I would like to start by defining entrepreneur. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to the type of personality who is willing to take upon himself a new venture or enterprise and accepts full responsibility for the outcome. That sentence to me defines truck drivers in general. People that wake up one day and realize they want to become a truck driver need to be ready for an investment. Anyone you ask that has been a truck driver will be the first to tell you that it is not going to be easy and it will be a constant up hill battle.
When you start to talk about being an owner operator that is when we are talking about earning the real money. Many owner operators start out as a company drive, but they are the company drivers that take full responsible for their work and realize that they can make more money on their own. Company truck driver make on average about 38,000 a year, a truck driver that is the owner of his truck make 90,000 or more a year.
The dream to make the big bucks driving trucks is not for everyone. As an owner operator you gain freedom and power, but with more power comes more responsible. Having more control and things to do is not for a lot of people. Some people do not want responsibility of choosing which loads to carry, where you will go, and what offer to take and which ones to not.
The last big obstacle for owner operators is the costs. You now have the responsible of your truck, its maintenance, upkeep, and repairs. If the truck is not moving you are not moving freight and you are not making money. The business smarts and hard work need to run your own truck need to be vast, but once you get the hang of it the road is open for you to travel and do business however you like. And that’s the Goal!
Check out our owner operator jobs and local postings. We have many positions posted by the nations top carriers. Have a look and check out the drivers lounge for other industry news, fun, and contests.