You’ve put in the time, drove the miles, saved up the money, and now you’re ready for the next step: buying a truck and becoming an owner-operator.
There is a tremendous amount of freedom and money-making potential to owning your own truck, but you have to make sure you do it right! So, we’ve put together a few tips to keep in mind for your new journey as an owner-operator.
Build Relationships
Life on the road is normally a solitary one, besides maybe your trust dispatcher! However, becoming an owner-operator takes more than just you.
First, you’ll want to find a trustworthy dealership and salesperson. Ask around for recommendations, or just shake a few hands and really get to know them before making any commitments. Trucks are a big investment, and you don’t want to worry about being pressured into the wrong truck (more on the later).
Next, especially if you’re buying used, you’re going to want to find a good mechanic. Someone with fantastic knowledge of the inner workings of trucks and one who isn’t going to try to milk you for extra repairs you don’t need.
Find The Right Truck
Before you buy a truck, you should know what you’ll be hauling. General freight? Won’t need a double frame. Payloads under 80,000 pounds? An overpowered engine won’t be necessary.
You can save a whole lot of money up front if you have an idea of what you’ll be trucking ahead of time. Then again, if you have the capital and want to give yourself more options, you can also make the larger investment.
What’s The Plan?
Besides knowing what you’ll be hauling, what’s your plan on a personal level?
You could buy an older used truck if you only plan on driving for a few more years, or if you want to upgrade to new freight. However, a new truck will definitely last you much longer if you plan to stick around for a while.
Check Out Another Blog: Common Trucking Terms: Explained And Defined!
Sleeper?
One of the best parts of being an owner-operator is the freedom to truck whatever you want and take the routes you like.
You might enjoy long hauls across the country, in which case you’ll want to be on the lookout for a good sleeper unit. However, the entire reason you become an owner-operator might be because you can sleep at home every night! If that’s the case, you can save some money!
You Should Love It
Buying your own truck is an awesome feeling and seeing your new beauty every day should fill you with pride!
How the truck looks absolutely matters, but how it drives matters too! Don’t settle for a truck that doesn’t look, feel, or handle exactly how you imaged it would! Keep an eye out for money-saving and safety features too!
Good luck on your hunt, we wish you all the best, and we can’t wait to see you on the road in your very own truck!
