An Open Letter to the Trucking Industry: The Playbook Is Here

There are moments in life when an idea takes shape in a way you never expected — when the right conversation happens at the right time, setting off a chain reaction that leads to something bigger than you anticipated.

For me, that moment started with a tweet.

I was sharing my thoughts on a compliance issue — one of the many daily battles small carriers and owner-operators face — when Craig Fuller, CEO of FreightWaves, saw it. He reached out via direct message, inviting me to speak at the FreightWaves F3 Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee. What began as a simple tweet turned into a 15-minute conversation on stage, one that resonated so deeply that when we stepped off, we both knew it couldn’t end there.

A few weeks later, we met on Zoom, and as we started talking, the first thing that came to our minds was The Playbook.

Why The Playbook?

Because for as long as I’ve been in this industry — 25 years and counting — there has never been a truly comprehensive resource for small carriers, owner-operators or those looking to become one.

Back when I got started, there was nothing — no centralized information, no real roadmap for success. You learned by trial and error, often at a high cost. Today, while information is easier to find, it’s fragmented. More importantly, it’s often flat-out wrong.

Social media has made it easier than ever for misinformation to spread, and truckers are paying the price for bad advice. I’ve seen it firsthand — people losing their businesses because they followed the wrong guidance, overpaying for services they didn’t need or failing to build sustainable operations because they never had the right playbook to follow.

That’s why we built The Playbook — to give small carriers the right information, in the right way, at the right time.

What Is The Playbook?

The Playbook isn’t just a website. It’s not a course. It’s not just another content hub. It’s a one-stop resource designed to give trucking business owners and aspiring ones the exact tools they need to succeed in an industry that’s only getting more competitive.

The Playbook is built on education, data and community. It provides clear, fact-based guidance on the key areas of running a trucking business: compliance, finance, operations and sales. But more than that, it’s a structured, ongoing resource that ensures small carriers have everything they need to build and scale their business the right way.

The Playbook includes:

• A digital learning hub with structured courses and training on critical trucking business topics. This isn’t scattered, outdated information — it’s a step-by-step roadmap built on real-world experience.

• A biweekly Masterclass designed to go deep into essential topics such as pricing strategies, compliance updates, shipper outreach and more.

• A monthly Small Carrier Market Update, providing insight into freight trends, rate shifts and industry changes that directly impact small carriers and independent owner-operators.

• Industry-specific data and insights backed by FreightWaves, ensuring Playbook members get access to real-time market intelligence that larger carriers have relied on for years.

• The Long Haul podcast, bringing real conversations about the industry, business growth and the challenges that small carriers face. This will feature deep-dive discussions with industry leaders, successful carriers and subject matter experts.

• A partner portal connecting small carriers with vetted, reliable industry partners offering services designed to help them grow and operate more efficiently.

• Special Playbook events, including in-person workshops, networking sessions, and exclusive access to FreightWaves conferences and discussions tailored to small carriers.

• Real case studies and expert interviews showcasing successful small carriers that have built sustainable, profitable trucking businesses.

• Tools and templates, including spreadsheets, calculators, contract templates and other essential business resources that help small carriers run their operations without having to start from scratch.