Trucker of the Year

Always headed home: Owner-op pulls in profit with a single goal in mind
January Trucker of the Month Kelvin Schmidt's decade-plus career as an independent isn't, ultimately, about the trucking or simply making money. His operation's freight and rates consistency delivers profit and time back home where it belongs.
January 31, 2023
Kelvin Schmidt's 2018 Volvo, parked at home
Enter Overdrive's 2023 Trucker of the Year competition
This Overdrive program recognizes the business acumen and innovation of the owner-operator, the bedrock of the entrepreneurial spirit in trucking. If you’ve controlled costs and maintained profits amidst record inflation, you're a worthy contender.
December 5, 2022
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Calling the best of the best among owner-operators
Overdrive relaunches its Trucker of the Year competition catching back up with the last winner, Dan Heister, who remains at the top of his business' game while building a fleet of vintage Fords and a trucking legacy at his new home.
December 7, 2022
Overdrive Trucker of the Year banner/logo
'Knock on wood,' Owner-Op of the Year Glen Horack's money-making ways set to grow
Listen in on lessons learned by decades-long owner Horack, who started team driving with his wife, Karla, after 2008, the one year -- "knock on wood," Horack said -- his one-truck business truly struggled in the depths of the Great Recession.
August 26, 2022
overdrive radio logo with glen horack, his wife and children, and his semi-truck
Owner-Operator of the Year Glen Horack 'in good shape' for run toward the finish line
Owner-operator Horack -- now teaming with his wife, Karla -- turned early happenstance into long-term success trucking with a combination of sound money management, long-term relationship building and commitment to the right partners.
August 3, 2022
Glen Horack's 2022 Peterbilt 579
Meet the owners and drivers of the year -- a window on the Las Vegas awards banquet
For this edition of Overdrive Radio, sit back and take it all in as we run through the stories of six finalists, three each in owner-operator and company driver categories, from this week's awards show at Truckload 2022 in Las Vegas.
March 25, 2022
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Owner-operator Glen Horack takes home $25K with top honor
The winner of the annual TCA/Overdrive Owner-Operator of the Year recognition program was announced Tuesday, March 22, at the concluding gala of the Truckload 2022 conference in Las Vegas.
March 23, 2022
Glen Horack
A truckin' start: The OTR origin stories of owner-op award finalists
In this edition of Overdrive Radio, hear how three competing nominees got their start, including award finalist five-timer Glen Horack, Iowa-based owner-operator Gene Houchin, and West Virginia-based team Allen and Sandy Smith.
March 11, 2022
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Experience pays dividends for Owner-Operator of the Year finalist Gene Houchin
Shenandoah, Iowa-based Gene Houchin has been hauling over-the-road since 1973. He got his start working for a local grain elevator and, after proving his skill backing trucks onto the elevator, got his chance to drive a truck hauling grain.
March 2, 2022
Gene Houchin's 2015 Peterbilt 579
Smart business decisions pay off for Owner-Operator of the Year finalist team
Allen and Sandy Smith, leased to National Carriers, run a "super solo" operation more than a full-on team operation at this point in their career. They're finalists for the Owner-Operator of the Year honor – the winner will receive $25,000.
February 23, 2022
Allen and Sandy Smith's 2017 Kenworth T660
Teamwork key to Owner-Operator of the Year finalist Glen Horack’s success
Horack, who's leased to Prime, Inc., is one of three finalists for the Owner-Operator of the Year contest. The winner, announced at the Truckload Carriers Associations's Truckload 2022 convention in Las Vegas next month, will win $25,000.
February 16, 2022
Glen Horack, Bryan Smith and Robert Low at Owner-Operator of the Year presentation in 2021
Three owner-operators vie for $25,000 cash prize
Glen Horack, Gene Houchin and Allen and Sandy Smith are finalists for the Owner-Operator of the Year contest, presented by the Truckload Carriers Association and Overdrive.
January 25, 2022
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Owner-Op of the Year Bryan Smith's three-decade journey through trucking, family, more
In this edition of Overdrive Radio, walk-and-talk with trucker Bryan Smith through decades of business ownership, after operating heavy equipment in the Marine Corps during the Gulf War, and commitment to family and community.
January 21, 2022
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Top of his game: Owner-Operator of the Year Bryan Smith
With as close a handle on costs as it's possible to have, owner-op Bryan Smith did very well in 2021 despite significant cost inflation. His business acumen is built on an exemplary career with a work-life balance successfully struck.
January 13, 2022
Bryan smith with elementary students
Owner-Operator of the Year entry deadline nearing
The entry/nomination period for the Owner-Operator of the Year contest, which carries a $25,000 cash prize to the winner, closes Monday, Oct. 25. Owner-ops and small fleet owners with fewer than five trucks are eligible.
October 21, 2021
Owner-Operator Bryan Smith, who was recently named the 2020 Owner-Operator of the Year, is pictured here with (from left) Cummins Sales VP Amy Boerger (who announced Smith's win), Tucker Freight Lines' A.J. Tucker, and Randall-Reilly's Chip Magner.
A window on a special program – hear the owner-ops of the year, in their own words
Hear the full program celebrating winners in Company Driver and Owner-Operator of the Year competitions with a gala capping TCA's conference last week. Also in this podcast: our Talent Search winners' performances, for Overdrive Radio listeners.
October 8, 2021
scenes from the 2021 TCA conference and overdrive radio's logo
Bryan Smith bags the big prize from TCA/Overdrive
The Owner-Operator of the Year was named Tuesday, September 28, at a gala banquet concluding the TCA's Truckload 2021 annual convention. Trucker Bryan Smith takes home $25K among other prizes with the competition.
September 29, 2021
Bryan Smith
Attention to heavy-haul detail helped in Owner-Operator of the Year finalist’s successful 45-year career
Owner-operator Doug Schildgen has been trucking since 1975 and has tallied more than 4.5 million safe driving miles. Learn more about him here on Overdrive.
December 31, 2020
Doug Schildgen
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One owner-op's long road to steady dry-bulk freight, for the whole family
In this Overdrive Radio edition out on a dry-bulk haul with Kentucky-based John McCormick, the owner-operator lays out his own and his father's different histories in trucking. Their stories converged in recent years on this regular run.
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Trucker of the Year
Always headed home: Owner-op pulls in profit with a single goal in mind
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The Business Manual for Owner-Operators
Overdrive editors and ATBS present the industry’s best manual for prospective and committed owner-operators. You’ll find exceptional depth on many issues in the 2022 edition of Partners in Business.
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