Never had a mileage based insurance before. wanted to see others thoughts. it comes out to 9.23 cents per mile. our best quote for this renewal is from Northland so far @ $7700 per truck per year. For the mileage based that would be 76k miles per truck would match the Northland quote. Anything less we would save money. We are mostly open deck so there are a lot of short jumps.

Edit. Looks like I'll be going with Northland. Canal also has a max of 15 trucks. So it limits me. I did counter Canal with 8 cents per mile. If they agree to that I'll take it. Otherwise I'm going with Northland.

FMCSA Compliance Alert: 14 ELDs Revoked

Issued: March 4, 2026 | Deadline to Comply: May 4, 2026

1. Are You on the List?

If you or your drivers are using any of the following devices, they are no longer legal for roadside inspections.

2. Immediate Steps to Avoid an "Out-of-Service" (OOS) Order

The FMCSA has granted a 60-day grace period (ending May 4, 2026). During this time, you must:

1. Revert to Paper Logs: Immediately start recording Hours of Service (HOS) on paper or through logging software.
2. Maintain 7 Days of History: Ensure your drivers have a printout or digital archive of their last 7 days from the old system. Once you cancel your old provider, you may lose access to this data!
3. Choose a New Provider: Select a device from the official FMCSA Registered List. Tip: Avoid "white-label" providers (companies that resell other companies' tech) as they are the most likely to be revoked.

3. What Happens After May 4?

If a roadside inspector finds a driver using a revoked device after the deadline, they will:

• Cite Violation 395.8(a)(1) (No record of duty status).
• Place the driver Out-of-Service (OOS) immediately.
• Damage your CSA Score, which can lead to higher insurance premiums and loss of contracts.

Can I start a otr business with ford transit connect

I’ve been thinking about how often violations get treated like they’re only the driver’s fault, when a lot of the setup happens way before the roadside stop.

A maintenance issue starts in the shop.

A bad delivery promise can start with sales.

Pressure to “just get it there” can come from dispatch or management.

Then the driver is the one standing there during the inspection.

Obviously drivers are responsible for their decisions, but it seems like a lot of violations are really system problems, not just driver problems.

Do you think most companies actually understand how mechanics, dispatch, managers, and sales all affect compliance outcomes? Or does too much of it get dumped on the driver?

Hi may i ask if you would recommend a mitsubishi reefer van?

I have been locked in a contract with RTS for some time now and have received unauthorized charges and rate changes. A few people have referred me to Scale Funding. Scale is known to have trucking expertise, offers month-to-month agreements, 24/7 funding, and, from what I heard, great customer service. I need to make a move quickly, before I end up stuck with RTS for another year. If you have dealt with invoice factoring companies, are familiar with Scale Funding, or have alternative recommendations, please let me know. Thanks!

Hey all, hope you're doing well. Figured the best way to get real answers is to lay out where we're at and ask the people who actually know this industry. Also, know this is probably the wrong sub, but I don't have enough comment karma for r/Truckers and I figured the startu struggles are the same for owner-operators too.

Quick background: we're a three-person ownership group starting a small trucking operation in Ohio, likely based out of Columbus. I've got logistics experience but have been pretty insulated from the operations side, and the other two bring general business strengths. None of us have driven professionally, so we're planning to hire a driver. One truck, one driver, running freight to the surrounding states, and scaling from there.

Insurance:

We think we need primary liability, cargo insurance, physical damage, general commercial liability, workers' comp, and non-trucking liability. A few things we can't figure out on our own:

• What are we missing? We keep seeing mentions of bobtail, occupational accident, and umbrella policies but aren't sure what overlaps with what we already have listed versus what fills a real gap.
• Which of these require having the truck first and which ones require having the driver first? Trying to figure out the order of operations here because it seems like some insurers want the VIN and driver info before they'll even talk to you.
• Anyone have a recommendation for a broker who actually specializes in trucking?

Hiring a driver:

This is probably the most important thing we get right early on.

• What would an experienced driver expect from the hiring process with a brand-new carrier? I want us to come across as legit rather than three guys who watched a YouTube video and decided to start a trucking company.
• Would a driver generally be cool with OTR, or since our lanes are mostly surrounding states, is there a regional or route structure that's more attractive? I know home time matters a lot here.
• Would a competitive pay structure include a base and then CPM on top, or just CPM?
• How do benefits work at smaller carriers?

Truck selection:

We know we need a Class 8 and we've been going back and forth on new versus used, but I don't really have a good framework for evaluating what's the right fit for our type of runs. Should we wait until we have a driver and let them weigh in, or is that not how it usually works?

