Car hauling owner-operator: lease on to a carrier, or run your own authority?

Two ways to run your truck

• Leased on. You sign a lease with a carrier and haul under its authority. It brings the loads and, usually, the liability and cargo insurance; you get a percentage of the revenue and pay the costs the lease leaves to you.
• Your own authority. You hold the MC number, the insurance and the broker relationships. You get the whole rate and pay for everything, from insurance to the empty miles.

What carriers publish for leased owner-operators

• A large car hauling carrier offers owner-operators 85% of OEM transport revenue.
• An enclosed car hauling carrier pays 65% of each line haul to the truck, pays the cargo and liability insurance in full and gives a fuel card; the owner-operator pays bobtail insurance, workers' comp, and road and fuel taxes.

The two are not comparable as numbers: one is a share of revenue on new-vehicle work, the other of the line haul, and what each carrier pays for differs. Compare leases on what is left after the costs each one puts on you.

A percentage only means something next to the list of costs it leaves you.

The federal rules on a lease

Truth-in-leasing rules (49 CFR 376.12) set the floor for every owner-operator lease:

• The lease is in writing and signed by both sides.
• The carrier has exclusive possession, control and use of the equipment for the lease, and takes full responsibility for its operation.
• Your pay is clearly stated on the face of the lease.
• If you are paid a percentage, you are entitled to a copy of the rated freight bill, so you can check the percentage against the real revenue.
• Escrow money earns interest paid at least quarterly and is returned no later than 45 days after the lease ends.

A summary of the rule, not legal advice. Read the lease with someone who has read a few.

Running your own authority

With your own authority you keep the whole rate. You also pay for the authority, the insurance (the largest bill of the first year), the factoring or the wait for payment, and every empty mile. The full checklist is in how to start a car hauling business, and the insurance costs in car hauler insurance.

Comparing the two on one load

Take the $1,400, three-car load from our worked example.

• On your own authority, driving it yourself: about $934 after fuel for the loaded leg and the 140 empty miles and 3% factoring, before the truck payment, insurance and repairs.
• Leased on at 85% of revenue: $1,190 before the costs your lease puts on you, which may include fuel, the empty miles and part of the insurance. If fuel is yours, take off the same $424 of fuel and the comparison narrows quickly.

Which one wins depends on the lease's cost list and on how well you can fill your truck on your own. The better you can keep the deck full and the empty miles short on your own, the more your own authority is worth.

Owner-operators on loadez

With your own authority, loadez is free for one truck, forever: its own load board where brokers and shippers post free, dispatch, and the driver app for inspection photos, the BOL and the receiver's signature. On Growth, every load is ranked by what it nets your truck, so you see before you claim whether it fills your week. Pricing.

Common questions

How much do car hauling owner-operators make?

Owner-operator listings average $228,575 a year on ZipRecruiter (October 2026), but that is close to gross revenue, not take-home. On a $1,400 three-car load, an owner who drives keeps about $934 after fuel, empty miles and factoring, before the truck payment, insurance and repairs. Leased owner-operators are paid a percentage: published offers include 65% of line haul and 85% of revenue.

Is it better to lease on or get your own authority as a car hauler?

Leasing on brings a carrier's loads and usually its liability and cargo insurance, for a percentage of revenue. Your own authority keeps the whole rate but you pay for insurance, authority, payment terms and every empty mile. Compare a lease on what is left after the costs it leaves to you, against what your own loads would net.

What does a car hauling owner-operator lease have to include?

Under 49 CFR 376.12 the lease is written and signed, gives the carrier exclusive possession, control and use of the equipment and responsibility for its operation, states your pay clearly on its face, gives you a copy of the rated freight bill if you are paid a percentage, and returns escrow within 45 days after the lease ends, with interest paid at least quarterly.