You Have the Licence — Where Is the Freight? Why Exchanges Are Closed to New Carriers
The licence is granted, the truck is registered, the insurance is in place. Now you need freight — and this is where the process hits a wall most people do not see coming.
Freight exchanges are closed to a new company
Two platforms sit at the centre of finding loads in Poland: Trans.eu and TimoCom. Both verify a carrier before admitting it, and the checklist includes how long you have been trading:
- Trans.eu — at least 12 months of trading history, or references from two users already on the platform
- TimoCom — at least 6 months of documented business activity
So getting licensed is not enough. The licence gives you the right to haul; access to the exchange is a separate door, and in the first months that door is shut.
Knowing this in advance changes the business plan entirely.
What verification asks for
Registration typically requires:
- KRS (or CEIDG) registration and a valid NIP
- The transport licence — national or Community
- An OCP policy (carrier liability insurance)
- The certificate of professional competence for heavy transport
- A verification transfer from the company’s own bank account
The process usually takes a few working days. Missing or inconsistent paperwork translates directly into delay.
OCP: not legally required, commercially unavoidable
This distinction matters. OCP is not a legally compulsory insurance. In practice you cannot carry without it: no shipper hands cargo to an uninsured carrier, and the exchanges require the policy as a condition of registration.
Three products get confused with one another:
- OC — motor third-party liability. Compulsory by law, attached to the vehicle.
- OCP — carrier liability. Covers your liability for the goods being carried.
- Cargo — insures the goods themselves, and is usually taken out by the cargo owner.
One further common error: OCP is not the same as the professional liability insurance used to evidence financial standing. The latter is one way of proving the €9,000 / €5,000 requirement in the licence application; OCP insures the commercial activity. Different products, different purposes.
So what do you do in the first six months?
The routes that work while the exchanges are closed:
- Subcontract for an established carrier (podwykonawstwo). This is where the large majority of new companies start. The margin is thinner, but the truck is not idle and — crucially — documented trading history accumulates.
- Work through a forwarder. Forwarding companies assess a new carrier with sound insurance and paperwork far more flexibly than the exchanges do.
- Direct contracts. An agreement with a manufacturer or exporter depends on no exchange verification at all. It is the hardest route and the most profitable one.
- The reference route. On Trans.eu, references from two existing users can substitute for the 12-month requirement. If you already have partners you work with, this is the fastest door.
TimoCom opens at month six and Trans.eu at month twelve — but only if you have properly kept records by then.
Cash flow: this is the real risk
In freight, payment terms of 30 to 60 days are standard. You pay for fuel, driver wages, the lease instalment and tolls today; you are paid two months later.
For a new carrier this is the biggest risk of the first quarter — not profitability, but the funding gap. The gap grows as the fleet grows. It is usually the real obstacle between running two trucks and buying a third.
Verification runs both ways
While the exchange verifies you, you must verify who you are hauling for. Freight fraud exists: fictitious loads and carriers who are never paid. New companies are the preferred target, precisely because the habit of checking has not yet formed.
Every new customer deserves a check of the NIP, the KRS entry, outstanding debts and their history on the platform.
Where Meyis fits
What gets you through verification is the paperwork. Books kept properly, invoices issued on time, licence and insurance documents current — the exchange, the forwarder and the leasing company all look at the same file.
We run the accounting and administrative side. The trading history that opens the door at month six and month twelve is made of records kept correctly in the months before.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
- Can a newly formed carrier register on Trans.eu or TimoCom?
- Not immediately. Trans.eu requires at least 12 months of trading history or references from two users already on the platform; TimoCom requires at least 6 months of documented activity. The licence alone does not grant access.
- Is OCP insurance mandatory?
- Not legally, but unavoidable in practice. Shippers do not hand cargo to an uninsured carrier, and freight exchanges require the policy as a condition of registration.
- Is OCP the same as the insurance used for financial standing?
- No. The financial standing insurance is one way of evidencing the €9,000 / €5,000 requirement in the licence application. OCP is a commercial policy covering your liability for the goods you carry.
- What documents does an exchange ask for?
- Typically the KRS or CEIDG registration, a valid NIP, the transport licence, an OCP policy, the certificate of professional competence for heavy transport, and a verification transfer from the company's own bank account.
- Where do I find loads in the first six months?
- The most common route is subcontracting for an established carrier; working through forwarders or signing direct contracts also works. That period is also what builds the trading history the exchanges ask for.
- What are payment terms like in freight?
- Thirty to sixty days is standard. Fuel, wages, lease instalments and tolls are paid up front while the money arrives two months later; for a new carrier this funding gap is the biggest risk of the first quarter.