FleetFile
As described:StopNarrowed:NarrowNo as described. Go, small, as DOT paperwork for private trade fleets, with a day-45 kill test.
trade fleets · ~$85 a month per firm · last reviewed (next review by 29 Dec 2026) · 40 cited sources
US DOT paperwork for private trade fleets (3–25 trucks, mostly drivers without a commercial licence, landscaping first): driver files, medical cards, annual reviews, paperwork by text, and an audit binder
Odds of reaching each MRR level by month 24
| MRR by month 24 | ~15 hrs/week | Full-time |
|---|---|---|
| $1k | Reaching $1k MRR by month 24 at about 15 hours a week: ≈ 45 in 100 (45%, judgment estimate). | Reaching $1k MRR by month 24 at full-time: ≈ 60 in 100 (60%, judgment estimate). |
| $3k | Reaching $3k MRR by month 24 at about 15 hours a week: ≈ 28 in 100 (28%, judgment estimate). | Reaching $3k MRR by month 24 at full-time: ≈ 42 in 100 (42%, judgment estimate). |
| $5k | Reaching $5k MRR by month 24 at about 15 hours a week: ≈ 18 in 100 (18%, judgment estimate). | Reaching $5k MRR by month 24 at full-time: ≈ 30 in 100 (30%, judgment estimate). |
| $10k | Reaching $10k MRR by month 24 at about 15 hours a week: ≈ 8 in 100 (8%, judgment estimate). | Reaching $10k MRR by month 24 at full-time: ≈ 16 in 100 (16%, judgment estimate). |
| $20k | Reaching $20k MRR by month 24 at about 15 hours a week: ≈ 3 in 100 (3%, judgment estimate). | Reaching $20k MRR by month 24 at full-time: ≈ 7 in 100 (7%, judgment estimate). |
| $50k | Reaching $50k MRR by month 24 at about 15 hours a week: < 1 in 100 (<1%, judgment estimate). | Reaching $50k MRR by month 24 at full-time: ≈ 2 in 100 (2%, judgment estimate). |
For context: across 10,150 products listing verified revenue on TrustMRR, the median makes about $30 a month and about 5% make more than $8k (analysis, Sept 2026). The odds above assume the founder conditions below are met and the narrowed version is built, so they sit well above that all-comers rate. Why.
How many months at the plan’s pace
At $85/month per customer and 2% monthly churn, adding the customers the plan needs for its month-24 checkpoint. Change any of it in the what-if model.
| MRR | ~15 hrs/week | Full-time |
|---|---|---|
| $1k | 6 mo | 2 mo |
| $3k | 18 mo | 5 mo |
| $5k | 2 yr 10 mo | 8 mo |
| $10k | 16 yr 3 mo | 17 mo |
| $20k | not reached | 3 yr 6 mo |
| $50k | not reached | not reached |
This works only if you…
1. Access to trade owners(missing it: odds × 0.5)
You, a partner or an advisor can get 10 owners of landscaping or HVAC firms with 3–25 trucks on the phone within 30 days. That could be through a state landscape association, a commercial-auto insurance agent who writes contractor fleets, or your own time in the trade. Without it, multiply every recommended figure by ~0.5. Cold email to census addresses alone lands in an inbox already full of compliance solicitations.
2. A paid DOT compliance advisor(missing it: odds × 0.7)
, such as a former state or FMCSA auditor or an independent safety consultant. They review the rule engine, the templates and every public claim before launch, and you carry errors and omissions (E&O) insurance from the first paying customer. A wrong rule in software is copied into every customer's file.
3. Sell before building(missing it: odds × 0.7)
5 firms paying ≥$49/month for a hands-on "we build your DQ files and keep them current" service before any product code.
4. Hours per week available(missing it: odds × 0.7)
, stated honestly, with at least 6 of them in US business hours for owner calls. The two columns above are different plans, not one plan run faster.
Evidence ledger
12 research findings: 8 sourced, 3 inferred, 0 unproven, 1 not rated. Tags come from the analyst's own confidence label; how tags work.
- F1. Whip Around: $10M revenue, but from mid-size fleetsSourced
- F2. The catalog's price band ($5–15 per vehicle/month) holds, and the low end is cheaper stillInferred
- F3. 49 CFR Part 391: what a driver qualification (DQ) file must holdSourced
- F4. The 10,001 lb rule brings trade fleets into Part 391, but not into the ClearinghouseSourced
- F5. Clearinghouse, DVIR and maintenance rulesSourced
- F6. Samsara marketplace termsSourced
- F7. Geotab Marketplace termsInferred
- F8. How many small DOT-registered carriers there areSourced
Sources
40 cited sources
- Latka (getlatka.com)
- SelectHub (selecthub.com)
- Capterra (capterra.com)
- corecompliance.io/pricing (corecompliance.io)
- FleetCollect comparison (fleetcollect.net)
- search snippet (fleetdrive360.com)
- search snippet (cdlsuite.com)
- search snippet (getfileflo.com)
- § 391.51 (law.cornell.edu)
- § 391.25 (law.cornell.edu)
- § 391.23 (law.cornell.edu)
- § 391.2 (law.cornell.edu)
- J.J. Keller FAQ (jjkeller.com)
- § 382.103 (law.cornell.edu)
- search result citing the FMCSA query-plan page (clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov)
- § 382.701 (law.cornell.edu)
- § 396.11 (law.cornell.edu)
- § 396.3 (law.cornell.edu)
- Application process (developers.samsara.com)
- Technology Partner Program (developers.samsara.com)
- Integration Partner Terms (developers.samsara.com)
- comparison pages (gitnux.org)
- Samsara: Tenstreet (samsara.com)
- Geotab: become a Marketplace partner (marketplace.geotab.com)
- Latam Mobility summary (latamobility.com)
- DQMConnect listing (marketplace.geotab.com)
- SmallFleetHQ (smallfleethq.com)
- FMCSA Company Census File on data.transportation.gov (data.transportation.gov)
- catalog entry (catalog.data.gov)
- Federal Register, 30 Dec 2024 (federalregister.gov)
- Foley summary (foley.io)
- FMCSA answer page (ask.fmcsa.dot.gov)
- eCFR Part 385 Subpart D (ecfr.gov)
- TIPRO summary (tiproservices.com)
- secondary summaries (fleetrabbit.com)
- CNS summary (cnsprotects.com)
- Federal Register (federalregister.gov)
- Federal Register (federalregister.gov)
- SambaSafety state fees (support.sambasafety.com)
- MVRNOW fee table, Feb 2026 (mvrnow.com)