Owner-operators are Professional Truck drivers who own and operate their own trucking businesses. They either lease to a carrier, or they can operate under their own authority.

If they choose to operate under their own authority, they will need Department of Transportation (DOT) and Motor Carrier (MC) numbers that will identify them as registered carriers.

There are about 350,000 owner-operators in the United States that are registered, most of whom lease to carriers and operate under their DOT numbers. Professional Employee Drivers (PED), on the other hand, don’t own or operate their own trucks, and don’t have DOT or MC numbers. Rather, these professionals work directly under a carrier as an employee.

Why Become an Owner-Operator?

There are many reasons why professional and experienced Truck Drivers choose to become owner-operators. For starters, the allure of being independent is a major reason why many professional drivers take that next step. In addition, the flexibility that comes with being an owner-operator is another major reason why truck drivers choose to become owner-operators. They have much more freedom to choose their loads, as well as what their schedules are.

Since owner-operators are essentially not capped on their salaries like employed truck drivers are, owner-operators can essentially make a lot more money. Of course, how much they make depends on how hard they work, the miles driven, how good they are with their finances, and how well they take care of their trucks and equipment. After all, the better their trucks are cared for, the less money needs to be spent on maintaining and repairing them.

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