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Life of a Trucker, No. 6: The Coyote

Overdrive Staff

May 2, 2015

Updated May 12, 2017

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How owner-ops dodge shady brokers, ensuring freight's paid when due

More than 500 owner-operators completed Overdrive's survey probing freight frauds and broker vetting, nonpayment issues and bond claims. Strategies to weed out bottom-dollar brokers and guard against fraudulent actors seeking "free" freight movement emerge.

The annual Walcott Truckers Jamboree was held last weekend, July 9-11 at the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa.

Walcott draws 48K attendees: Full Super Truck Beauty Contest results

The shaded area on the left shows negative margins, while the overall graph, put together by Ken Adamo with DAT data, shows a 13.45% margin for brokers. That's down about a couple percentag points down since last June in a sign of a tightening market.

Broker margins took a beating in June: DAT data

Oberman Logistics owner Wes Oberman's personal truck is this Kenworth T680 -- purchased to replace a lower-fuel-mileage 2020 389 that powered his maiden voyage in trucking as an owner-operator. He's getting 10 mpg now, and providing a reliable home for leased owners. As of July 2026, the fleet's up to 14 trucks and set up for further growth.

Small Fleet Champ Wes Oberman harnesses AI coding, builds custom TMS

FMCSA's recent warning on MC number sales hasn't ended the grey market trade just yet.

$75K for your authority? Underground MC number sales network uncovered

How carrier vetting changed, before and after big SCOTUS ruling

More episodes »