Owner-Operator · Trucking Business
Owner-Operator Resources
The business side of running a truck: what a mile costs you, what it takes to start an authority, how to price a load, and how to keep the money straight with IFTA and a maintenance reserve. Every guide links to the calculator that runs the numbers for you.
How to Calculate Cost Per Mile for a Truck
Work out your true owner-operator cost per mile: fixed costs, variable costs, and the deadhead and downtime most drivers forget. Includes the formula and a worked example.
Read the guideHow Much Does It Cost to Start a Trucking Company
The real startup costs for a one-truck authority: entity and authority filings, insurance down payments, truck and trailer, working capital, and the reserve that keeps you running.
Read the guideMC Number vs DOT Number: What You Actually Need
The difference between a USDOT number and FMCSA operating authority (MC number), who needs each, and the filings that have to be in place before your authority goes active.
Read the guideHow to Price Trucking Loads and Book Profitable Freight
How to evaluate a load offer: all-in rate per total mile, deadhead, detention risk, lane balance, and the floor rate you should never book under.
Read the guideIFTA Explained for Owner-Operators
What IFTA is, which trucks it applies to, the records you have to keep, how the quarterly calculation works, and the mistakes that trigger an audit.
Read the guideTruck Maintenance Budget: What to Set Aside Per Mile
How to build a maintenance and major-component reserve for a semi truck: preventive intervals, wear items, big-ticket components, and how to convert them into cents per mile.
Read the guideHow to Start a Trucking Company: Step-by-Step
The order of operations for starting a one-truck trucking company: entity, EIN, MC and DOT authority, BOC-3, insurance filings, IRP and IFTA, ELD, and your first load.
Read the guideSemi-Truck Financing for Owner-Operators
How semi-truck loans and leases actually work: down payments, rates for new authorities, lease-purchase traps, and how to price the payment against your cost per mile.
Read the guideRun your numbers
- Owner-operator profit calculator
- Load analyzer — rate per total mile
- IFTA mileage and fuel calculator
- Business Center — plans, estimates, and templates
- Trucking Business Hub — start, finance, and run a truck
Included with the membership — $14.99 a month.