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Partner carriers
Drive with GLS Black.
We work with independent carriers who hold their own TCP authority — not employees, and not drivers on someone else's permit. Read what's required below, then apply in the app.
Read this first
Most applications fail on one thing.
You need charter-party carrier authority in your own name. Not a relative's, and not the company you currently drive for. If you don't hold TCP yourself, we can't onboard you — and we'd rather say that here than after you've filled in a form.
You hold the TCP
Active CPUC charter-party carrier authority, issued to you or to a company you're an officer of.
You own the vehicle
Late-model, black, clean. Sedan or SUV. Registered to you or your company.
You carry the insurance
Commercial liability at the level CPUC requires for your class, current and in your name.
What we check
Six documents. No exceptions.
Have these ready before you start. Every one is verified against the issuing authority — CPUC's portal and the California Secretary of State — before a single trip is assigned.
- 01CPUC TCP permitActive, in your name or your company's. We check the number in the CPUC portal, not the PDF you send us.
- 02Commercial insurance certificateCurrent, showing your company as the named insured and the vehicle on the policy.
- 03Vehicle registrationIn your name or the company's. The plate has to match the car you'll drive.
- 04Driver licenceValid California licence. The name has to match the insurance and the registration — a mismatch is the second most common reason an application stalls.
- 05Business licenceCurrent, from your city. We track the expiry date and the account suspends automatically when it lapses.
- 06W-9You're an independent business, so we file a 1099. Standard form, takes two minutes.
- CPUC portal
- Checked
- CA Secretary of State
- Checked
- Insurance validity
- Checked
- Name match across docs
- Checked
- Expiry tracking
- Automatic
- Subcarrier agreement
- Signed before dispatch
How it goes
How it works.
Download the app and choose Drive with GLS
The sign-in screen has two options. Pick Drive with GLS rather than Book a Ride, and verify your phone number.
Upload your documents
Your TCP permit, insurance, driver licence, registration and W-9, plus a photo of your vehicle and a headshot. Straight from your phone. Photograph them flat, in good light, with all four corners visible — blurry corners are the most common reason we come back to you.
We verify
We check your TCP against the CPUC portal and your entity against the Secretary of State. If something doesn't match we'll tell you exactly what, so you can fix it rather than guess.
Sign the subcarrier agreement
Once your application is approved we send the agreement for signature by email. It addresses the Labor Code §2776 business-to-business criteria in full. Once it's signed, trips start reaching you.
The work
Mostly airports. Mostly early.
Airport transfers across SFO, SJC and OAK are the bulk of it, with corporate accounts and hourly hire alongside. Dawn departures and red-eye arrivals are the normal shape of this business.
- 01Assigned, not broadcastA trip goes to one carrier, not to whoever taps first. You see the full detail before you accept.
- 02Flight numbers includedAirport bookings carry the flight, so you know when it actually lands rather than when it was scheduled to.
- 03Terminal and doorSFO pickups specify the terminal and the black-car door, not just "arrivals."
- 04You choose your hoursYou're an independent carrier. There's no shift and no minimum — accept what fits your schedule.
Before you apply
Questions drivers ask.
Can I drive for GLS without my own TCP?
No. This is the one thing with no way around it. GLS Black dispatches to independent carriers, not employees — so the authority has to be yours. If you're driving under someone else's permit today, you'd need your own before we could work together.
I have a TCP but it's under my LLC. Is that fine?
Yes, as long as you're named as an officer, manager or member on the current Statement of Information filed with the California Secretary of State. We check that filing, so make sure it's up to date before you apply.
Whose vehicle do I drive?
Your own. Partner carriers operate their own vehicles under their own authority and insurance. We don't lease cars out.
Am I an employee?
No. This is a business-to-business arrangement between two licensed carriers, governed by a subcarrier agreement that addresses the Labor Code §2776 criteria. You invoice as a business and we file a 1099.
How long does approval take?
It depends entirely on your documents. Everything current and matching moves quickly; an expired business licence or a name that doesn't match across your licence, insurance and registration will hold it up until it's corrected. We'll tell you specifically what needs fixing.
What happens if a document expires?
The system tracks expiry dates and suspends the account automatically when one lapses. You'll be notified ahead of the date — renew and upload, and you're active again.
Do I have to accept every trip?
No. You're an independent carrier — accept what fits your schedule.
Partner carriers
Got all six? Apply.
The application lives in the GLS Black app. Download it, choose Drive with GLS, and upload your documents from your phone.