OWNER-OPERATOR GUIDES
Owner operator resources, sorted by where you are
Owner-operators get here on one of three paths: running under your own authority, leased on to a carrier, or paying off a truck through a lease-purchase. Some haven't started yet. The money questions are different on each path, so this library starts with yours. Every guide is written by Daniel, with sources and dates, and every calculator is free.
ENTRY 01 / PICK YOUR PATH
Your reading list, in the order that helps most
Tap your path to narrow the list. Each one mixes guides, calculators and the pages on factoring and testing that apply to that path.
I have my own authority
You run the business. Know your numbers, choose your partners well, and keep control of every load.
- 1. Trucking Cost Per Mile CalculatorYour truck's cost per mile, fixed and variable.
- 2. Rate Per Mile CalculatorAll-in and loaded rate per mile from any rate con.
- 3. Questions to Ask a Truck Dispatcher Before Signing15 questions, with good and red-flag answers and a scorecard.
- 4. Sample Dispatch Carrier AgreementEvery clause in a dispatch agreement, and what to push back on.
- 5. Factoring for Owner-OperatorsFactoring on one truck's weekly settlement.
- 6. Owner-Operator DOT Drug Testing RequirementsWho is covered, the six test types and the CDL line.
I'm leased on
The carrier dispatches and tests you. Use this time to learn your real costs before you go out on your own.
- 1. Trucking Cost Per Mile CalculatorYour truck's cost per mile, fixed and variable.
- 2. Maintenance Reserve CalculatorWhat to set aside each month for repairs, tires and one big repair.
- 3. New Authority DispatchPackets ready before day one and a plan for your first 180 days.
- 4. Owner-Operator DOT Drug Testing RequirementsWho is covered, the six test types and the CDL line.
- 5. Factoring for New Trucking CompaniesGetting a new MC ready to factor, and when to wait.
I'm in a lease-purchase
Check what the deal really costs, what you keep each week, and what leaving would mean.
- 1. Lease-Purchase Deal AnalyzerTake-home, total paid, hidden interest rate and walk-away cost.
- 2. Dispatch for Lease-Purchase DriversLeaving a lease-purchase for your own authority, with numbers.
- 3. Maintenance Reserve CalculatorWhat to set aside each month for repairs, tires and one big repair.
- 4. Truck Insurance Cost EstimatorA yearly premium range from your miles, and a check on real quotes.
I haven't started yet
Budget the first months, understand the rules that come with your own MC, and plan how you will find loads.
- 1. Truck Insurance Cost EstimatorA yearly premium range from your miles, and a check on real quotes.
- 2. Box Truck Business Profit CalculatorMonthly profit and break-even loads for a 26 ft box truck.
- 3. New Authority DispatchPackets ready before day one and a plan for your first 180 days.
- 4. DOT Drug & Alcohol Testing Consortium for Owner-OperatorsWhat a consortium does for a one-truck CDL carrier, cost and enrollment.
- 5. Is Freight Factoring Worth It? Pros, Cons and When You Need ItThree cases where it pays and three where it doesn't.
- 6. Best Dispatch Services for Owner-OperatorsTen criteria and a worksheet to compare dispatch services.
ENTRY 02 / LOADS, BROKERS AND DISPATCHERS
Choosing who books your loads
- Sample Dispatch Carrier Agreement (Clause by Clause)Every clause in a dispatch agreement, and what to push back on.
- Questions to Ask a Truck Dispatcher Before Signing15 questions, with good and red-flag answers and a scorecard.
- Best Dispatch Services for Owner-Operators (How to Compare)Ten criteria and a worksheet to compare dispatch services.
ENTRY 03 / MORE GUIDES
Money, leasing, insurance and equipment
- owner operatorWhat an owner operator is, the three paths, the money and the rules.
- how to get loads as an owner operator (load boards and more)Six sources of freight, how to judge a load, and how to negotiate.
- how to get your own authority in truckingEvery filing in order, with 2026 costs and the mistakes to avoid.
- owner operator expensesEvery cost per mile by category, ATRI 2025 data updated for 2026 diesel.
- owner-operator trucking rates per mileWhat loads pay by equipment, what a mile costs in 2026, and what you keep.
ENTRY 04 / TOOLS AND TERMS
Run the numbers, look up the words
Every guide that involves money links to a free calculator where you can put in your own figures: cost per mile, rate per mile, maintenance reserve, insurance and lease-purchase deals, with more on the way. Your numbers stay on your device.
Settlements, leases and factoring contracts come with their own vocabulary. The business dictionary explains the terms you meet on a settlement statement or in a contract. If you would rather have someone else book the loads, see dispatch for owner-operators.
Numbers figured out? Let us book above them.
Every equipment type, one fee, and every rate con signed by you.
One truck · EXAMPLE
Fleet, 2+ · EXAMPLE
New MC · EXAMPLE