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Once you have opted to take the next step in your career, becoming an owner operator, it’s time to comprehend that there is more to running a successful business than driving your truck. Being a profitable business owner means that you will take on a wide range of responsibilities. There are a assortment of responsibilities you must concentrate on but I’ll be sharing two that are vital for being both the owner and operator of your truck.

A significant duty is keeping your truck on the road and working well. The reality is that trucks break down no matter what the amount of work you put into them. This is just the nature of what we do. By developing and following specific policies with regard to maintenance and care, you can decrease the time that your truck is in the shop. By making smart choices and proactively caring for your truck, you can keep it on the road.

One of the most important procedures in the owner operator scenario is the pre-trip inspection. If you do not open the hood, check fluid levels, look for leaks, check belts and hoses, check tires, brakes, suspension parts, steering parts, drain your air tanks, verify gauges and generally inspect your truck, you are missing one of the most vital steps in being an owner operator. If you do not take the time to look over your truck you could very easily end up with repairs that are far more costly than they should be. Being aggressive, in respect to the condition of your truck, is a must if you truly want to be successful. This inspection is also about basic safety, you need to make sure your truck is always in compliance with DOT regulations.

Just as important as preventative maintenance is scheduled maintenance. Switching filters and fluids at, or before, the manufacturers recommended mileage or time frame may be your single best prevention to expensive repairs. Along with the manufactures suggestions, you need to consider the driving conditions you are experiencing. If you are in extreme heat, dust, lugging, or climbing you may want to change oil, filters, etc. more frequently.

The before mentioned topics may seem very simple but the reality is that many unsuccessful owner operators don’t do the basic things well. If you want to maintain a well operating truck then be sure to do both your pre-travel inspections as well as perform scheduled maintenance. By doing both you can avoid costly repairs and stay behind the wheel when you need to.

Are you searching for today’s leading truck leasing provider? At Lone Mountain Truck Leasing we offer semi truck financing, allowing you to become an owner operator quickly and effortlessly.

Having a successful trucking business takes more than a simple knowledge of making profitable hauls and how to control costs. You need to have a strong understanding of sound business principles and a willingness to learn about many different aspects of business that you may not have experience in. As your business grows you can hire employees to do your accounting, contracting, and management, but with a rudimentary understanding of these functions you can achieve greater success.

Thinking about your own business in the trucking industry?. If you think that being successful simply means that you’re spending all of your time on the road, then think again. You can only reach your goals if you learn to manage your driving with your business.

Once a plan has been created for your business, determine how best to work your plan. Running a profitable trucking business is only possible when you move in the direction of your goals each and every day. Be persistent if you want to be successful. After you make progress in the direction of your goals, you may find that you begin to accomplish more than you had ever hoped.

In addition to planning and addressing your plan, consider the power of relationship building. By creating a strong relationship with other drivers or owners in your line of work, you can build your skill set and find resources that may have otherwise never been developed. Ask yourself how you can be introduced others in your line of work and take steps towards growing your network.

After just a little while, your business is bound to grow. When you begin to achieve the success you desire, reassess your priorities. Make sure to ask yourself if you need to form new goals or if you require different resources to maintain your status. Achieving success is not easy but can happen when you are determined to reach your goal.

Being an owner of a growing and profitable trucking company is a great way to make an independent living. It’s does require work however. If you want to be successful you will need to expand as an individual and always be improving your skills. This is how the most profitable trucking companies became who they are today. Start small and grow in a meaningful way.

Joe Hoovestol is the owner of Lone Mountain Truck Leasing which offers semi trucks for sale and semi truck financing on today’s best trucks. Learn more about becoming an owner operator with the assistance of trucking professionals.

There are some good shops out there and then there are definitely some that are less than desirable. Usually it’s best to assume that a shop is out to take advantage of you. Then you’re covered either way. Even though this approach may seem pessimistic, it is the best way to make sure that you are negotiating fairly and getting what you paid for. After finding the right mechanic who is trustworthy, you can breathe easy.

For anyone driving a truck for a living, you know that with lots of miles comes lots of potential repairs and the need for maintenance. Additionally, when relying on a single vehicle for long hauls, you’ll also need to consider building a relationship with a mechanic or local dealer. This may include a dealer or local mechanic. If your dealer or primary mechanic honestly believes that you’ll come back, they are much less likely to take advantage of you. Be sure to mention that you are looking for someone trustworthy and reliable. If the dealer believes you’re there for just a single fix, they are less likely to treat you as a long term customer.

When considering taking your truck to a mechanic, always ask for an estimate before work begins. In addition, get a printed estimate of work to be accomplished. Once you have an estimate, phone your dealer and ask them for a quote on the same job. It’s best to have a detailed estimate with approximate times and costs noted. This makes for a great negotiation resources and encourages your local dealer to work with you on cost of repair and the labor they are charging you for.

Once you’ve reached an agreement with your mechanic or dealer, let them know that you are agreeing to pay on the original estimate only. Additional expenses will not be paid for. Make this clear by saying it numerous times throughout the buying process. Once you’ve clearly communicated your expectations, there will be no doubt that you are unwilling to incur additional costs.

