Article

By Deborah Lockridge

Owner-operators are far from dead, but the population is experiencing some changes, according to Todd Spencer, vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, with many of those changes caused by government regulations.

Tags: Sleep Apnea, Driver shortage, OOIDA, Owner-Operators

By Truckinginfo Staff

How bad does owner-operator Matt Purtee want truckstop electrification? “Bad enough where I know a few truckstops that have light poles with plug-ins at the base,” he says with a chuckle. “I get to those sites early so I can tap into the power before someone else does."

Tags: Idle Reduction, Truckstops, Owner-Operators, Shorepower

By Colton Lawrence, Equinox Business Solutions

April 15 has come and gone, so you can breathe easy for another year -- that is, unless the IRS decides to audit you and become a major pain in your life. Here's how to handle it if they do.

Tags: IRS, Taxes, Owner-Operators, Equinox Owner-Operator Solutions

By Jim Park

Poor fuel mileage can be a make-or-break proposition for owner-operators, and a lot of whether you get 6 mpg or 8 mpg depends on your skills and habits as a driver. Two drivers on two identical trucks can see a difference of up to 30% in fuel economy. Much of that chasm stems from good or bad pedal and stick management, and the driver's willingness to use available technology to his best advantage.

Tags: Drivers, MPG, fuel economy, Owner-Operators

By Jim Park

While equipment defects are a cause in only a small percentage of truck crashes, brake defects account for a large percentage of the trucks taken out of service. Many of those defects are adjustment issues.

Tags: Brakes, Owner-Operators

By Truckinginfo Staff

Approximately 7.6 billion hours are spent by businesses and individuals each year on tax compliance -- a workload that could keep 3.8 million full-time workers busy by the IRS’ own estimates. Throw your long hours as a trucker into the mix, and the potential to miss the filing deadline is very real. However, you can file an extension and avoid penalties.

Tags: Taxes, Business, Owner-Operators

By Thomas Bray, Editor, J.J. Keller & Associates

Despite all of the folklore that has been built around it, at its core, CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) is simply a program used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to track and evaluate carriers based on compliance and crash history. Carriers that do not score well in the system are the ones FMCSA will spend time warning or investigating.

Tags: FMCSA, J.J. Keller, CSA, Inspections, Owner-Operators

By Thomas Bray, Editor, J.J. Keller & Associates

The driver qualifications regulations, which are found in Part 391 of the FMCSA regulations, apply to all interstate drivers and most intrastate drivers that operate a commercial motor vehicle – no matter whether your company employs one driver or 1,000.

Tags: Drivers, Owner-Operators, FMCSA, Recordkeeping

By Scott Christensen, Contributor

New year - new taxes. That’s what many drivers are thinking after the latest round of tax increases. While you can’t legally dodge taxes, you can trim them. The options for doing so may have even been under your nose your entire trucking career.

Tags: Owner-Operators, Equinox Owner-Operator Solutions, Taxes

By Thomas Bray, Editor, J.J. Keller & Associates

Whether you have one truck or 20,000, the FMCSA's maintenance regulations apply to you. The safety and compliance experts at J.J. Keller have tips for owner-operators and small fleets on how to develop a maintenance program that will meet federal standards.

Tags: Maintenance, FMCSA, Owner-Operators

Landstar System and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association announced the end of their decade-long litigation over federal truth-in-leasing regulations, with the Florida-based carrier saying its leases were proven valid and the association saying the lawsuit helped further clarify the regulations

Tags: Business, leasing, OOIDA, Landstar, Owner-Operators

By Colton Lawrence, Contributor

Have you been trucking since 1912 or earlier? If so, you are a true trucking pioneer, have an incredible fitness regimen and once earned an income without paying the Internal Revenue Service a dime

Tags: Business, Owner-Operators, Taxes