If you are going to start your work as an owner-operation, then it is a perfect way to be your own boss and potentially add to your income source. While the yearly salary for heavy vehicle or trailer drivers is $45000, the mean salary of owner-operators is around $100,000. Hence, this makes being a driver yourself an enticing option. However, it is not that simple and you need to focus on a number of things. Some of them are given below
How to start?
In order to start your company, you need capital, vehicle, skills and experience.
Experience
You need at least an experience of two years over the road. Whether you want to for yourself or for someone else, you will require a commercial driver license to become a driver. If you have worked before for another company, then it will give you an insight of running a trucking company.
Capital
Well, starting your own business needs money. Some of the costs which you need to meet are buying a vehicle, look out for the maintenance and servicing of the vehicle, get a class a commercial driver license, insurance expenses, and on-the-road expenses such as fuel, food etc..
Other than the basic expenses, you need to some back-up money for emergencies. If you are operating a fleet company, then you have to pay other drivers too.
Skills
Well, it takes a list of skills for anyone to be a truck driver. Here are some skills to be successful in this profession
- Entrepreneurship: You should know how to transform your ideas to action. Be optimistic and motivated to work.
- Leadership: Whether you are an owner-operator or an owner of a trucking company, you should have leadership skills.
- Management: being an owner operator, you should learn to manage your business.
- Flexibility: As you are the owner, you need to deal with the flexible market changes and working hours.
Aspects of being a driver:
- You are your own boss: Yes, one of the compelling aspects is that you are your own boss. You make the rules, you own the truck, find driving work and make a flexible and feasible working environment for you as per your lifestyle.
- Control over your income: As you are a driver working for yourself, you’ll make more money than a salaried driver. You can choose to take more work or less work as per your schedule and requirement.
- Control over your equipment: As you are the owner of your truck and equipment, you can customize things according to you. You can decide what load you want to haul and how.
If you have just started as an owner-operator, then the first thing you should do is to sign up at Shiply. It is the platform to find trucking work for you. No matter what load you want to haul, which route you prefer you will find driving work for you. The best thing is that the platform is accessible for free. So, go ahead and sign up now!