I have years of experience selling Volvo trucks. As such I know that many of the problems they have are both common and predictable. The biggest worry most people have is that when a problem arises they think the truck needs to be taken to a Volvo shop.Today this is no longer true with a lot of the major Fleets running Volvo trucks. Some of these shops know that they are specialists and that your options are limited. But you can still use the techniques I described to get the best and most fair price available.

Joe Hoovestol is the owner of Lone Mountain Truck Leasing which offers commercial truck leasing and semi truck financing on today’s most popular trucks. Discover more about being an owner operator with the help of trucking professionals.

Many people are aware that trucking has one of the greatest turnover rates of any industry. There are quite a few fleets that actually have a turnover rate over 100% annually. This is due to many drivers only staying at a company for a couple months and then leaving for another place to work.

Taking a good look at work history and where the truck is going once it departs from the lot of Lone Mountain Truck Leasing is something we do when an individual applies at our business. The reason for this is simple: Someone who is seasoned in the business, that has been with one company over several years (and plans to remain there as well) typically make up our best clients. By spending more time in one place, these drivers have grown to know the right people in the trucking business, and how to go about being successful within the company structure of where they are employed.

Just like starting any job where you are new, you generally do not start right at the top of the business. With a large corporation (if you chose to work for one), you would not expect to be offered the same pay or treated the same as those who have been with that company much longer, and have gained a significant amount of experience by being there. Even though a trucking company may not be very large, the same facts are true. Generally, the easiest and highest paying loads go to the driver with the most experience, that have proven themselves through a long history with the company. The same goes for the dispatchers in the company. Why does this happen? The trucking company wants to keep their most loyal employees happy.

Before receiving any preferential treatment from anyone at a new place of employment, the brand new driver is always going to be required to prove themselves, even if their skills rival that of a veteran in the business.

One downward spiral that some drivers can get stuck in is caused by not sticking with one company for an extended period of time. Because of this, they don’t have the success they would like to. A recruiter or another driver may tell them that certain truckers are doing great at another company. However, they tend to leave out that these are veteran drivers that have stayed in that one business for a long period of time. Going to one company, then hearing a success story of another, and leaving to pursue that one is not the best way to become successful.

There are initial steps you can take to make sure that the company you may be working for fits you. First, look for both veteran and new operators at the company to talk to. Ask them individually how they are treated to get a how they like where they work. This way, you can compare how they treat the new drivers versus the veteran ones. If both opinions seem positive, maybe that is when you want to join up with the company. If you do join the company and find out that it is not what you are hoping for, give it a little bit of time to adjust and get to know some people there, in order to build good working relationships. This will help improve your chances of success. In about a year, if you find that the job is still not a fit, begin looking for other employment. This way, your next employer can see that you are looking to stay at a job for more than a few months. When thinking about your next move in the trucking industry, it would be good for you to keep this information in mind.

Are you looking for today’s best truck leasing provider? At Lone Mountain Truck Leasing we offer semi truck financing, allowing you to become an owner operator quickly and easily.

For owner operators, the topic of budgeting should be heavily thought through. As we all have experienced, the economy has caused a number of financial problems for many people, and the result has been a heightened awareness of expenses. You can plan and plan again in this business,but it may not always help unless you’re prepared for other expenses that may come up that were not expected. The miles you run and your rates of payment may be easy to predict, but truck maintenance (and how much it can cost to take care of the fixes) cannot. Therefore, you should always be planning ahead.

You may have heard that a truck that has a million miles on it runs like a Swiss clock, and you might have a new truck that never seems to leave the shop. Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw. However, like any machine that runs every day, eventually it WILL have a problem. When it does break, it’s usually tough to get through the shop and back on the road for less than $1000. This is why you need to be prepared for these instances. If you’re ready, these repairs are just a business setback instead of a business killer.

At Lone Mountain Truck Leasing we include a one year/100,000 mile engine warranty on each of the trucks we sell that were manufactured in 2005 and newer. These warranties cover a lot of the major components that will result in what we call a “catastrophic failure.” Typically, these fixes will be in the area of $5,000-$25,000. While these failures do not happen very often, there will be other non-catastrophic events that will threaten to put your company underwater if you aren’t ready for them.

A good rule of thumb to follow is to set aside at least five cents per mile for maintenance. This, of course, will change depending on how many miles are on your truck, its age, and how many additional miles you’re adding to the truck during a given year. Five cents per mile is definitely a good place to start though. If you don’t set anything aside and hope to only change the oil over the next year, you probably aren’t going to make it very long as an owner operator.

This current economy shows that the trucking business (similar to any other business) requires to you to frequently monitor your expenses to try to keep a financial cushion when times to begin to become bad. When the need for truck repairs come around (and they always will come around) you will be well prepared for them. Rebounding quickly from these types of problems to get back on the road is the key point to remain successful in this business.

Lone Mountain Truck Leasing is today’s premier commercial truck leasing provider. Find out how our semi truck financing can put you in your very own big rig today.