Success as an owner-operator in trucking, particularly in the down market that the industry has experienced in the last two years, requires a certain level of stick-to-itiveness that not every trucker possesses. You can't say that about South English, Iowa-based Candace Marley. She's got that particular quality of tenacity to excel regardless of the challenges the business throws at her.
Marley hauled as a company driver for much of the time between when she got her CDL in 2009 until she bought her first truck in 2020, then branched out on her own in 2022, getting her authority as Calliope LLC. The business name is significant for two reasons:
As with many other hummingbirds, the Calliope's small stature belies big, uncommon agility, a quality it's no stretch to say owner-operator Candace Marley takes business inspiration from herself. She loves hummingbirds.
Owner-operator Candace Marley was the
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Some may have thrown in the towel, but that’s not in her nature. “I thrive on being challenged,” she said. Trucking has offered a challenge no prior work did.
“The one thing that’s been good about trucking itself is it’s been more challenging,” she said. “Well, eventually company driving just … wasn’t challenging anymore. Being my own boss has been way more challenging, so much more. I love it, I thrive on it. I thrive on pushing myself and challenging myself. It’s something new all the time. It’s very stressful, but at the same time, I thrive off that stress.”
