Want to start a trucking business in the United States? This playbook walks you through it step by step. Choose your model (owner-operator, leased-on, small fleet), get your DOT/MC authority and stay compliant, insure right, buy your first truck, find loads and negotiate rates, master rate-per-mile economics, run dispatch and back office, hire drivers, and launch with a 90-day week-by-week checklist. Plus 6 ready-to-use SOP templates: pre-trip inspections, load booking, invoicing, breakdown procedures, driver onboarding, and maintenance logs. Written for independent owners starting their first trucking operation. Instant PDF download.