Quick answer: Power only trucking means you supply the truck (the "power") and the driver, and someone else supplies the trailer. You hook to a shipper's, broker's or leasing company's trailer, often a drop trailer already loaded, haul it, and drop it. You skip the cost of buying and maintaining trailers, but you still need a Class A CDL, a USDOT number and authority (or a carrier to lease on to), insurance that covers trailers you don't own, and the usual tractor-trailer registrations.
Key takeaways
- Power only = your tractor and driver, someone else's trailer.
- No trailer payment or trailer maintenance, but you depend on trailer pools and you inherit trailers in whatever condition they're in.
- You need the same authority, insurance and registrations as any tractor-trailer carrier, plus trailer interchange coverage for the trailers you pull.
- It works well for drop-and-hook freight, where loaded trailers wait for you instead of you waiting for them.
How power only works
A shipper, broker or trailer leasing company owns or controls a pool of trailers. When a load is ready, they need a truck to move the trailer from A to B. You arrive with your tractor, hook to the assigned trailer, check it, haul it and drop it at the destination, often hooking another trailer for the return.
Common sources of power only freight:
- Drop-and-hook programs at large shippers and distribution centers, where trailers are pre-loaded so trucks don't wait at the dock.
- Brokers posting power only loads, where the trailer is already at the pickup.
- Trailer repositioning: moving empty or loaded trailers between yards.
- Carrier power only programs, where an owner-operator leases on to a carrier that provides trailers and loads.
If you also want your own trailer for some lanes, dry van trucking explains the most common setup.
Power only vs. owning a trailer
Why carriers choose power only
- No trailer purchase, payment, registration or maintenance.
- Drop-and-hook freight usually means less detention time.
- One tractor can pull dry vans, reefers or other trailers as the freight changes, if you have the endorsements and experience.
The trade-offs
- You depend on the trailer pool: no trailer, no load.
- You pull trailers whose condition you don't control, and you're responsible for inspecting each one before you move it.
- Deadhead to reach the trailer, and empty repositioning moves, often pay less than loaded miles.
What you need
- Class A CDL. A tractor pulling a trailer rated over 10,000 lbs with a combined rating of 26,001 lbs or more needs one (49 CFR 383.91).
- USDOT number and MC number for interstate for-hire freight, plus a BOC-3 and annual UCR. Or lease on to a carrier and run under its authority. See how to start a trucking company for the full sequence.
- Insurance:
- Liability of at least $750,000 for for-hire general freight (49 CFR 387.9); many shippers and brokers ask for $1 million.
- Cargo coverage for the freight inside the trailer.
- Trailer interchange coverage, which pays for damage to a trailer you don't own while it's in your care under an interchange agreement. Power only shippers usually require it.
- Leased on? The carrier's policy is primary while you're under dispatch, and you typically carry non-trucking (bobtail) liability and physical damage on your tractor.
- IRP and IFTA for interstate runs over 26,000 lbs. The IFTA calculator shows how a quarter's return adds up.
- HVUT (Form 2290) for a tractor at 55,000 lbs taxable gross weight or more.
- ELD and drug testing: hours-of-service logs on an ELD, and a drug and alcohol program with Clearinghouse queries for CDL drivers.
What power only pays
Rates depend on the lane, whether the trailer is loaded or empty, and how much deadhead it takes to reach it. Without a trailer payment your cost per mile is lower than a carrier that owns trailers, so work out your own number with the cost per mile calculator and price above it, counting the miles to and from each trailer.
Running a power only operation
Power only adds one more thing to track on every load: which trailer you pulled, where you picked it up and where you dropped it. Keep the rate confirmation, bill of lading and proof of delivery with each load, because a missing trailer drop or a damage claim is settled on those records.
Yolda's dispatch keeps every load with its documents and stops, IFTA reporting builds the quarterly return from your miles and fuel, accounting turns delivered loads into invoices, and driver settlements prepare pay statements for your drivers from the same loads.
If you're still choosing how to get into trucking, compare power only with hot shot trucking and a box truck business, both of which can start with less equipment.
The bottom line
Power only trucking lets you run a tractor without owning trailers: hook to a shipper's or broker's trailer, haul it, drop it. You save the trailer cost and much of the dock time, but you still need a Class A CDL, authority or a carrier to lease on to, liability and cargo insurance plus trailer interchange coverage, and the full set of tractor-trailer registrations. Inspect every trailer before you pull it, count the deadhead in your rate, and keep every load's paperwork.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Confirm licensing, authority and insurance requirements with the FMCSA, your state and your providers.
