Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/26699
OWNER-OPERATOR OF THE MONTH With his 2009 Peterbilt 386, Bryan Smith hauls John Deere tractors and equipment nationwide to deal- ers and raw materials back to factories. The 20-year owner-operator hit 2 million safe miles last year. Risksand rewards but after becoming a company driver for Schneider National in 1991 upon his return from Saudi Arabia and Desert Storm, Smith says he had a childhood dream to accomplish. He knew the risks, he says, and he knew all of the “headaches that can come with it.” He stayed at Schneider F latbed hauler Bryan Smith knew managing a one-truck operation wouldn’t be an easy endeavor, 44 OVERDRIVE MARCH 2011 Early in his career, Bryan Smith fulfilled a childhood aspiration of owning a truck. BY JAMES JAILLET only briefly before moving on to Art Pape Transfer of Dubuque, Iowa, as a company driver. Two years later, he used savings earned during his short trucking tenure as a down payment on a ’91 Freightliner FLD 120. “I knew it was a risky business,” the 41-year-old says. “I wanted the freedom that went with it, and I wanted the chance for the rewards that come with it if you do it right.” Mike Burley