Image for Level Up for 2025: Booking Loads Smarter with Owner-Operator Sammy Lloyd 

Level Up for 2025: Booking Loads Smarter with Owner-Operator Sammy Lloyd 

Kim Diggs

December 9, 2024

Editor’s Note: This information is for educational purposes only.  

It takes some skin in the game to know enough about trucking to educate others. That’s something Sammy Lloyd has no shortage of.  

A long-haul trucker for the last 25 years, Sammy got his CDL back in 2000, became an owner-operator in 2013 and has been running ever since. In addition to running his trucking business, Sammy offers advice on all things trucking through his YouTube channel, MakeCents Trucking. His videos cover topics like how to book loads and self-dispatch, truck repair how-tos, equipment reviews, tips on staying healthy on the road and negotiating rates. Since founding his YouTube channel in 2020, Sammy has posted nearly 600 trucking videos, which have been viewed more than 8 million times.   

In this clip below, Sammy shares how to identify strong, high-volume markets, establish how to build good relationships with brokers, and how to approach rate negotiations. Finally, Sammy answers the question: How do you turn a decent profit in a down market? 

Video Clip

How to negotiate rates and stay profitable  

To hear more from Sammy, follow him on YouTube.