Are you interested in becoming an owner-operator in 2021? 

The market conditions in Canada slowly moving back towards normalcy. Now, trucking businesses are getting ready to face a familiar problem once again: driver shortage.

A huge number of drivers left the industry due to the coronavirus. 34,700 people who lost their driving jobs. That is around half of the all the drivers in the industry. This all happened in the first half of the year alone!

However, the second half saw a different situation as strict measures led to a partial reopening of the economy and the hope the vaccine is finally rolling out. With a massive increase in demand for freight in North America, fleets are aggressively re-employing drivers.

Owner-operators are Scarce

Fleets are having an extremely hard time finding owner-operators to work for them.

The situation in the US is so bad that anyone who is decently qualified is simply refusing to work there. Canada is the preference for most drivers right now. Therefore, hiring drivers is significantly more difficult now than it was before due to Covid-19.

Carriers are posting jobs on sites like Indeed with as low as 1-year cross border driving experience. This really shows the desperation of the situation.

There, companies are now offering the best pay packages and payment incentives we have seen in recent history to owner-operators who can drive to the United States.

Would it be fruitful to start as an owner operator in 2021?

The current scenario is the most rewarding time for anyone wanting to realize the benefits of becoming an owner-operator. The drivers shortage and the coronavirus left qualified operators in short supply and the industry now demands more of them. The shortage is causing huge increases in payments from companies as they struggle to keep their shipping operations intact. Using this chance to get the best deal is something every owner-operator should look for.