A part of what you are promoting planning will essentially be geared toward answering the query of simply what kind of work you intend to do as an owner-operator. That’s, what kind of freight will you specialise in? Determining the kind of work you wish to do will provide help to decide methods to spec the tools you purchase, and whether or not or not it’s best to take into account shopping for a trailer.
Specializing in some area of interest hauls — reminiscent of heavy-haul, auto hauling, livestock and others — can add to an owner-operator’s incomes potential with higher-paying hundreds. Higher revenues is not simply charity, nevertheless. There may be added expense in getting concerned in numerous freight niches, typically with costlier trailers and different tools.
For auto haulers, for instance, a brand new eight-car trailer can price upwards of $110,000. A full-on stinger-steer setup with a tractor and trailer may run upwards of $300,000 in at this time’s market.
Livestock haulers are also $80,000 or extra for a well-built rigged-out livestock trailer. Used road-ready livestock trailers may run from $35,000 to $50,000. Trailers needing repairs can run as little as $15,000 to $20,000, however the repairs may cost a little you one other $10K.
Comparably-conditioned however extra versatile dry vans, reefers and flatbeds come at only a fraction of these prices. If you happen to’re trying to pull tankers, these can run upwards of $65,000 new, relying on the kind of tank you want for what you haul. There are a number of segments — niches throughout the area of interest, if you’ll — inside liquid tanker freight, together with hazmat chemical hauling, meals grade, asphalt and others, practically all requiring their very own specialised tank tools.
New
Overdrive’s Load Revenue Analyzer
Know your prices? Compute the potential revenue in any truckload, analyze per-day and per-mile breakouts, and evaluate actual affords on a number of hundreds or recreation out hypothetical price/lane situations. Enter your trucking enterprise’s mounted and variable prices, and cargo data, to get began.
[Related: ‚Keep digging‘ with Dice Mayhem’s Trucking, growing dump roots to long-term success]
As with tankers, heavy-haul and specialty oversize-freight trailers are available in a variety of configurations, relying on what you want them to do. One instance is a removeable gooseneck (RGN) trailer for outsized freight that options outrigger slide-outs or flip-outs to accommodate wider hundreds. Slide-outs could make for a costlier trailer — $65,000 or extra new — due to their configuration permitting a bit of apparatus to sit down about 4 inches decrease than the principle deck. Essentially the most elaborate and specialised of modular heavy-haul trailers can effectively exceed $100,000 in worth themselves.
Browse Overdrive’s „Area of interest Hauls“ archive by way of this hyperlink for a wealth of in-depth protection of a wide range of specialised freight niches and distinctive homeowners relationship again a long time. You may discover options on car hauling, houseboat hauls, navy freight, oil-field work, hotshot trucking, cargo van work, intermodal drayage, heavy haul, live performance tour work and far, way more.
How concerning the no-trailer area of interest?
On the flipside, some specialised area of interest hauls won’t require a trailer in any respect. Development within the “energy solely” section, the place an impartial with motor provider authority operates in a dealer or shipper’s system pulling these companions’ trailers, has been large within the final decade. Drop-and-hook alternatives there can assist maximize miles run with much less time spent loading and unloading.
This function is a part of Overdrive’s coproduction with enterprise providers agency ATBS of the Companions in Enterprise guide, a complete playbook for owner-operator careers. Browse the 2025 version in its new dynamic on-line library format in eight sections by way of this hyperlink.
[Related: To own or not to own a trailer: How COVID fast-tracked a boom in power-only trucking opportunities]
House time typically can be achieved extra simply, given vans are able to effectively greater than double the everyday gas mileage of a Class 8. There’s a decrease barrier to entry when it comes to tools prices and licensing. For most van operators, a business driver’s license shouldn’t be a prerequisite for acquiring non-hazmat work. Sticker costs on new fuel or diesel vans of optimum measurement for hauling are far lower than costs for brand spanking new Class 8s, to not point out these specialty area of interest trailers.
Earlier than you abandon the trailer altogether, although, know that the easy-in repute isn’t all the time justified. Working with motor provider authority may be troublesome for brand spanking new entrants in cargo vans. A singular multicarrier expediting mannequin additionally brings its personal prices and issues.
Nonetheless, those that discover methods to set themselves aside with further credentials or distinctive tools have discovered worthwhile properties inside it.
