Despite the lackluster freight markets of the last few years, motivated owner-operators new to small business trucking are finding ways not just to survive, but to thrive.
- Even for the average owner-operator, net income rose in 2024 among ATBS clients, after years of declines and revenue continuing its fall.
- Owners getting started among the younger generations are building efficiency with technology, from aggregating load options and operations with TMS platforms to, like small fleet owner Wes Oberman, taking advantage of high-fuel-mileage options with newer equipment.
- The right time to go independent? Only after you've put in the work to prepare and you're ready, fundamentally.
In the video excerpt above from the 2025 Mid-America Trucking Show, Red Eye Radio host Eric Harley led a discussion with ATBS Vice President Mike Hosted, Overdrive Editor Todd Dills and business coach Gary Buchs. The video delves directly into the characteristics of small-business truckers who have what it takes to start strong as an independent owner-operator no matter the business environment.
From practical planning and financial tools to building the right support system and using available technology, the conversation explores why a down market, counterintuitively, might actually be a good time for some to make the jump in business, especially those who’ve done their homework.
The right time to start an owner-operator business? Dills asked. Truthfully, "the right time is when you're ready for it."
And if you're ready and the economy and general business is in the lull of a down cycle, and you're prepared and you can do well, it's really going to pay off when the economy's high cycles come.
[Related: How to not just survive, but thrive, through the bottom of the freight markets]
"We are starting see a lot of younger people come into the marketplace," said ATBS's Hosted at the time. "That younger demographic ... the ones that are motivated, that do the right things, that surround themselves with the right people and do the research, there is success to be had. Even in a prolonged three-year down market, our independents are actually raising their net income right now."
The discussion expanded on the myriad pieces of owner-operator business instruction found in the Partners in Business playbook, a collaboration between Overdrive and ATBS offering small fleet and owner-op strategies for long-term success, now in a mobile-friendly format.
[Related: Freight finally stabilizing? Second 2025 owner-operator trends data session upcoming]
Find more videos from this talk as well as past MATS Partners in Business roundtables with Overdrive, Red Eye Radio, and ATBS via the playlist embedded below.
