Big rigs rumbling down the freeway are a sign of good times.

Trucking is now the fastest-growing small-business industry in the U.S., thanks to a robust economy and expanded options for small business loans and financing.

Trucking is one of the great entrepreneurial opportunities, trucking is and will continue to be, the dominant way to move goods in this country. In fact, there’s so... Read More

With recent attacks to the independent contractor model in the transportation industry, we put together this list of seven of the most important practices for dealing with independent contractors.  These tips are essential in maintaining a distinction between the motor carrier and the contractors.

1. Have a solid Equipment Lease Agreement that is written by an experienced Transportation Attorn... Read More

California owner-operators can earn substantially more than company drivers in the Golden State, per a new study released by the California Trucking Association and the Inland Empire Economic Partnership.

The Owner-Operator Driver Compensation Study found that drivers who operate independently have the ability to earn up to a six-figure income. And it determined that, based on recent figures, owner... Read More

With the ever-growing driver shortage looming, many motor carriers are lowering their hiring standards to fill their empty trucks.  No company wants to turn down a job because they don’t have drivers to service the account.  But while companies to some extent are at the mercy of supply and demand, carriers have to keep the potential for negligent hiring lawsuits top of mind.

Neglige... Read More

On June 30, 2014, the California Supreme Court issued its ruling in Ayala v. Antelope Valley Newspapers, Inc., addressing the availability of class certification (class action lawsuits) in claims of independent contractor misclassification.  The trial court had rejected certification of the class finding that, even if the plaintiffs were misclassified, the claims alleged would require claim-s... Read More

In Lane v. Francis Capital Mgmt. LLC (Cal. Ct. App. Mar. 11, 2014), a California Court of Appeal held a former employee’s claim for unpaid wages were exempted for arbitration by California Labor Code section 229.

Section 229 provides that employee wage claims may be brought by an individual “without regard to the existence of any private agreement to arbitrate.” However, in Perry ... Read More

Why would our government make war on one of the most productive and safest groups in the transportation sector?   While there is no declared or undeclared war on owner-operators and independent drivers by government, it sure feels like it for many of them. How else can one explain the variety of laws, regulations, and rules that have come out or are pending that may adversely affect them... Read More

Pacific 9 Transportation, a Los Angeles-area port trucker, and the Teamsters have reached a settlement agreement that bars the carrier from penalizing drivers who support the union’s effort to organize them.

The settlement agreement that was announced on March 19 indicates that the drivers were illegally classified as independent owner-operators.

The Pac 9 case is similar to dozens of cases ac... Read More

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) now appears (especially if you’re not a liberal and not supportive of Obama) to be one of your major impediments to financial success as a small business. The IRS is surely to play a major business role “partner” in many nontraditional ways as the size and number of tax agents doubles and broader responsibilities are granted to them under the so... Read More