Owner-Operator refrigerated truck business

Food distributors, grocery suppliers, processors and freight brokers who pay per load or per kilometre.

Per load or per kilometre, often booked through brokers or direct contracts. Fuel, insurance, repairs and reefer unit costs come out of what you earn, so margins depend on keeping the truck loaded.

• Commercial driving licence and long-haul experience
• Load planning and paperwork
• Negotiating rates with brokers and shippers

• Provincial carrier registration, such as an NSC number or the CVOR in Ontario, and the rules in each province you drive through
• Cross-border work adds customs and manifest requirements, check with the CBSA before you take loads outside Canada
• Hours-of-service rules and logbook or electronic logging requirements
• Food transport rules, such as the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations; check what applies to your loads
• High costs for fuel, repairs and insurance, and slow-paying brokers can strain cash flow
• Workers' compensation coverage and rules if you hire drivers, which vary by province

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $120,000 to $300,000, depending on the truck or trailer you choose. Fuel, repairs and insurance are high ongoing costs, and slow-paying brokers can strain cash flow, so plan for working capital.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $8,000 to $30,000, depending on the loads you win, your rates and the distances you cover. That is revenue, not profit, so fuel, repairs and insurance still need to come out of it.

Check provincial carrier registration, such as an NSC number or the CVOR in Ontario, and the rules in each province you drive through. Also check hours-of-service and logbook requirements, food transport rules like the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, and CBSA requirements for cross-border loads.