Start with one question, because it decides which half of this guide is for you: do you already have your own truck and an active MC number?
- Cargo van or smaller vehicle, no MC yet. App platforms may be open to you. The van-class requirements covered below ask for a license, registration, insurance and a background check, and do not list operating authority. Box trucks are a different case, covered in the next section. StarBriges is not a fit yet, because we work only with carriers who run under their own MC. If you plan to get there, getting your own authority explains the steps.
- Own truck and an active MC. You have a real choice between app work and carrier freight, and the rest of this guide is about how to compare them.
The facts about each app below come from that app’s own driver pages as they read in October 2026. Apps change their terms often, so check the page before you sign up.
What do delivery apps ask for?
It depends on what you drive. The same app can ask for very different things for a van and for a box truck, and FRAYT shows it most clearly, because it publishes separate requirements for each class. Two examples that take cargo vans and box trucks, from GoShare’s driver page, FRAYT’s driver page and FRAYT’s box truck page:
| Requirement | GoShare (all vehicles) | FRAYT cargo and Sprinter vans | FRAYT box trucks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicles | Pickups, cargo vans, and box trucks at least 12 feet long | Cargo vans, Sprinters and small box trucks under 10,000 GVW | Box and straight trucks over 10,000 GVW |
| Driver | 18 or older, background and driving history check | 21 or older, living in the market you apply for, in-state license | 21 or older, living in the market you apply for, in-state license |
| Vehicle | 2004 or newer, passes inspection, no salvage title | 20 years old or newer | Dock high, lift gate preferred, no visible damage |
| Insurance | State minimum | State minimum, with set limits for Florida | At least $1,000,000 auto liability and $100,000 cargo |
| DOT and MC | Not listed on the driver page or driver FAQ | Not listed | Active DOT number and active motor carrier permit; applicants are asked to email their DOT and MC number |
| Pay | Within 4 business days | Within 48 hours, through the Branch app | Through the Branch app |
In FRAYT’s van class you need a license, insurance at state minimum and a vehicle that qualifies. In its box truck class you need an active DOT number, a motor carrier permit, $1,000,000 auto liability and $100,000 cargo cover. GoShare lists one set of minimums for every vehicle, so if you drive a box truck, ask GoShare what applies to your truck in your state before you count on it.
That is why “app or carrier” is the wrong first question. Your equipment and how you are set up to operate change the requirements, and once your truck is in a class that asks for a DOT number and an MC, comparing app work with running with a carrier is a real choice.
Ready to put your truck to work?
See whether your cargo van, Sprinter, box truck or straight truck fits StarBriges loads under your own MC. Send your MC and truck details and we’ll review them within one business day.
Apply with StarBriges →Does Uber Freight take cargo vans?
Not on the load types it advertises to carriers. Uber Freight’s carrier page lists dry van, flatbed, reefer and power-only loads. “Dry van” there means a trailer, not a cargo van. If you searched for Uber Freight with a cargo van in mind, the apps in the section above are the closer match.
How is app work different from carrier freight?
It is a different job, not a smaller version of the same one. The differences that change your week:
- Who you work for. FRAYT describes its drivers as independent contractors taking jobs through its platform. With your own MC you operate under your own authority.
- What the work looks like. GoShare sends an alert when a job is near you and you accept the ones you want. Its pages are built around same day delivery and moving help, and FRAYT says drivers are expected to load and unload unless the job says otherwise, with up to 250 lbs included in its rates.
- Insurance. Van-class app minimums are state minimum auto insurance, FRAYT’s box truck class asks for $1,000,000 auto liability and $100,000 cargo, and GoShare says deliveries booked through it are covered by its cargo policy. Running under your own MC means carrying the liability and cargo cover that your authority and your customers require, which is the subject of insurance for cargo van and Sprinter owner-operators.
- How you get paid. GoShare says it deposits earnings within 4 business days. FRAYT says it pays within 48 hours, through the Branch app. At StarBriges payments are weekly direct deposits.
Can you run app jobs and carrier freight at the same time?
It depends on how you are set up, and one detail catches people. FRAYT’s driver FAQ says you cannot use its app if your vehicle is leased to a motor carrier, and it explains why: a leased-on owner-operator typically carries only non-trucking liability, which does not cover work through an on-demand app. FRAYT makes an exception for vans or box trucks with their own primary liability coverage.
FRAYT also says that, as an independent contractor, you can work for other companies. So the question is not whether apps allow it, but whether your insurance and any lease you have signed allow it. Read both before you put the app on your phone. If you are leased on now and thinking of leaving, switching dispatch services or carriers covers what the lease already says about notice.
How do you compare the money honestly?
Apps advertise hourly figures and carriers quote per load or per mile, so the numbers are not comparable as printed. Put both on the same basis: what you keep per working day.
- Count the unpaid time. An hourly figure covers the job. Waiting for the next alert and driving to the pickup are yours.
- Count every mile. A load that pays well and leaves you far from home costs you the trip back, which is the arithmetic in deadhead and empty miles.
- Count the fixed costs of your MC. If you hold authority, your insurance and compliance costs run whether you drive app jobs or carrier freight. Van-class app work does not use the authority you are paying for.
- Count the labor. If the app job includes loading, unloading or carrying items up stairs, that time and effort are part of the price.
For carrier loads, take each offer apart the way we describe in reading a load offer. For a sense of what van owner-operators earn once the costs are in, see what cargo van and Sprinter owner-operators actually earn.
When do apps make sense, and when does a carrier?
Van-class app work can make sense when you do not have authority yet, when you want jobs offered near where you are, or when you want to try out a van before committing to the costs of running under your own MC.
Comparing with a carrier makes sense when you already hold your own MC and your truck is equipment the carrier works with. At StarBriges that means a cargo van, Sprinter, box truck or straight truck under your own active MC, an application we review within one business day, and weekly direct deposit. How owner-operators find loads is covered in how cargo van and Sprinter owner-operators find loads.
The rest of the series is in our owner-operator guides. If you already have your own truck and an active MC, running with StarBriges starts with a look at your MC and your truck and an answer inside one business day.
