Truck to Success course beneficial to newcomers and industry veterans

Have you been considering making the jump to becoming an owner-operator? Or have you been an owner-operator for a while but would like some tips on how to improve your business?

If the answer is yes to either of those questions, then the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has the course for you.

OOIDA is again offering its Truck to Success course this fall. It is a three-day deep dive into the ins and outs of becoming an owner-operator. The course is scheduled for Oct. 26-28 at the Courtyard Marriott in Blue Springs, Mo. For those unable to attend in person, there will be an option to attend the classes via Zoom web conferencing.

“If you are thinking about taking the next big step in your career to become an owner-operator, it is important that you put yourself on the path to success,” OOIDA wrote on its website. “We offer you OOIDA’s Truck to Success, a three-day in-depth training curriculum that offers step-by-step guidance from the industry’s leading experts since 1973.”

The cost of the course for those attending in person will be $495. Guests of attendees will be charged $125 to cover the cost of food. Attending the course online will cost $250.

As an added bonus, truckers who register for the course before Oct. 1 will receive a free year’s membership to OOIDA.

Truck to Success features trainers, both from OOIDA and other trusted experts, who are in contact with owner-operators on a daily basis to provide course participants the most up-to-date information possible.

If you are serious about your choice 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’s most recent Truck to Success course was in October 2020 but was offered online only because of coronavirus restrictions. For this October, OOIDA plans to offer the course in person and online to give truckers the opportunity to participate even if they can’t make it to the Kansas City area for three days this fall.

The course is presented by the OOIDA Foundation, the research and education arm of the Association. The OOIDA Foundation’s mission statement is to fight for the rights of all truckers through education and research.

“Let us assist you on the road to success,” the OOIDA Foundation said. “Whether you are a company driver or an owner-operator who is struggling to make ends meet and looking for a refresher program, come join us.”

The extensive Truck to Success training curriculum will include:

• Developing a business plan that works for you
• You’re going to need a truck. New vs. used?
• Equipment financing
• Insurance
• The big decision to be an owner-operator under your own authority or lease on to a carrier
• New entrant safety audit and a compliance review
• Drug and alcohol consortium and requirements
• Permits and licensing
• Taxes and business structures
• Brokers and factoring
• Current issues affecting the industry and how to respond to them

Andrew King, of the OOIDA Foundation, said the course will make sure potential owner-operators start on the correct path.

“Taking that next step to become an owner-operator is a big decision,” King said. “While it definitely opens the door for more income and opportunities, it also presents a greater risk. Truck to Success is designed to help reveal the potential risks and pitfalls as well as how to avoid them so that others might become more successful at doing what they love to do … trucking.” LL