What is an owner operator?

I own a truck, and I’m leased on as an owner operator to a tanker company, doing OTR loads. I recently had another owner operator tell me I can’t call myself an O/O because I’m leased on to a company. He was very angry, and said I have everything handed to me, so basically I’m not a “real” O/O.
So my question is if this is a real thing with the “real” O/Os, and what should I call myself if so? I don’t lease my truck through the company (like a lease purchase deal), so I don’t feel like I’m a lease operator like at Prime or another mega.
I don’t know of an alternative label for what I do, so let me know if there is one, and how egregious a crime it is for me to call myself an O/O. Thanks y’all!

 

Do you really care what someone else thinks?

 

I don’t give a eff what people think of me, but I didn’t think this was a thing until this happened. I’m just asking y’all if this was just one angry man with low self esteem, or some sort of unwritten rule that I haven’t heard of. And if there is a different name for what I do.

 

Some guys have an attitude towards Lease operators, I think you just had a run in with a miserable person.

 

You own your truck corect ?
You operate your truck correct ?
If you answered yes to those questions then your a O/O
Personally.. I would of told that that tard that said that to you .. to Go F... Himself

 

Some Lease on under someone else’s Authority. Some get their own Authority. Some run their own product, maybe part time, like many Farmers. Some Farmers will run freight under their own or someone else’s Authority between planting and harvesting. Some run exempt commodities only. All are O/O’s. Anyone can get their own numbers. It’s not anything worth bragging about. Truly successful people don’t bother trying to prove it to anyone else.

 

Well said. This guy just seemed so angry. I can’t understand insulting somebody because you have your own authority and they don’t. He told me he makes more money than me on a bad week. That’s when I knew what kind of person he is…
All of this out of nowhere

 

Yeah, he caught me off guard with all of his bs. Normally I ignore those people, but it did get me curious, so that’s why I posted this on here.

 

Same kinda guys that will sit in a truck stop and rage for 2 hours on channel 19

 

Maybe he is 1 of those guys that bought a over priced truck a year or so ago thinking he was fix'n to cut a fat hog .. and now he is about broke so he is pissed off at the world.. and you were in his sights