Truck to Success course includes advice on getting your own authority

August 18, 2020

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Getting your own authority is one of the topics covered in OOIDA’s Truck to Success course.

Just the words “getting your own authority” sound pretty straightforward. With state and federal governments involved, though, it is more complicated than is sounds. It is something you need to consider carefully in deciding whether to become an owner-operator.

Truck to Success is planned for Oct. 26-28. This year, the course is being offered via Zoom web conferencing.

The course is designed for company drivers who are interested in transitioning to owner-operators. The course is taught by trucking experts, many with extensive experience behind the steering wheel of a tractor-trailer, who work for the largest trucking association dedicated to helping drivers in all areas be successful.

The No. 1 goal at OOIDA is to help drivers be more successful and more profitable in their business, and that is the driving force for this course, said OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh.

“Small-business trucking is a very tight profit business,” Pugh said. “There are many overwhelming statistics that show how many small business fail in the first three years. Don’t be a statistic! Truck to Success is a chance to arm yourself with the knowledge you will need to apply to your business to become successful and not be a statistic.”

The Truck to Success curriculum is designed to follow a logical transition from a company driver to an independent contractor.

Getting your own authority, audits

For the segment on getting your own authority, OOIDA is drawing on in-house expertise. The instructor is Heather Brown, who has been with OOIDA for more than seven years, most of the time working in OOIDA’s Authority Department.

Getting your own authority is getting permission from the government to get paid to haul freight. The course will go over necessary state and federal identifiers, such as motor carrier and freight forwarder numbers and others, as well as permits required for carriers.

It is not just the numbers and permits that will be covered in the course, but there also is a process that Brown plans to outline. The process includes getting insurance quotes, having adequate operating capital, and on-going requirements once a driver’s authority is active.

OOIDA Compliance Connection Specialist Scott O’Dell will cover the intricacies of safety audits and International Registration Plan requirements during the course. Trevor Williams, OOIDA’s fuel card coordinator, will address International Fuel Tax Agreement requirements.

Registering for Truck to Success

The 2020 Truck to Success course will be offered via Zoom web conferencing. It is scheduled for Oct. 26-28. Tuition will be $250, which is about half the in-person course cost last year, and there won’t be travel expenses.

There are a limited number of logins available for the course. If more than one person wants to view the course from one computer with one login, they are welcome to do so. If a guest needs their own login, there is an additional guest charge of $150.

Attendees will be asked to indicate whether they would like to receive a physical copy of the Truck to Success course materials or an electronic copy.

For more information, click here.

To go directly to the registration form, click here.

Here is a rundown of some of the topics covered during the first day of the 2019 Truck to Success course.