Now— summer is just around the corner. What does that mean? An increase in the number of vehicles and the annoying Class A Motorhomes on the road as people enjoy their summer vacations. So, what does it mean for truck drivers during the summer? More vehicles in your way on your journey to deliver your loads. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out in trucking, let’s talk about how you can navigate summer time traffic. The Cause of Summer Traffic By now we should understand that there are several factors that contribute to summer traffic. Vacation Season: Families embark on road tri ..read more

The Department of Labor (DOL) has thrown a curve ball introducing new rules, shaking up how we define W-2 employees versus 1099 contractors, effective since March 11th, 2024. There have been a number of questions coming from our clients with Motor Carrier HQ about the new DOL rules. The DOL aims to bring clarity to a blurry landscape where workers’ classifications have been as unpredictable as a thunderstorm on the open road. Only time will tell if the change brings sunshine or more fog. Let’s break it down. In Short: The DOL issued new rules to determine WHO should be W2 Employees and WHO ca ..read more

Spring cleaning season. People have been looking forward to this moment ever since the first snow started falling and the daylight hours started getting shorter. The arrival of spring brings with it the smile of the sun, which marks the transition from winter to summer. Take advantage of spring cleaning to keep your rig in tip top shape so your journey on the road stays fresh. Declutter Your Cab Let’s recognize that there’s a high chance that the last couple of months your truck turned into a storage unit of various items you no longer need. Throw away that trash, old documents, and all the un ..read more

Valentine’s Day— a celebration of love and affection — can pose a unique challenge for those professions and lifestyles that keep them on the road, like trucking. Maintaining romance connections while constantly moving from one place or another requires some creativity, effort, and a bit of spontaneity. The Challenge of Love on the Move Life on the road often translates into physical distance and limited face-to-face interactions with your significant other. The continuous absence can take a toll on the emotional connection, making it crucial to find innovative ways to bridge the gap and celeb ..read more

You want your motor carrier business to attract and retain the right drivers. But hiring good drivers requires knowing which character traits and professional qualities are most valuable. As Haulin Assets Ep. 83 suggests, a good driver shows professionalism, takes proactive steps to get a job done, solves problems effectively, takes initiative to help other drivers, and goes above and beyond when the moment requires it. Basically, a good driver is more than just a driver because they need to successfully represent these company values at all times. If you want to know the technical steps ..read more

Whether it’s a relationship with a customer or with your employee, creating and maintaining positive relationships can make or break your motor carrier business. A common work saying is that people don’t often leave jobs – they leave bosses. This is where brushing up on your human skills (otherwise known as soft skills) saves you money and improves your business. How to Build and Maintain Relationships Human skills help us work well with others, and when you are operating a business that depends on the productivity of other people, these skills are essential. Using soft skills with your employ ..read more

Long hours on the road with nothing but white lines and the open road can be physically, emotionally, and mentally draining. This is where the magic of music comes into play. Music can uplift spirits and keep drivers alert. Podcasts can provide entertainment for the many hours behind the wheel. Creating mood-specific playlists can enhance a trucker’s driving experience but also cater to their emotional needs. Let’s explore the best trucking playlists for different moods. Energizing Tunes for Early Mornings As dawn stretches over the horizon, truckers start their mornings early and what better ..read more

Happy New Year, road warriors! Another year of endless highway miles is upon us. However, this year provides a great opportunity to focus on something other than white lines – our health. Chasing white lines isn’t just a job for truckers, it’s a lifestyle. Truckers face tough challenges, especially when it comes to staying in good health on the road. The Why Behind Health Resolutions Resolutions can be as simple or as complex as we want to make them. For truck drivers, resolutions related to your health can be to improve the overall quality of your life. Truck drivers can experience interrupti ..read more

As an owner operator, you quickly learn that taking care of your fleet is an important part of the business. And accepting that you’ll always have maintenance and repairs popping up at inconvenient times will help you stay in a proactive mindset when it happens (it’s all about managing those expectations, right?). Once you have business momentum, it’s crucial to keep that consistency if you can. Maintained trucks help. So, here are the top reasons why it’s important to create structure around this issue and get your vehicles maintained on the regular. One thing we like to do is have a mechanic ..read more

Most owner operators have experience with personal credit. The helpful thing is that business credit – for the most part – is pretty similar. Getting trucking credit is important because it’s a huge way to build your business foundation so that you become more established. On the trucking side, this can help you get equipment such as a truck or trailer. Or, it can help you get a line of credit so you have some capital that you can use for your daily business needs – getting truck and trailer loans can be easy if you have collateral, for example. Eventually, you will need more to secure a build ..read more