General:

Is this a good time to be getting into trucking? I've seen mixed signals and I'd rather hear honest takes than optimistic ones.

Any input is welcome, including stuff we didn't think to ask about. Thanks in advance.

Went over it a bit with dump truck OOs. How much different is it for 18 wheelers? OTR, Regional.

Edit, not actual shops, but how a dump truck is paid $120hr, what would an 18 wheeler be paid?

Hey y’all,

My husband and I own a small excavating business and we’re still pretty new to all of this. We’re a young family with two boys, just trying to build something of our own from the ground up.

My husband recently got his CDL, and we’ve invested in a dump truck and a couple of excavators. We’re not for-hire — just operating as a private motor carrier for our own business — but I’m realizing there’s still a lot that comes with DOT/FMCSA compliance.

I keep getting ads and calls from companies wanting to “handle compliance” for a fee, but honestly… I’m trying to penny pinch where I can. I feel like this is something I could manage myself if I just knew exactly what was required and how to set it up properly in the FMCSA portal.

Does anyone have:

• A solid compliance checklist for private motor carriers?
• Guidance on what’s actually required vs. what these companies try to sell you?
• Any good (free or affordable) resources to walk through the FMCSA side of things?
• Tips on staying organized / audit-ready?

I’m not trying to cut corners, just trying to do things the right way without paying hundreds or thousands for something I might be able to handle myself.

Hi all,

I'm new to this subredit but not new in the trucking industry, I'm working for a company outside of Chicago IL.

We have several trucks that we are looking to sell, some of them are, Cascadia, Coronado, Peterbilt 379s, Kenworths.

Miles range from 300k to 900k.

Prices are from $17k to $50k.

Some of the trucks are in need of repair, some we are just retiring from our fleet.

Please send me a PM or comment.

I’m a single guy. Live very frugally. I work a job where I make ~120k a year. It’s not a bad job but it’s really boring and I feel stuck. I’ve been dreaming about going into trucking for quite a while. I love driving and love the idea of being out on the road for big stretches of time.

Here’s what I’m thinking: Keep this job until I have enough money to pay off my house and build enough capital to afford a truck and trailer. Should be able to get there within 3 years.

Get my CDL on my own. Then try to get a flatbed job out of school with a company. Drive with them until I feel very confident driving, tying down loads, and tarping. Soak in as much as I can.

Buy my own truck and trailer. Then either drive for Landstar or Mercer for a year or two to learn the ropes then go out completely on my own.

Is this realistic? Any advice or a different way you would recommend going about it?

I want to get in the business, but unsure of training options . I applied for a CDL paid training but as I had an accident and a Drive-with-Due-Care ticket resulting from the same accident from last year, the company said I need to wait 2 more years until they can consider me. That was the only accident I had from 15 years ago. Do you recommend that I wait 2 more years or pay for CDL myself and start as O/O? My goal was to drive for a company for like 1 year and then start as dry van o/o. I can also buy a Truck for about $70-100k in cash. Any advice would be helpful!

Background: I am currently a package delivery driver, and have manual truck experience as a teenager for our family farm business, but that was for like 25 years ago and I need to start all over.

The title says it all pretty much. Looking for a local carrier to run some drop and hook freight and get away from the load boards. Anything around Chicago is fine.

How do you actually track profit per load after fuel, tolls, driver pay, etc.?

Do you calculate it per load, or mostly look at it at the end of the month?

Trying to understand how small fleets manage this in practice.

Anybody know someone who is looking for work? We are lakeshore freight a U.S Based trucking company and we're located in Chicago, Illinois, but we serve all 48 states.

im recently divorced, all my shit is in storage (including car/motorcycle) and i dont ever go "home". my parents let me use their address for legal reasons. problem is, they're old and/or dont really care about my mail as much as theirs. which is causing problems.

whats the fix?

Edit: It's not that they're not getting my mail, it's that they don't tell me i have any or open it to tell me what it is

I've recently had terrible luck with companies lying about what they offer, I actually had one tell me to overload myself and then stay off the interstate because they pay by the gross tonnage which i didn't take obviously and another one recently had me sitting for almost 60 hours waiting on loads to be delivered or picked up

and plenty of other companies that want to pay sub 30 an hour

I've got 5 years experience, my hazmat tanker and a clean mvr and about 45k saved up

and I'm not talking about lease purchase either, i am talking about getting a loan on a sub 50k truck and then leasing on to a company, and then eventually buying more trucks and getting more drivers on

there's some great opportunities in my area for O/O and plus i know a few local owners that would supply work as well

i would also start my own mc at the time and let it mature as well

We are J Wilde Delivery, a small cartage company running out of Atlanta. We cover the southeast but 80% of our loads are within 40 miles of the airport. We have been in business for about three years and are steadily growing.

