Voices

Voices
Is your average length of haul getting longer? Shorter?
Long-term, the trend in length of haul among owner-operators has been shorter, particularly given pressures put on routes by the ELD mandate several years ago. Take this quick survey to weigh in on shorter-term trends for your hauls since 2019.
January 26, 2022
St Louis Chicago Signs Truck On Highway
Channel 19
Dramatic, disastrous wheel-off incidents -- a new way to prevent
Former owner-operator Scott Grenerth well recalls the day a leaky wheel seal resulted in heat such that a tandem pair on his trailer rocketed into the woods clearing a path like a tornado. New sensor tech from LWS, Inc., could have helped prevent it.
January 25, 2022
tire flying off car from accident
Overdrive Extra
It’s high time for a new accessorial when dealing with certain brokers
While there are many accessorials and some unique to specific types of trucking, let's add another to every carrier’s arsenal. Just as brokers might charge a service fee for “Quick Pay,” carriers should charge "Quick POD" to brokers demanding it.
January 24, 2022
truck driver on phone at a delivery
Overdrive Radio
Owner-Op of the Year Bryan Smith's three-decade journey through trucking, family, more
In this edition of Overdrive Radio, walk-and-talk with trucker Bryan Smith through decades of business ownership, after operating heavy equipment in the Marine Corps during the Gulf War, and commitment to family and community.
January 21, 2022
overdrive radio collage
Channel 19
FMCSA's new 'Entry Level' training regs loom, old-school training ways survive
As for-hire trainers around the nation continue to pop up in FMCSA's new registry and adjust processes to fit the new rule, among "private" providers is one small fleet whose old-school apprenticeship approach will thrive even with new regs.
January 20, 2022
ralph smith co
Business
Survey: Have you tried 'usage based' insurance programs for dynamic liability-insurance pricing?
Usage-based forms of liability insurance have come to more than one trucking insurance provider. Wherever you are in your career, take this two-question survey to weigh in on such plans, with rates varying with miles run, days used, other factors.
January 20, 2022
Highway Scene Dusk
Small Fleet Champ
'This could be a good life': Small Fleet Champ's vision for the next generation of truck operators
Silver Creek Transportation's Jason Cowan hopes to provide the younger generation of prospective truck drivers the space to "adapt to the vision that, you know, this could be a good life" behind the wheel.
January 19, 2022
silver creek team
Overdrive Extra
A closer look at insurance unique to power-only trucking
Insurance companies' policy and claims rules differ when it comes to the two types of insurance to cover trailers pulled power-only: so-called 'trailer interchange' and 'non-owned trailer' coverages. What you need will depend on operations particulars.
January 17, 2022
Have a particular insurance-related question for the author of this story, insurance agent/longtime owner-operator W. Joel Baker? Drop a comment with any question under the story or get in touch with Baker directly via his website.
Overdrive Radio
What's your exit strategy? Faces of the Road with author Michael Perry
Long Haul Paul asks: What would it be like to be a substitute Spanish teacher, in addition to part-time trucking? Paul's interview for Overdrive Radio with former trucking writer Michael Perry interrogates life after trucking, self-employment and more.
January 14, 2022
overdrive radio collage
Channel 19
Straight-truck short-haul with owner-op Miles Puckett
Puckett hauls blacktop in and around his Eastern Kentucky home base with this '07 Pete dump, one among owners of straight trucks making it work in the vocational dump segment.
January 12, 2022
Miles Puckett 2007 Peterbilt dump truck
Overdrive Extra
What do you do when you can't source something as simple as oil?
Gary Buchs relays a tale from an owner-operator unable to source 5W40 synthetic oil for service at one of the biggest shops in the country, along the way underscoring tried-and-true, and novel, strategies toward dealing with today's myriad disruptions.
January 10, 2022
diesel tech checks oil dipstick level
Overdrive Extra
Va. guv blames drivers as operators react to I-95 snow-in
The 27-hour snow-in on I-95 in Virginia, trapping hundreds of drivers, made national headlines. The fallout's not been kind to outgoing governor Ralph Northam, who blamed drivers for the mess, apologized, and expressed frustration.
January 7, 2022
cars stuck in I-95 snow
Overdrive Radio
Within whorls of trucking history: Long Haul Paul's new 'Corn Belt Cafe'
A pervasive sense of loss permeates "Corn Belt Cafe," the new record Paul Marhoefer recorded all in live takes with principal partner Michael Ronstadt on cello. It's quite cohesive as a record, however, with an earthy feel evoking its rural road roots.
January 7, 2022
Corn Belt Cafe Eat sign
Channel 19
'Black Out' vets-support Freightliner in the market for a new commander
"I want this to last forever. I want this to be a forever statement." –Owner-operator Chuck Timbrook on his Black Out vets-support rig. Timbrook's now actively seeking a new commander for the mission, and buyer for the rig.
January 5, 2022
1999 Freightliner Black Out
Voices
POLL: Post-crash litigation -- have you or your business been a target?
Whether or not you or the company you lease to or drive for has been a defendant in post-crash civil litigation, on the rise in recent years, take a moment to weigh in on the subject of lawsuits -- and threats that lead to post-crash settlements.
January 3, 2022
Truck Pulled Over Highway
Overdrive Extra
An 'Owner-operator Mentor Academy' for sensible trucking apprenticeship
Overdrive Extra contributor Clifford Petersen outlines a proposal in response to the Department of Labor's 90-Day Trucking Apprenticeship Challenge, one that would lean heavily on experienced owner-ops for basic safety, regs, business education.
January 3, 2022
semi truck with 'driver training' on back door
Overdrive Radio
A final 14 -- plus a 3-hour pause -- to count down to 2022
This special edition of the Overdrive Radio podcast counts down to 2022 with a run back through 17 of our most-listened-to episodes of the year, covering HOS/waivers, roadside trends, custom project rigs and restos, cooking in-cab, and so much more. ...
December 31, 2021
overdrive radio collage
Overdrive Extra
A $21K overdue bill for ELD service you never used? How friends might help
For these small fleet owners, after three years of escalating overdue notices, their personal network finally cracked the case with a solution. Looking into 2022, invest in your own network to ward off problems, create new opportunities.
December 30, 2021
eld grid
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