This week Kevin Rutherford at Overdrive Magazine online created a handy reality checklist for truck drivers who have been thinking about going independent, but might not actually know everything they need to in order to create a successful hauling business out of the gate.
Today, as larger carriers pull in more and more drivers, reducing the ranks of independent drivers and O/O truckers, it’s no secret that knowing as much as you can about an industry that has dozens of pitfalls will make you think twice about going head to head with state and fed government regulations. What are the basics? Some are common sense, some are gray areas.
Read the first few paragraphs, then jump out to Overdrive Online for the rest.
Article by Kevin Rutherford / Overdrive Online – One major mistake many owner-operators make when considering the move to run under their own authority is to underestimate the total cost of operations. It’s easy to look at a load board and dream about getting those rates posted and not sharing them with your carrier. It’s another matter entirely to end up making less than you do now because of all of the additional costs.
Let’s talk about what you need to know to operate. You’ll need to consider these areas and decide if you are going to do them yourself or pay somebody else to do them:
- Rates and lanes
- Compliance
- Safety
- Drug testing
- Hours of service
- Accounting
- Fuel tax
- Mileage tax
Read more about becoming an independent truck driver at Overdrive Online.