Pulse

Max Untitled 12Truly independent

Look back 50 years at any industry and it’s obvious that much has changed, yet some core elements remain constant. Review Overdrive’s early years and you’ll find echoes of today’s topics: conflicts with carriers and regulators, complaints about truck stops, concerns about the quality of equipment. A blurb on the cover of the first issue, September 1961, perhaps says it all: “OUR READERS GRIPE.”

Even so, I think owner-operators’ tendency to gripe has waned – well, at least a tad – since those days. And for good reason. Truck stops offer more comprehensive services. Communications technology makes life on the road far less lonely. Trucks are far more efficient, comfortable and durable. Many carriers no longer take owner-operators for granted.

Another change, one that’s harder for newer owner-operators to appreciate, is the business-political climate. If you read Todd Dills’ excellent recap of the history of the owner-operator business model (Page 22), you’ll get a better idea. The absurd restrictions that reigned prior to deregulation put owner-operators at extreme disadvantage. Also, unionization pressure from the Teamsters could be high in spite of what little the union could do for a self-employed owner-operator. Resulting conflicts were much nastier than what’s going on today with state and federal initiatives that could undermine the independent contractor status.

Pressure from the Teamsters, as reflected in this December 1969 cover photo of violence involving steel haulers, was one of the early conflicts owner-operators faced.Pressure from the Teamsters, as reflected in this December 1969 cover photo of violence involving steel haulers, was one of the early conflicts owner-operators faced.

Those conflicts, along with the pressure of rising fuel prices, occasionally resulted in shutdowns and other protests. Owner-operators still now and then call for shutdowns over various issues. They remember when a large-enough portion of the trucking workforce could do something disruptive enough to make news.

Such calls generally don’t go anywhere today – and that’s not all bad. Since deregulation, owner-operators enjoy a more free environment, with plenty of opportunity to operate independently. Successful owner-operators are very entrepreneurial, largely able to control their own profitability. They can lobby through the same political channels everyone else uses, or through their own trade group (the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association) to achieve policy changes or take grievances to court.

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This is not to say that trucking has evolved into the nirvana of careers. There are more than enough crooked brokers, stingy carriers, clueless regulators and stupid four-wheelers to make any driver long to find a paycheck somewhere else.

The important thing is that the owner-operator has come into his own as a legitimate self-employed business owner able to deal with such opposition. The owner-operator model is sound, offering great rewards for those who approach it like a business.

Overdrive is proud for the role it played in freeing up the marketplace for drivers who wanted to own their own truck and operate with independence. Overdrive is proud of the role it continues to play in helping owner-operators get ever better at mastering the challenging job they do.