Back in the day, being an “independent trucker” was a renegade existence. No licences, no operating authorities, no fixed address half the time. Just a truck, a trailer, and a head for all the back roads and scale operators willing to look the other way for a price. We called them “gypsies,” guys who wanted a piece of the action but weren’t allowed into the game because the cartels with the licences made darned sure that few, if any, of the others were granted entry.

Now the “gypsy” term is as antiquated as the concept itself. Today’s independent trucker is likely to have everything the larger carriers have, including the necessary authority. And why not? Thirteen years after deregulation started, it’s as easy to get as a dog licence. In fact, I’d venture that it’s easier to get full continent-wide operating authority than a tag for a pit bull terrier, but I’d only be guessing.

For something close to $3000, an owner-op can set up his own North American authority, make all the insurance filings, and have all the paperwork in place to conduct business as a fully registered carrier. It’s a big change of pace from working under the security blanket-some see it as a yoke-of a larger trucking outfit. You’re truly on your own-and alone to look after filing and paying the necessary fees, arranging the next backhaul, collecting the outstanding invoices, and oh, we almost forgot, keeping the wheels turning.

Many who’ve tried it say going out on their own was a real awakening. Surprises come at every turn, and most of them come with a price. Dan Litton, a former independent trucker based in Vancouver, says that going back to a lease arrangement with a carrier was the best move he’s ever made.

“I really didn’t do all the research I should have done up front,” he says. “I learned most of what I needed to know after it was too late.”

Litton says hauling his own freight meant doing everything he could for the customer, even if it sometimes got him into trouble. “They were expecting me to haul heavy because they knew I’d be afraid of losing the contract,” he says. “I did for a while until they brought in another carrier and started a bidding war. Whatever I did after that still wasn’t enough.”

Bev Robinson runs a small consulting business in Langley, B.C., specializing in making the applications and doing the filings required to set up an operating authority. Plenty of lease operators come through her doors dreaming of starting their own business, but quickly turn around when they discover what they’re getting into.

“They see the rate they’re earning under contract to a carrier of say, $1.20 a mile, but they know the load pays $1.80 a mile,” she says. “They start to believe they could run the load themselves for something in between and still make money. They seem to think that by eliminating the middleman [the carrier] they can pocket the difference. It doesn’t quite work that way.”

She says in deciding to go on their own, many wannabe independents fail to recognize the amount of overhead the big carriers have to deal with. Independents have much the same overhead. It’s just wearing a different hat. As for cutting out the middleman, Robinson says with a hearty laugh, most independents turn around and start doing business with load brokers. “And to make it worse, they now have the cost and aggravation of having to collect the freight charges themselves,” she says.

If you think the carrier is ripping you off at $1.20 a mile, consider what it’s worth to have a company fuel card, a cheque waiting in your box every week, or your loads handed to you over the Qualcomm every morning. Weigh that against the costs and potential losses of doing it yourself.

The Going Rate

Steve Bradley is a shipper/traffic manager for a forest product wholesaler in northern Ontario. He sees more and more independents knocking at his door every day. “Frankly,” he admits. “I wish they’d leave me alone.”

While the actual rates he pays are destination-dependent, Bradley frequently sees one-truck independent operators bidding a full dollar per mile less than he’s happy to pay to a carrier he knows will be around to serve him next month and even next year.

“Those guys leave way too much on the table when they come bidding on work,” Bradley says. “I don’t know if it’s because they’re used to being fed a steady diet of low-paying work, or if it’s because they don’t know the value of the service they provide. In any case, whenever my boss sees those quotes, he’s all over me for not using one of them. What he doesn’t see are the service failures or the missed appointments after they’ve found someone else who’ll pay a nickel a mile more. I need dependable carriers, and I’m willing to pay for the piece of mind. Those $1.50-a-mile guys are crazy.”

Bradley also suspects that some independents are scared of starving when things slow down, so they’ll work for next to nothing just to keep the wheels turning.

“These clowns are making it difficult for everyone,” he says.

Uncommon Ground

All of that said, it’s still possible to make independence work. Robinson sees plenty of success stories in her business, mostly the brighter operators who’ve found some niche market requiring a little extra of the carrier. Whether it’s stocking shelves at a retail outlet or hauling an unusual commodity requiring some special handling, there’s money to be made in servicing the uncommon shipper.

Henry Postulart of Tottenham, Ont., used to have his own authority. Now retired, he hauled plaster cast forms used in facing structural columns and wall panels in commercial construction. The forms required blanket wrapping and special load-securement straps to prevent damage. He also had very specific loading and unloading appointments. It wasn’t the kind of thing no one else could do. Postulart just did a damn good job at keeping the shipper happy.

“The rates were more than enough to compensate me for the entire trip,” he says. “I never worried about a backhaul just because I needed one. If something clicked, great.”

That kind of contract, Robinson says, is ideal for the small operator. It makes good business sense. “Getting your own authority because you think your present carrier is ripping you off isn’t a good enough reason,” she says. “You’ll wind up as a really small fish in a large pond that’s already too full of really big, really mean sharks.”