Be extremely choosy with your load selection. Take a lot of downtime and a 34-hour reset every weekend. Take a lot of unplanned home time. Don’t save any money. Run freight that your truck isn’t designed to haul. Ignore your cost-per-mile. The above example is how you don’t run a successful business as a truck driver.

Ready to dive into truck ownership and running your own business? That’s great news! You’re in a position that many drivers aspire to be in.

Do you understand the difference between an internal and an external load board? Many drivers misunderstand the differences between the two even though they’re different and have different requirements.

Is it time to take a step back from being an owner-operator? To sell your truck and join a carrier as a company driver?

How do you choose the next load you’ll haul? Do you choose it based on where you feel like traveling next and where you want to check out the sights? Do you choose them based on areas of the country you don’t want to drive in or the types of loads you don’t want to haul?

So you want to own your truck. You dream of driving down the road with your business name on the side of your truck. Maybe you even want to see your business name on the side of multiple trucks. Getting there isn’t as impossible as it seems. There are lease-purchase programs that can help you get into a truck with little money down and no credit check. The question is: Is becoming an owner-operator truly what you want? Are you cut out for it?

If you pay attention to the transportation industry, you probably already have an inkling of what’s happening with the market. Following nearly two years of record highs, freight rates in the spot market are trending down. If the trend continues, you may hear whispers of a declining trucking demand or whispers of a recession. While there’s certainly been a slowdown in demand, that doesn’t mean your career in trucking is futile; it just means you have to learn to run a bit differently.

Are you ready to own your own truck and operate your own business? The good news is that there are multiple paths you can choose to go down as an owner-operator. The bad news is that you might not know which path is the right one to take. Which path will help you succeed? Which will give you the freedom or support you need?