Becoming a O/O.

Contact and join OOIDA. Google for the phone number and website.
Best wishes and welcome to the U.S.A.

 

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/

Read the sticky's.

 

I also moved here from England back in 1999.
I ran my own outfit over there, going to Eastern Europe etc.
Thing that I found over here is, if you know nobody in transport already, then it's a tough market to get into. Not impossible by far, but tougher than most have it.
I would get a truck, then lease it on somewhere. No need to go to one of the mega carriers, the place I have been leased to for @8yrs runs @120 trucks IIRC.
I had to start near the bottom though, so some fone calls about experience over here should be made. A lot of the companies I spoke to wouldn't count my 8yrs of clean driving over there! Same thing for an owner operator, they want experience they can verify from over here.
I ended up getting letters sent to me, to verify my experience etc, along with fone numbers for them to call if they felt the need. That got me bumped up to 1yrs experience...wow huh?
Welcome to the States!

Martin

 

I would start leased too a company until you have a cgance too learn the ins and outs over here. You will find many European immigrants here that run small trucking companies. But definitely look into OOIDA, they are a great source of information. Welcome to the USA!

 

By the way, a LLC is only good if you have personal assets to protect like a house, property etc.. If you lease to a company they find freight for you and pay a flat milage rate or percentage of the gross load rate. There are dispatch services that you can use to find loads, Ive never used them.

 

There are a few posts that have been docked(locked), there is a ton of info on this site that will answer all your question. Just go through them all, there are alot. But do not hesitate to post and ask questions. There are alot of knowledgeable and helpful people on here. Use the search feature on the top, it will be your best tool.

 

At the top of that link, there are about 8 threads of topics on becoming an owner/operator.

Not all of them are locked. Stickied just means that they will never go down the list as time goes by. They are kept at the top for just this reason.


IF after you read all those threads and still have questions, by all means. Post your question.

 

It would probably be easier for you to start out leasing to a carrier. In the U.S., you must have motor carrier authority in order to run your own motor carrier operation. Leasing to a carrier will allow you to use their authority and they pay for your cargo and liability insurance. You won't necessarily need to purchase a trailer if you pull a van or box trailer. Most carrier's who pull flatbed freight will require you to either purchase or rent a trailer in order to lease on with them.

Although I would not suggest you start out by getting your own motor carrier authority until you get accustomed to the way the business operates on this side of the Atlantic, you can apply for a one time filing fee of $300. You will be required to have a minimum of $1 million of auto liability and $100,000 cargo in order to haul freight for most brokers and shippers.

There is a list of things that you will need to pay and those are listed on the sticky. I can list them again, if you wish.

I would encourage you to find a CPA or tax professional who has experience in trucking. There are protections when you have an LLC or corporation. But, there can also be tax advantages. Some prefer the sole proprietorship. A good tax person or corporate attorney could best advise you, based upon your personal situation. I have always preferred a corporate structure to having a proprietorship. It helps to keep your personal and business separate. I have owned corporations for over 40 years.

You can find most any information about this industry from those on this website. There are a couple of other trucking websites, such as www.classadrivers.com that might also be useful. Both have experienced members who are willing to answer any of your questions.