# Getting started

CarrierCloud is Tranztec's Universal Transportation API. It puts the Tranztec Platform's Partner Network behind one REST API so carriers, customers, agents and other partners can share loads, stops, equipment, drivers and tracking data with the parties they have approved.

## What you need

- **An API key**, issued by Tranztec. See [Authentication and API keys](/docs/authentication).
- **A partner code** for each company whose data you will read or write. Your key identifies your own company; the partner code names the other party. The call succeeds only when the two companies have an approved, API-enabled partnership. See [The Partner Network](/docs/concepts/partner-network).

## Base URL

```
https://carriercloud.ai
```

Every partner-scoped route has the shape `/v1/partner/{partnercode}/...`.

## Your first call

List the partners your key may act for. This route needs no partner code because it describes your own network:

```bash
curl https://carriercloud.ai/v1/partners \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
```

```json
[
  {
    "Id": "224381ec762262f599a702f00fc1387d",
    "Code": "MIST",
    "Name": "Mission Transportation",
    "AccessApproved": true
  }
]
```

Take a `Code` from the response and read that partner's loads:

```bash
curl "https://carriercloud.ai/v1/partner/MIST/loads?page=1" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
```

Lists come back as a JSON array of up to 100 records per page. An empty result is a `404` with a short plain-text body such as `No orders found.`, not an empty array. [Requests, pagination and dates](/docs/concepts/requests-pagination-dates) explains the conventions.

## Where to go next

| If you are a... | Start with |
|---|---|
| Carrier hauling for a partner | [Guide for carriers](/docs/guides/carriers): offers, loads, stops, positions, documents |
| Customer or shipper booking freight | [Guide for customers and shippers](/docs/guides/customers-and-shippers): orders, quotes, locations, tracking |
| Fleet or technology partner | [Guide for fleets and partners](/docs/guides/fleets-and-partners): tractors, trailers, drivers, HOS, telematics |
| Anyone who wants events pushed | [Webhooks](/docs/webhooks/overview) |
| Someone connecting an AI assistant | [Connect an AI assistant](/docs/mcp/connect): Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code |

The [API Reference](/api) documents every operation with parameters, schemas, examples and the exact error texts. The reference's **Test** button runs real calls against the gateway with your key.