I wonder IF this is Legal ?

I think the easiest way to do that would be for you to get your own authority, then contract with the companies you are talking about.

 

There is nothing illegal about running their #'s in the summer months, and then terminating that lease and signing on with a company in the South for the winter months, and then come spring terminating that lease and signing back on with the company up north again. Of course your ability to do that is entirely dependent upon finding companies willing to sign you on when they know you only intend to stay until the seasons change and the weather patterns shift again in a couple months. If you intend to do that, though, it'd be in your best interest to run your own tags, otherwise you'll be buying them 2-3 times per year depending upon when you change companies.

 

Magnetic signs with numbers on them (if steel cab or sleeper), or some other semi-permanent method if no steel, and trip lease is one method.

Your own authority and contract is probably better and, in the long run, likely easier and cheaper.

 

Everything is legal until you get caught!

 

Some of it is even fun!

 

When you lease to a carrier you are not required to stay with them for a certain amount of time. Most leases are open ended and can be canceled by either party for any reason and without notice. It comes down to whether either company will continue to lease you on to their authority. It is costly to recruit and hire drivers and owner operators. It would be easier for you to find a carrier that is agent based that has a large freight base or just to get your own authority. If you run your own authority you decide where and when you run and for whom. Most carriers won't allow an owner operator to lease on to them if you have active authority. Depending on the type of freight you want to haul, there are carriers who offer freight in enough areas where you can find your own freight and run your own lanes. Landstar, Universal Am Can, Mason Dixon, CRST Malone, etc., are a few who have a good freight base and offer the independence of choosing your own freight and lanes. Rather than wasting time leasing on and going through orientation every few months that it would be better to get your own authority. You will lose at least a week each time you lease back on to any carrier.

 

NO it really isn't if I got this straight.

You are driving for company X right now, hate being up here in the great north in the winter. You tell them you want to become an O/O with them for spring to fall but go to work for a southern company Y do you can avoid that white stuff and the nice cold.

Got it so far?

Then you want to use company's X numbers and info to haul for company Y.

No you can't. The problem is you have a contract with X which gives them exclusive use of your truck under their authority and unless you can do trip leasing or arrange for your own work under that contract, you can't haul for someone else. IF you breach that contract, then they can sue you, even if you are an LLC or corp, and most likely win.

The other thing is liability if you get into an accident using one's authority while driving for another company. This is a big mess. The other thing is the state may put you OOS if they find it, and you will have to tow the truck.