Archive for the ‘Making Your Miles Count’ Category

Many couples have sat in my office asking about purchasing a highway tractor so that they can be an independent operator. Their concerns are well-founded as a significant number have found the experience costly. There may be a great many operators who have credited the independent operator industry for securing a strong financial future, but…

These are difficult times we live in, not the worst, but still difficult. Our parents, grandparents or even great grandparents lived through World War 2 or maybe even the depression. They may have had to deal with issues difficult to explain, never mind navigate. Even still, our times have very peculiar dangers. North America is…

There have been TAX changes. In some parts of Canada, the changes seem more dramatic than those in the rest. The Carbon Tax… I mean Fuel Charge, is calculated nearly identically to the formula by the International Fuel Tax Association (IFTA) that has been in operation for decades. The idea for the Fuel Charge must…

Once again, another income tax season is upon us and we are still stuck in COVID-19 restrictions. Many times, I have been asked for my opinion about when it will end? My answer is the same. It entirely depends on politics and public opinion. Some regions of North America have completely opened, and others are…

The 2020 tax year (April 2021) should have significantly higher refunds than the 2019 tax year. For many it will come as a great relief or bonus; to others, it’s too little, too late. A lot depends on what your employment was during the year and what freight you were hauling. Some lanes dried up…

As Over the Road enters its 27th year of publishing, we would like to recognize Robert Scheper and his company Making Your Miles Count.  Robert has been writing a monthly article for Over the Road for over 12 years now, and we thank him for all the valuable information that he has shared with our…

Advancing your career is a matter of both competence and character. When someone is good at what they do they produce value through the actions of their job (generally considered competence). Being a competent independent operator to a carrier will generally mean that you are picking up, transporting, and delivering freight in a safe and…

One of the many negative side effects of the pandemic is the lowering of product/service standards that were “normal” before COVID-19. In “normal times” there was a general surplus of products like fridges, ranges, lumber etc. It was not a matter of IF the retail outlet had what you required, but on what terms could…