A Look at the Benefits of Becoming an Owner/Operator

Once you complete truck driving school in Portland and obtain your commercial driver’s license, you will have a choice to make regarding your career as a professional truck driver. You can either join a trucking company, or you can be your own boss as an owner/operator. While the decision to become an owner/operator means giving up a guaranteed weekly paycheck, the earning potentials are infinitely higher. Here is a closer look at some of the benefits of completing CDL training and going on to become an owner/operator.

Make Your Own Schedule
If you’re sick of being told when to show up for work and when you can go home, the independent lifestyle might be right for you. As an owner/operator, you will have the power to decide when you run and when you don’t. Whether you want to put in 20 hours a week or 70, the decision is in your hands.

Select Your Own Loads
Another benefit of being an owner/operator is that you can hand-pick your loads. This means you can refuse to accept a particular load that might not be to your liking without facing dispatcher retaliation. This means no more damaged shipments, partial orders, loose boxes, or any other type of load that might cost you time and money in the long run.

Get Paid to Travel
Because you can choose the loads and lanes that best suit you, you can choose virtually any routes in America. If you’ve always wanted to travel, becoming an owner/operator will allow you to see the entire United States (and even some parts of Canada and Mexico) while you get paid to deliver shipments.

Be Your Own Boss
The biggest advantage of being an owner/operator is also the biggest danger. As an owner/operator, your success or failure depends entirely on how hard you are willing to work. You will learn all the skills needed to be a professional truck driver at truck driving school, but your success as an owner/operator depends on your patience, dedication, and work ethic.