The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.
Hitting the Open Road As An Owner-Operator
If hitting the open road, traveling for miles across the country, and dropping off freight loads sounds like the perfect dream, then you should consider owning your very own trucking business and becoming an owner-operator. However, doing this type of work requires a certain type of individual in this highly competitive market. For someone who really wants to give this type of work a shot, they will need to consider the following questions:
Do you have the work ethic, habits and personality for this type of work?
Do you enjoy being on the road for hours/days at a time?
Do you prefer to be able to pick your own schedule?
Do you prefer to be at home?
Do you have a spouse, a child?
Is your health in a good state? Will driving for hours medically disable you?
Do you have health insurance and travel insurance that crosses borders?
Do you have long-term life goals that put you in a non-driving position later in life?
Are you good with money management?
Do you have a lot of debt?
Can you get disability insurance in case you get sick or injured?
Is your credit in good standing?
Do you have the funds available to get the training and rig required?
All of these questions are extremely important when considering becoming an owner-operator. You need to ensure that you are in excellent health, as driving requires the ability to make quick judgements. You need to be able to sit for hours driving and you need to have excellent eyesight. You need to truly decide if you have the capability of running your own business, as it will require a lot of hard work with many hours on the road.
If you are not good with money management, do not have good credit, and are not in good health, then it would not be a good fit. However, if you truly enjoy the freedom of choosing your own freight loads, schedule and travel destinations, then becoming an owner-operator could be the right job for you.
