Your first 30 days as a dump truck owner-operator
A day-by-day plan from LLC filing to your first paid invoice. Bookmark it, screenshot it, print it — whatever gets it in front of you every morning.
Week 1 — Legal foundation
- Day 1: File LLC in your state (single-member, home address is fine)
- Day 2: Apply for EIN at IRS.gov (5 minutes, free)
- Day 3: Open business checking + credit card (Chase, Novo, or Mercury)
- Day 4: Register for USDOT number at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov
- Day 5: Quote insurance with 3 trucking brokers (Progressive Commercial, TIS, IAT)
- Day 6: Choose accountant — search 'trucking CPA + your state'
- Day 7: Rest. Long month ahead.
Week 2 — Truck & compliance
- Day 8: Inspect your final truck candidate with the 47-point checklist
- Day 9: Purchase or sign lease — get PDF of every doc
- Day 10: Register plates + apportioned tags at state DMV
- Day 11: Schedule DOT annual inspection (required within 90 days)
- Day 12: Order magnetic USDOT stickers + business cards ($75 total)
- Day 13: Pre-trip inspection walkthrough — build the muscle memory
- Day 14: Test-load at a friendly aggregate yard to check scales
Week 3 — Marketing blitz
- Day 15: List of 30 GCs and aggregate yards within 25 miles
- Day 16: Drive to 8 job trailers — leave card, ask for estimator name
- Day 17: Send COI + rate sheet to 8 estimators from Day 16
- Day 18: Sign up for Trux + one regional load app
- Day 19: Drive to 8 more job trailers
- Day 20: Follow up on Week 3 outreach by text
- Day 21: Post on your city's contractor Facebook group
Week 4 — First hauls & books
- Day 22: Take your first paid load — even if it's a $200 backyard cleanup
- Day 23: Invoice within 24 hours of the load — set the tone
- Day 24: Log every expense in QuickBooks Self-Employed or a spreadsheet
- Day 25: Second haul; take a photo of every BOL
- Day 26: Cold-call 5 estimators from the follow-up list
- Day 27: Reconcile the week — hours, gross, fuel, miles
- Day 28: Third haul; ask the super to add you to their standing list
- Day 29: Review the P&L — you should have gross >$3k for the week
- Day 30: Plan month 2 — set target of 60 billable hours
Want the full 90-day plan?
The complete course adds day 31–90, GC scripts, and 12 back-office templates. $39 one-time, lifetime access.
Enroll for $39