What it Takes to Become an Owner-Operator

On a conference call with our tax accountant, he called us out personally and said “Guys, you can’t be a jack of all trades… leave the details to the professionals…” as he tried to sell us on their in house accounting products. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the privilege of the extra revenue to be able to afford such a luxury - to hand off our responsibilities as a single truck operation - that would cut a good chunk of our already small profit margins.

Overhead. Overhead. Overhead. "Location, location, location.”

Plan for the absolute worst to happen. Even when trucks are new and under warranty - if your truck is down for an extended period of time, your liabilities are still due, and there is so much more than truck payments when you become an owner. If you fall behind in less than a few months or are relying on advances to fuel up your truck, you didn’t save accordingly. Before buying your first truck, make sure to have 6 months or more of your overhead costs. Figure your expenses; truck payment, insurance payments, satellite and equipment payments, credit card payments, and any additional fees you might be accruing every month, then multiply that by 6 - and add a couple grand on top of each month to give you wiggle room for those additional expenses, like general maintenance, for a good estimate of what your nest egg should be.

Truck buying - “Don’t sell yourself short - literally.”

Whether you’re building or buying your first truck, make sure your equipment gives you options, and can sign onto multiple different carriers in case you needed to abandon ship at your current company. This is only a safety net - being able to move your equipment when things go wrong - a back up plan that you hopefully won’t have to use but is there if you need it. Then when you do want to invest in specialized equipment in a smaller market, make sure you’ve personally done your time in said segment to gain the most insight to where you’re investing. Don’t go run out and buy a truck for a specific lane that you’ve never run or are “being promised”, or when you’re new in a segment of an industry you’ve never been apart of.

Networking.

“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” is a sentiment we have been sharing with anyone and everyone we’ve ever met that ask us for tips to find success within trucking. Whether you’re someone who is talkative or more reserved, you’ll have to learn to be both when the opportunity is presented to you. Learn to shut your mouth and open your ears to listen to people who’ve been in it longer than you, take value in learning from their mistakes, and ask as many questions as you can. Connections are a great thing to have, and when issues present themselves (and they will) you’ll need to know where to go to find those answers. Google and Reddit will only be able to help you with so much. So, build up your network and make friends in the right areas, which means all areas.

Ask Around.

Talk to fellow owners that have insight into the truck you’re looking to buy or build, as well as the equipment attached to it; APUs, liftgates, reefers, etc. If you’re unsure of companies, talk to their drivers, ask about miles, bonuses, backhauls, etc. Looking to build or buy a truck? Then get quotes at multiple dealerships, and ask other owners where they purchased and if they have any recommendations on dealerships. Don’t just jump on the first opportunity that presents itself.

Listen to your gut.

“If something seems too good to be true, than it probably is.” The trucking industry has a ridiculous amount of scams that prey on uniformed and/or new drivers looking to move up and branch out as an owner. If a company or dealership rubs you the wrong way, look elsewhere and move on. At the end of the day, our gut has saved us from making deals with bad seeds, and kept us from getting taken advantage of in every aspect of the business.

Take your time.

The statistics for small businesses are scary and disheartening to say the least. In their first year, 20% of small businesses are doomed to fail. By year 5, less than 50% still remain. The most common causes that lead to entrepreneurs and small businesses failing is lack of planning and cash flow issues. If you want to equip yourself to avoid ending up on the wrong side of these stats, take your time, learn and absorb everything you can, and always have a back up plan.

- Run Hard, Dream Big

Mental Health and the Reality of Driver Burnout

Mental health has been much less stigmatized within the millennial generation. In fact, you can frequently overhear conversations between us regarding mental health; going as far as sharing tips and insight from recent therapy sessions or bonding over triggers and sharing our stories of ways we learned how to better process those past traumas. We aren’t ashamed to discuss these issues, because we inherited just as much of the culture as we did the industry.

Now we’re trying to fix it, and the best way to start is by talking about it.

Truck drivers suffer the highest rates of mental and physical exhaustion. The truck driver turnover rate in 2019 was at 91%, estimating that a mere 9 of every 100 new drivers would stay in the industry. We have a long list of issues in the trucking industry, but one of the root causes for this high turnover rate was driver dissatisfaction. So if you really love trucking, see yourself in it for the long haul, and want to lessen the load of your burnout before it drives you to hang up the keys - you have to start with you as the driver.

Driver burnout is real, and we’ve all felt it at one time or another. You finish out the week, just to end up laying in bed all weekend - only getting up for snacks or to pick up a mobile food order at best. Finding the motivation to do your laundry, tidy up your truck, or taking the dogs out, all of a sudden feels like a burden. These days will happen - allow yourself to have a bad day, it's okay. Be lazy and don’t feel bad for it - you need the rest.

We know that trucking is a balancing act because home time isn’t always timely, or even certain at some points. So setting aside time for therapy, your hobbies, or some self-care can seem like a daunting task with more reason not to do it. We’re here to tell you however, you can do these things over the road, and we hope we’ve convinced you as to why you should.

We are more than thankful for today’s technology, as it opened the door to telehealth so now there are multiple sources for therapy on the go. A few we can personally recommend are DrOnDemand and Teladoc. Both of these platforms allow you to have both video and phone calls with licensed psychologists, or psychiatrists if you need medicinal treatment in addition to talk therapy.

Start to implement gratitude and refocus your energy on self-care. Treat yourself to a manicure and/or pedicure at a salon, or really splurge and go for a full body massage at the spa. Get out of the truck, save money, avoid people, connect with nature and go camping or find a nice walking path in a local park, an all around win. Then on days when you’re feeling unmotivated, or just down overall - remind yourself of all of the things you’re grateful for. You can even start a gratitude journal, and on those bad days when you feel like you can’t find a reason to be thankful, you can reread what you’ve written on days before, and it can come as a small reminder that the moment is temporary.

Reconnect with your hobbies by making them mobile and taking them with you on the road. Do you have a love for exercise? Kettle bells, dumbbells, and resistance bands are some of the easiest pieces of workout equipment to travel with. Love photography? Grab your DSLR, GoPro, or your drone, and find the best area near you with the subject you love to photograph most. Or maybe you’re more a gamer? Draw the curtains and get lost in your favorite video games! Maybe you’re a foodie or grill master? Find yourself a portable grill or slow cooker to fit your needs and treat yourself to a home cooked meal in your down-time. Make the road your home, because that's where you're spending most of your time.

It’s easy to lose yourself over the road, but we want you to stay en route. Before you log yourself into the sleeper and head back to the bunk, we want to remind you to show yourself compassion. Allow yourself that time to decompress, to breath, to accept your mistakes, to grow, to heal, and to better enjoy the roads trucking can take you on.

We live life with a “day by day” or “one mile at a time'“ mentality, and we challenge you to as well.

There are resources readily available for you when you’re ready to take the journey to improve your mental health - you can start with the National Alliance on Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or the Trevor Project, specialized in helping our LGBT community.

If you or someone you know, is struggling or in crisis, help is available and you are not alone.

Call or text 988.

As a reminder, please feel free to write into us with any questions or topics you’d like us to cover - you can even do so anonymously.