The owner operator conference is about the business of becoming an owner operator and growing into more than one truck. Being a driver and running your own operation is different. You need to have or create the attitude and skill sets of an entrepreneur. You are responsible for your destiny. Today, we'll be discussing the skills you need to survive and thrive in the business of trucking.

Forward Air predicts a bright outlook for 2021 and beyond. Chief People Officer Kyle Mitchin discusses how the Company’s rapid growth and investments are creating opportunities for its vast team of capacity and fleet partners.

The Commercial Vehicle Training Association’s new president and CEO, Bailey Wood, discusses why it was important for him to serve the transportation industry, the steps the CVTA is taking to prepare states for the ELDT regulation coming in February and the importance of removing the interstate commerce restriction on 18 to 20 year old drivers.

Lewie Pugh is a former behind-the-wheel trucker who now works for the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association, the largest trade group representing owner operators. In this fireside chat with editor at large John Kingston, Pugh discusses a wide range of topics that OOIDA has its eye on, particularly where independent owner operators might be impacted by existing or potential regulations that come out of the Biden administration. Among them: OOIDA's long-time dismissal of the whole concept of a "driver shortage."

Entrepreneurship is a challenge in any industry and starting your own trucking empire is not an easy task. Often it starts with that first truck. It's all about learning what you don't know you don't know. Paying attention to the fine details and numbers is the key though.

TrueNorth’s specialists, Tyler Menhusen and Alysha Brown, share all about the business and personal coverages available to owner-operators and their families through the Independent Advantage and TrueChoices platforms. Learn about dental, vision, health, physical damage, non-trucking, and so much more! All the things drivers need to get them on the road safely.

Fleet owners face the near-impossible task of starting a business while competing with behemoths. You’re wearing multiple hats, trying to run your business, get customers, learn all of the new tech coming into the space, and now you’ve gotta build a website and market yourself too? It can seem daunting. But in this segment, Blythe Brumleve of Digital Dispatch is going to break down the must-have website and marketing tactics every fleet owner needs in their digital survival kit.

In the US truckload market, some 90 percent of capacity is provided by fleets of 20 trucks or less and independent owner-operators. They've been the industry's unheralded player, the shock absorber that helps smooth over the ups and downs of boom-and-bust times. Yet if Covid has revealed anything, it is how these operators have proved their worth - and deserve our respect - for stepping up to help keep freight moving in an unprecedented capacity crunch. Schneider talks about the key role these industry stalwarts play for their network and customers.

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Seizures of drugs from tractor-trailers are a regular occurrence at the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada. Lawyer Su Ross, a partner with MSK in Los Angeles who specializes in compliance issues, says the drivers caught with these illicit loads are often unaware of what they were hauling. Ross talks with FreightWaves reporter Nate Tabak, the co-host of the podcast Long-Haul Crime Log, about what truckers and fleets need to know when this happens to them.

With independent contractor law AB 5 increasingly likely to be the law of the land in California, how trucking companies prepare for that day will be enormously important. Damon Ott, a shareholder in the Littler Mendelson law firm, speaks with editor at large John Kingston about what companies should be doing now to get ready for the day when AB 5 is implemented, whenever that might be.

Starting a business is a daunting challenge. This session will lean on the experience and lessons learned from trucker who successfully took the leap to becoming his own boss.

Financials are always key in any business. For small fleets and owner-operators the decision about buying or leasing equipment is always difficult. Join our fireside chat where our experts examine how to analyze the decision based on your needs.

The holidays: While most are relaxing and enjoying time with family and friends, you’re on high alert. What can you do to protect your loads from holiday spikes in cargo theft—and how can you set yourself up for a successful cargo claim? We’ll share the timely tips, tricks, and trends that can help you protect your loads and your business.

Financing your day to day operations is one of, if not the most important decision when striking out on your own. Often it means using a factoring service and quick pay options. If this is the road you take, then it's important to have the info to make the right decisions.

Join Nick Hillesheim, Chief Sales Officer at TVC Pro-Driver, for an insightful overview of CDL legal services and learn how a professional driver can leverage outsourced legal benefits and services to their advantage and protect their CDL. Plus, hear from Lysa Bockoven and Chelsea Pieczko from Decker Truck Line as they share their first-person experience working with multiple legal providers. If you have ever been curious which types of citations are most common, whether it is possible to fight a ticket, and what impact not fighting a ticket can have on your livelihood, this is the session for you!