Research Library

A Carrier Page, Live

Owner Operators Cooperative's page, built from its FMCSA record. Every carrier gets one free.

What Will Diesel Cost Over the Next Year?

Ten published forecasts side by side: 2027 diesel at $4.38 to $4.58 a gallon from oil-price forecasters, $5 to $7 from diesel-market analysts, and the cost per truck.

10 Ways to Increase Efficiency, Reduce Cost, and Improve Operations

Ten places worth comparing, from applicant response time and detention to parking and lane design, each with the research and a short checklist.

Grow Your Fleet With Owner-Operators

North Star finds, screens and recruits owner-operators for established carriers.

Third-Party Driver Recruiting Terms

Plain definitions for working with an outside recruiter: placement fees, replacement periods, the hiring steps and the driver file.

Effective recruiting at a reasonable cost

Our recruiting service includes recruiters, job advertising, driver applications and your own applicant tracking system. In the past 30 days we brought a Los Angeles refrigerated carrier 9 completed applications. Three of those drivers are hired, and two more are in carrier review.

Applicant Tracking

Every applicant on one board, moved from New to Employed as you work them.

Job Board

Post a CDL opening with no posting fee. Drivers apply from a phone.

DQ Vault

The application, signed forms and driver documents kept together in one driver file.

Driver Turnover Is Not Inevitable

A review of roughly 20 studies. Turnover follows the job, not the occupation: a carrier needs a job worth keeping and a hiring process that does not lose the drivers who apply.

Turnover Cost Calculator

Three questions on your phone show what last year's driver turnover cost.

Pay and Working Conditions in Long-Distance Trucking

National Academies, 2024, sponsored by FMCSA: driver pay, benefits, working conditions, retention and safety. It does not claim that PEO use causes lower driver turnover.

• Read the Official Report
• Publication Record (TRB Special Report 355)

Your Trucking Career Path

The five steps from CDL school to a long-term career, and the kinds of driving work to explore along the way.

Who Hires at Each Step

Thirty carriers grouped by experience needed, with advertised pay, home time and phone. Checked October 11, 2026.

Is 1099 Really Cheaper for Motor Carriers?

From 5,712 truck-driver job ads: 1099 saves about $98 a week in payroll tax, but carriers that hire only on 1099 offer about $222 a week more.

Employment Cost Comparison

What a 1099 seat and a W-2 seat cost side by side, including the cash each offer needs.

PEO Research and Official Guidance

Industry research and federal information for evaluating Professional Employer Organizations. Findings describe groups of businesses; individual results vary.

• NAPEO Industry Research & Data
• NAPEO Frequently Asked Questions
• Faster Growing, More Resilient Businesses (NAPEO, 2024)
• The ROI of Using a PEO (NAPEO, 2019)
• IRS Certified Professional Employer Organization Program

Develop Your Own Direct Freight Customers

North Star develops direct shippers for established carriers, so they keep more of every load.

Freight Finder

Freight-generating facilities near your address, on one map.

Truck Stop Light

Relay yard, secure parking, fuel and clean restrooms, without a full travel center.

FMCSA Reference

Plain explanations of FMCSA safety scores, BASIC categories, the MCS-150 and other terms.

About the Data

The federal sources behind every carrier page, how often they refresh, and how to correct one.