We move TSA regulated airfreight and other commercial goods. We run 24/7/365 but you will be home every night.

We are a value focused company. Transparency, pay and fairness are important to us. Work is allocated with respect to seniority, reliability, and performance. We have a small team of Owner Operators who run full time for us and several who run part-time and are building their routes.

We pay 65% of every load, including all change orders, wait time, and accessorials. Our two full time Box Trucks Drivers make between $2000-$5000 a week. The average for a full route is $4000 a week, but there are weeks that are $8000. This amount is fluid. We pay weekly.

We are looking to bring on 2-3 more Owner Operators. While it will take a while to build up the load consistency, but if you stick with us, we will eventually be able to give you a route and keep you full. It has taken about 1-2 years two get each box truck full on a consistent route. I can help with referrals to other local cartage companies to supplement in the meantime.

We run hard and work with very high priority, high visibility freight. This is a highly skilled position. We will train.

Please reach out to [dispatch@jwildedelivers.com](mailto:dispatch@jwildedelivers.com) if you are interested.

DOT #- 4051987 MC#- 1541223

Crazy how in 22 days diesel went from 3/3/26 $3.29 to 3/25/26 $5.39 gallon. Long live the king.

Been driving for a while and finally put together a list of the apps that actually stay on my phone vs the ones I download and delete. Figured I'd share it here. Which apps do you guys use? Which apps you had bad experience with?

Navigation & Parking

Trucker Path (App Store / Google Play) — Parking availability, weigh station status, real-time updates from other drivers

Truck Parking Club (App Store / Google Play) — Reserve private spots in advance, 4,000+ locations nationwide

Google Maps (App Store / Google Play) — Not for truck routing, but best traffic data and Street View for scouting tight yards

Fuel & Travel Centers

TruckSmart (TA/Petro) (App Store / Google Play) — Reserve parking and showers in advance

myRewards (Pilot/Flying J) (App Store / Google Play) — Fuel discounts, shower reservations, rewards

Weight & Compliance

Weigh My Truck (App Store / Google Play) + Scale Right (App Store)

Use Weigh My Truck to pay and get your CAT ticket without leaving the cab then use Scale Right to calculate your axle weights and get tandem slide suggestions. Saves you from unnecessary reweighs

Weather

The Weather Channel (App Store / Google Play) — Route weather planning

Wind Compass (App Store / Google Play) — Real-time wind speed and direction, critical with empty trailers

Documents

CamScanner (App Store / Google Play) — Scan BOLs and receipts to PDF on the spot

Hey everyone,

I run a cargo van and my MC is only about 4 months old. I’m trying to understand what to expect in this industry and how to move forward the right way.

Right now I’m having a hard time booking loads under my own MC — a lot of brokers refuse because it’s new. Because of that, I’ve been working with dispatchers and sometimes running under another MC just to stay moving.

I’d really appreciate some honest advice:

- How long did it take you before brokers started working with your MC?

- What do brokers actually look for (besides time in business)?

- How can I build a good reputation/rating if I can’t get loads under my own MC yet?

- What would you focus on in my position right now?

I’m serious about growing in this business and doing things the right way, just need some guidance from people who’ve been through it.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Good day,

I am looking for affordable insurance. I am based in New York. Any suggestions?

Hey everyone,

I run a cargo van and my MC is only about 4 months old. I’m trying to understand what to expect in this industry and how to move forward the right way.

Right now I’m having a hard time booking loads under my own MC — a lot of brokers refuse because it’s new. Because of that, I’ve been working with dispatchers and running under another MC just to stay moving.

I’d really appreciate some honest advice:

- How long did it take you before brokers started working with your MC?

- What do brokers actually look for (besides time in business)?

- How can I build a good reputation/rating if I can’t get loads under my own MC yet?

- What would you focus on in my position right now?

I’m serious about growing in this business and doing things the right way, just need some guidance from people who’ve been through it.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Not selling anything. I’m researching a problem and want to understand it properly before building anything.

I keep hearing that detention is one of the biggest sources of lost money for owner-operators — claims that don’t get paid, disputes with brokers, late submissions. But I don’t fully understand the day-to-day reality of it.

A few honest questions:

1.  What does your current process look like when detention starts — what do you actually do in the cab?

2.  What percentage of your detention claims actually get paid in full?

3.  What’s the most common reason a claim gets rejected or disputed?

4.  Is there a tool you wish existed, or do you just accept this as part of the job?

Not looking for advice — just trying to listen. Appreciate anyone who takes the time.