Trucking is more than a career, it’s a way of life. A truck can serve as a jobsite, an office, a lunchroom and even a bedroom. Many truckers spend more time in their vehicle than outside it. In fact, some spend so much time on the road that they consider their house as their “home away from home”.
Trucking is a unique occupation that has its own set of challenges. Those distinct challenges have inspired many in the trucking business to create resources, tools and applications to make life on the road a bit easier. This page serves as EZ Freight Factoring’s hub for those resources, making it easy to find tools to augment your work. It also serves as a location to find out about the latest industry news and trends. Click the appropriate link below to jump to that section.
Starting a Trucking Business
Load Boards
Trucking Tools and Apps
Trucking Lifestyle
Trucking Industry News
Factoring: A Great Resource For Truckers
How can various trucking resources help my trucking business?
Various trucking resources can significantly bolster the efficiency, profitability, and compliance of your trucking business. Here’s how leveraging these resources can benefit different aspects of your operation:
1. Industry Information and Trends
Staying informed about the trucking industry’s latest trends, regulations, and technologies can help you adapt to changes more effectively, maintain compliance, and find new opportunities for growth. Resources like industry publications, associations (e.g., American Trucking Associations), and online forums provide valuable insights.
2. Fuel Management Tools
Fuel is one of the largest expenses in trucking. Fuel management tools and apps (e.g., Fuelbook, GasBuddy) can help you find the cheapest fuel prices along your route and manage fuel consumption more efficiently, saving significant money over time.
3. Maintenance Management
Proper vehicle maintenance is crucial for safety, compliance, and operational efficiency. Maintenance management software helps schedule regular maintenance checks, track repair history, and predict future vehicle maintenance needs, reducing downtime and repair costs.
Starting a Trucking Business
We understand that not everyone browsing this page is a veteran trucker. Some may be here looking for information about how to get started in the business. If that’s you, you’ve come to the right place. In addition to our factoring solutions, EZ Freight Factoring serves as a knowledge hub for all things trucking. Naturally, that includes start-up information for many types of trucking.
Owner Operator
For many, the main draw to trucking is the ability to be your own boss. Establishing yourself as an owner-operator is a great way to achieve the American dream of entrepreneurship. If this sounds ideal to you, you’re not alone. Around 680,000 truckers on the road are owner-operators, making up 11% of all drivers.
There are more perks to being an owner-operator than just being your own boss. On average, owner-operators earn 16% more per hour than company drivers. This is in addition to being able to choose what loads you’d like to haul. If the idea of becoming an owner-operator sounds interesting, read this article about the costs of starting a trucking company to learn more!
Hot Shot Trucking
If you’re looking to start trucking but startup costs are proving to be a barrier to entry, hot shot trucking may be a viable option. In fact, hot shot trucking has the lowest startup cost of any trucking segment. A large factor in the low price of entry is that hot shot trucking is typically done with much smaller trucks. Trucks are broken down into 8 classifications based on gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR). Semi-trucks fall into class 8. Hot shot trucking can be done with trucks as small as class 2, though vehicles that small would be prone to higher levels of wear.
The smaller truck size not only means a lower startup cost, but it also means that less driver qualifications are required. In fact, many hot shot drivers are able to run their business without having to earn their CDL.
If delivering local loads on a tight schedule with lower startup costs sounds appealing to you, read up about how to start hot shot trucking.
Auto Hauling
If you’re an experienced trucker with a passion for cars, running an auto hauling business might be your dream job. Car hauling has always been in-demand, and with the growing popularity of online car shopping, all signs point to future growth for the segment.
Initial costs can be expensive, especially compared to hot shot trucking. A truck can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $175,000. The typical 7-car hauler trailer goes for just under $30,000 on the used market, with new prices hovering around $70,000.
Along with the high equipment expenses, insurance prices can be high for auto haulers. Cars are both expensive and easily damaged on the road. Liability and cargo insurance coverage levels for auto haulers are often double that of standard cargo.
Dump Truck
If you want to become a trucker but long weeks spent on the road have you second guessing your plan, dump truck driving may be your answer. Dump trucks often haul loads across construction sites rather than across state lines. In fact, many dump truck drivers never leave a 30-mile radius.
The combination of short routes and loads that aren’t fragile makes dump truck driving ideal for new truckers. On top of that, the pay isn’t too bad either.
Despite the upsides, there are still some cons to driving a dump truck. One of which is the limited range dump trucks cover. While the small coverage area helps avoid long trips away from home, it also can lead to boredom for some.
Load Boards
Trucking load boards serve as a hub for truckers and shippers to meet. Their online nature grants them the ability to be accessed 24/7, which is a must for truckers.
There are many load boards scattered throughout the web, each providing unique features and services to set them apart from the rest. Boards can be free or paid, with some costing up to $100 monthly. While it may seem silly to pay for something that is available for free, the features of some paid load boards make their fee seem like a bargain.
Trucking Tools and Apps
Trucking isn’t easy. Long days on the road, dealing with inclement weather and traffic jams can be a pain. Fortunately, there are tools and apps to alleviate some of the stresses of trucking.
Trucking Apps
As cell phones have evolved from simple talking devices into powerful, pocket-sized computers, developers have created apps to fit many needs. The trucking community isn’t immune to the app world, and there are many apps that aid truckers.
Some of these apps are specific to trucking, like trucker log apps. Others, like Spotify, are not industry specific but still prove very useful for a life on the road. To keep up with the growing list of apps, we regularly post blogs about the best apps for truckers, so be sure to check back for the latest content.
Trucking Tech
Artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technological advancements are constantly changing the trucking industry. Anti-collision software is improving driver safety and helping lower insurance costs. New communication devices are being released with built in features like GPS and electronic logging. Entirely new trucks are even being developed to run entirely on batteries!
Not all trucking tech is in semi itself. Emerging technologies are making it easier for shippers to track the location and condition of their goods. Temperatures and humidity levels can even be remotely checked for perishable goods.
Trucking Lifestyle
As stated earlier, trucking is more than a career, it’s a way of life. EZ Freight Factors has produced and will continue to produce content catered to the trucking lifestyle. From wellness stories providing sleep and nutritional tips, to advice for dealing with homesickness and even a career guide for women in trucking, we’ve got you covered.
Trucking Industry News
Keeping up with breaking industry news is essential to trucking. New and changing regulations impact trucker’s day-to-day operations. Drivers need to stay up to date with these changes to stay compliant.
News about inclement weather, from snowstorms to natural disasters, can alert drivers to alter delivery routes and timetables. It can also notify drivers about opportunities, like delivering loads for FEMA. National news keeps drivers in the loop about ongoings in Washington that can have an effect on their life.
We keep you in-the-know about topics like these and more with our news blogs.
Factoring: A Great Resource for Truckers
An unmatched trucking resource is factoring. After all, as helpful as these other tools are, none of them serve as a quick way to put money in your pocket. Learn more about freight factoring and how it can help your business by giving us a call or filling out this form for a free quote today!