revoke authority first.
+Is this legal advice or an FMCSA service?
No. X3 New Entrant is a compliance-preparation tool from X3 Fleet Safety LLC — not legal advice, and not affiliated with FMCSA or USDOT. Every answer is grounded in verified 49 CFR and cited to the rule, but you should verify results against the current regulations before relying on them.
+Does it work with my other X3 products?
Yes. Your launch plan routes each gap to the X3 product that handles it — Drug & Alcohol, MVR, HOS, Permits and more — and your account is shared across the X3 Fleet Safety family.
We're here to help you pass — the first time.

Start your readiness check today and know exactly where you stand before the auditor ever calls.

Start your free trial →