How Rupender Gill Made the Leap From Company Driver to Successful Business Owner

In under two years, Rupender Gill went from a company driver — away from home for weeks at a time — to the successful owner operator of BSC Trucking.

He hauls only local loads, so he’s home whenever he wants. He can take time off whenever he needs. And, most importantly for him, he doesn’t have to miss family events or get togethers.

“I’m free now,” he says.

Getting started in trucking

In 2017, Rupender bought a used truck. Six years earlier, he’d come to California from the Punjab state of India to join his family. Everyone he knew — his brother, cousins, friends — was in trucking. They all told him it was a great career, especially for someone trying to get on their feet after coming to a new country. 

But after driving long hauls for six years, he was tired of being on the road for weeks at a time and ready to spend more time with his family.

Rupender started using the Convoy app in October 2017. “Since then it has changed my life,” he says.

“Before, I’d miss all the functions of my family,” he shares. “I was just working, but not enjoying my money. I bought my house, but I wasn’t there. I bought my car — I was paying interest and installments, but I wasn’t using it. Before Convoy, I was just making money, but had no way to spend it. Since I started using Convoy, it’s easy.” 

Making the transition from truck driver to owner operator

When Rupender made the switch from long-haul company driver to owner operator, he knew he’d be home more. The rest was a mystery.

“I had a friend who had a guy who said he could dispatch me loads,” he recounts. “I said, ‘Yeah, that sounds good.’ Because, I didn’t know how it worked. I used to drive as a driver – not an owner operator. I didn’t know how to book the loads, how to find the loads, or how to get into contact with the brokers. I had no idea about anything.”

When his “guy” fell through in dispatching him his very first load as an owner operator, his brother recommended he give Convoy a try.    

That was 2017. And Rupender hasn’t looked back since. 

Using Convoy to build a trucking business

Rupender has become one of Convoy’s safest and highest rated carriers, and he prides himself on his deliberate business planning, attention to customer service, and drive to support others who are new to trucking.

Convoy lets him find the loads on his favorite lanes to keep his truck full. It allows him to build in a buffer to his pickup and drop-off times, so he can ensure he drives safely and slowly without fear of being late. And he gets paid faster.

“They have lots of loads,” he says of Convoy. “It’s easy. There is no ambiguity — no disconnect between you and the broker. It’s transparent. You get your load right away. You get your information on the app. And the best part is you get QuickPay.” He drops off the load, uploads his signed documents, and sees the money in his account within 48 hours of document approval.

He continues, “Everything is in my control. I can book my loads. I can time them so that it works for me. I get paid for detention, too. Before, no one was paying detention. And if they did pay, I had to keep updating them — ‘I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.’ But now, with Convoy, I get paid for the time I spend on the load, even time spent waiting.”

After going into business for himself, Rupender is now working with other drivers to help dispatch their loads. “I’m helping other people who are just coming into this industry,” he says. “I have a team of people who are hauling the loads every day. Convoy changed everything for me in a year.”

Carriers – Get access to all loads in the Convoy network here — it takes just minutes to sign up.