I got my first commercial truck licence in 1988. Millions of miles and smiles later, I want to address a question that has been around for pretty much my entire career: Is the death of the owner-operator nigh?

It’s been predicted many times, discounted many times, and there really has been no clear prediction that I’ve been comfortable getting behind.

In my early years, I hoped that there would still be a career opportunity for me as an owner-operator. I worked toward that goal and achieved it fairly early on in my career.

For roughly 20 years, I was either a single O/O, had several trucks running under my own company banner, or was the manager of my own division. It was quite a ride — sometimes bumpier than a Manitoba highway and at other times as smooth as a new U.S. Interstate. Just a normal trucking career.

I have written in the past that the emissions aftertreatment systems – namely diesel exhaust fluid — was the death knell for me. In the space of three years the replacement cost went up by about $40,000.

Emissions-related downtime

I already had a DEF truck, and the cost of running that was insane. Warranty coverage was good to me, but the killer is always the downtime. No matter how you cut it, days lost cut directly into your bottom line. If you’re not reliable, it always hurts your relationships with your customers.

Today, as I look at the spec’s for a 2027, I find that old anger bubbling up that I thought had passed. Anger at engineers who don’t know what cold is like. Anger at politicians who think the trucking industry is a football they can kick around; ignoring their own wanton waste and hypocrisy. 

At Californians, who have destroyed their state and are bent on destroying everyone else to level the playing field. Lastly, anger at trucking associations on both sides of the border who don’t care to address issues correctly.

This industry has gone mad. While some are so obsessed with Driver Inc. or “leveling the playing field,” we are on the brink of crisis. If you think it’s bad now, just wait until 2027.

Say ‘No’ to cheap freight

You’ll beg the government for more handouts or cheaper labor and I’m willing to bet they won’t care. Why? Instead of cleaning up your own act by sticking to your guns and refusing to haul cheap freight and treating your current drivers with respect, you’re bleating about nonsense.

The same people who want others to pay their taxes will toss a load to a fly-by-night company who will third-party their freight out for a few dollars less. As soon as the load is on someone else’s insurance, you cease to care. Hypocrisy. Greed. Don’t broker out loads for less than cost if you really want to fix trucking’s problems. Don’t try to get O/Os to support your business by paying them less than a living wage.

The big players in this industry have helped create these issues. Don’t like a veteran driver standing up for what’s right? Listen to them, instead of begging government for foreign workers or rookies.

Has everyone forgotten the “never-never” lease program? Where you lease your truck from your company and you never manage to get it paid out because the company will starve you in the last two years? Then they turn around and sell the truck at a tidy profit? Oh wait, that still goes on…but Driver Inc. is the problem!

What are you going to do in less than two years? Who will be able to afford to be an O/O at today’s low pay and high costs?

Plan for world without O/Os

I hope all the companies crying right now have a plan in place to be 100% company-owned very shortly.

Are you angry enough yet to change? How about this? Start lobbying against the insane emission controls. Yeah, you heard me right. Politically incorrect, but that’s where your focus should be. I’m not OK with current emissions, but let’s not make trucking exponentially worse.

So yes, I’m predicting right now that in a very short few years, there will be no more owner-operators. That’s really sad. I guess I’m beyond anger now.

There should be room for small companies, big players, single O/Os, niche carriers and people who just want to drive.

Many years ago, I started writing, hoping that I could make a difference. I wanted to discuss solutions, not rehash old problems. Just call me Don Quixote.