The California challenge

Kevin Rutherford | May 27, 2013

California’s aggressive regulatory climate provoked this sentiment, which has circulated online in different forms. Chris Thomas, leased to Minnesota-based Autumn Transport, made stickers of this version he planned to offer up to anyone who ...

Dollars & Sense

Knowing if you’re ready to buy

Kevin Rutherford | April 30, 2013

Assessing net worth relative to your age says more than you think about your ability to purchase a truck and succeed as an owner-operator. I’m often asked: “How much cash do I need to get ...

Dollars & Sense

Why be an owner-operator?

Kevin Rutherford | April 23, 2013

Company drivers looking to make the switch to truck ownership, take heed: Because you’re used to focusing on driving, it’s easy as a new owner-operator to throw paperwork in a drawer and plan on ...

Dollars & Sense

Do the hard work to improve the business

Kevin Rutherford | April 08, 2013

Developing strategic relationships, such as with a skilled mechanic, is one of the key challenges in building a successful owner-operator business. We’ve always been told that you have to work hard and smart to be ...

Dollars & Sense

Drive better to save fuel

Kevin Rutherford | April 01, 2013

You can convert a 6x4 axle configuration to a 6x2 configuration and increase fuel economy by 5 percent. It’s been proven many times, but I seldom recommend it to an owner-operator. Why? Because it has ...

Dollars & Sense

A tale of two drivers says a lot about fuel use

Kevin Rutherford | February 07, 2013

A recent caller to my radio show said he and his friend had just finished a two-month test of how their driving habits affect fuel mileage. Tests like this are often meaningless because there are too ...

Dollars & Sense

You can be a change agent

Kevin Rutherford | January 14, 2013

Only one of every five owner-operators tracks fuel mileage on every tank. That means most operators aren’t working effectively to reduce their No. 1 expense. Only one in 10 produces and analyzes a monthly profit-and-loss statement. ...

Dollars & Sense

Owning a trailer can pay off in more ways than one

Kevin Rutherford | December 27, 2012

The same physics that apply to tractor fuel economy improvements can be applied to the trailer. The more aerodynamic the tractor is, the more critical it is for the trailer to play a complementary role ...

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CSA'S DATA TRAIL

Crashes and interventions: CSA’s crash flaw

Independent owner-operators have the lowest rate of truck-involved crashes but are far more likely to be put out of service than drivers for carriers with 500 or more trucks, which have a higher crash rate.

Crashes and interventions: Wreck frequency varies widely by state

Kevin Rutherford

Kevin Rutherford is an accountant, small-fleet owner and the host of "Trucking Business & Beyond," which airs on Sirius XM Radio's Road Dog Trucking Radio. He writes Overdrive's Dollars & Sense column and presents Overdrive's Partners in Business seminars at truck shows.