So, you want to run your own trucking company?
- You love being a trucker, but you’re tired of working for a motor carrier. So, you’re considering getting your authority and starting a trucking business of your own.
It sounds great, but are you aware of all the potential roadblocks along the way? Do you know what you’re going to haul and for whom? Are you prepared for all of the tax implications of being an owner-operator rather than an employee driver?
Have you created a business plan and sought advice from experts in the industry to place yourself on a path to success?
If the answer to any of these questions is “No,” you need to give the business venture a “test drive” before you take it home.
And there is no better way to do that than to take the OOIDA Foundation’s Truck To Success training course.
Truck To Success is a three-day seminar that offers step-by-step guidance about what’s needed to run a profitable trucking business. The 2025 edition of Truck To Success will take place Oct. 21-23 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Blue Springs, Mo. In addition to in-person sessions, the courses will be available online.
“If you are serious about your desire to become an owner-operator, then allow OOIDA’s expert staff, as well as their partners, to guide you from a company driver to a leased-on owner-operator and/or to an owner-operator under their own authority,” OOIDA wrote on its website.
The Truck To Success training curriculum covers:
- Business plan development
- New vs. used equipment
- Equipment financing
- Insurance
- Becoming an owner-operator under your own authority vs. leasing on to a carrier
- New entrant safety audit and compliance review
- Drug and alcohol consortium and requirements
- Permits and licensing
- Taxes and business structures
- Brokers and factoring
- Current issues affecting the industry and what can be done
“There’s so much required of an owner-operator,” said Andrew King, director of the OOIDA Foundation. “This course will help you navigate all the regulations without being overwhelmed. Drivers can expect to hear from industry experts who deal with this sort of thing on a daily basis.”
The in-person version of the course costs $600 per person and includes breakfast, lunch and snacks. Those who register before Sept. 1 will receive $50 off and a free one-year membership to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. Participants can bring one guest for an additional $150. Although lodging is not included, attendees can book a room at the Courtyard by Marriott and receive OOIDA’s corporate rate. To receive the group rate, reserve the room by Oct. 1. That date also is the deadline to register for the in-person version of Truck To Success.
The online Zoom seminar cost is $275 per login connection. Attendees may bring a guest for an additional $150 if that guest requires a separate login, meaning he or she will log in to the seminar from a location separate from your own. This is due to limited capacity. Zoom participants have until Oct. 20 to register.
Although the online courses may be the best option for some, OOIDA encourages those who can to participate in person.
“If you are thinking about becoming an owner-operator or struggling as an owner-operator, you need to join us at this year’s Truck To Success,” OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh said. “Truck To Success in person is always the best due to the amount of networking you get to be involved in.”
To register for either the in-person or online course, visit the OOIDA website. LL