Far West Texas O/O Researching Pro-2A Carriers / Brokers

Hello, I'm nearly 4 years experienced, and an independent contractor OTR Trucker who is very picky about where I accept loads to and when I work vs when and where I take off.

I live on a 20 acre rural desert homestead in Hudspeth County, Texas where the 2nd amendment is fully honored for property owners. Ranchers in my area have shot trespassers dead for setting foot on the edge of their property, get written off quickly by local deputies, and even the local sheriff defends our right to keep and bear arms and does not believe it's government's place to determine whether a private property owner is "right" or "wrong" to defend themselves with a gun on their own property. The sherriff especially recommends if you see a group of people or a single person walking on your property that "no habla ingles" to just shoot them dead for obvious reasons.

And I'm also a doomsday prepper so imagine how I must naturally perceive all these highways as time progresses. ;)

Anyway as for my work, I don't haul to NYC nor NJ nor to the northeast at all because it's tiny and not fun for big trucks. I guess sucks to be New Hampshire stuck up there in No Trucker's Land. ;)

I also tend to avoid blue states oftentimes because of their lack of hospitality to our industry, the way most of my loads the carrier tends to find for me are set up, and I like to support places that appreciate me for what I do. I don't go to California.

I'm currently leasing at a very friendly carrier with whom I've always been comfortable, although that prohibits guns even on their lease trucks, not just their company trucks. I dont think they are necessarily anti-gun, just probably dont want lawsuits. I see lots of gun posts on here seem to be centered around how it would concern company drivers and novices that have no control over where they go to though so I figured I'd open up this topic with my situation.

I'm new to this forum. I figure there must be a lot of od school owner operators that already have this version of the trucker lifestyle fully together. It's not dangerous enough out here yet for me to just quit and doesn't seem like an occasional threat should be worth not preparing for.

Where I live in Texas does not require registering nor reporting to the government whether one has a gun, and I do not intend to state whether I do or don't on here. So this will be hypothetical.

I seek advice for 4+ years experience for IC's and owner ops who would like to consider carrying on their own trucks without restrictions specifically from carriers / brokers alone, regardless of whatever poetry and restrictions NYC and California have against us. Are there any non-company driver truck carriers that simply don't care whether the independently contracted / owner operator driver has a gun on their own truck?

I'm also open to the possibility of moving up from IC to outright owning a truck and I see kickasstrucks.com has some good deals. I would be new to working with a load board if I got into it. My current carrier comes up with loads and works with me on where I want to go. I otherwise pay all the expenses on this truck I lease and have a maintenance account.

Yes I understand all the warehouses with no weapons signs posted, like the DMV when you go in for quick business and then don't drive back home or to the gas station through town unarmed and defenseless where most robberies could take place at least if you get out of the vehicle.

I see panhandlers in places are getting more aggressive at fuel pumps and in truck stop parking lots. I do have a tire thumper and a mallet behind my seat but recently an aggressive panhandler at a fuel pump in Tennessee was obstructing my path to my truck door and claiming she had a gun. Other drivers were around and I guess hoping she left them alone. I felt like I would have been defenseless had she pulled out a gun. I don't know how pocket pepper spray stuff would hold up against a criminal with a gun. It's off the grid, ranching, and very low cost of living where I am out of thus, I only work for a short-term mortgage payment, food, and stockpiling. And I love the job.

I'm definitely not bringing my All-American Savior Services to states like New Jersey and California, and those food stamp people with their tiny lots can blame my evil capitalist double doored fat crate ass for all their communist problems all they want, but I'm the one in control and with the money so that's just too bad. :)

So with my flexibility and pickiness with where I travel and everything, my hypothetical question is regarding what carriers are neutral or friendly towards independent contractors and / or outright owner operators interested in carrying a small gun in their pockets or else on their trucks for protection?

Maybe I should do more short hauls around Texas with a short haul specific carrier that pays more than $1.04 / mile... especially if Texas succeeds like what the other ranchers in my area talk about...

I don’t own a gun of any type, but I have a number of friends who do, some have concealed carry permits for Wisconsin, but most just own rifles for hunting. I prefer to hunt for meat at the grocery store.

However, I know two drivers who carry guns in their trucks for protection purposes even though they’ve never had to use them in any way. They know the guns are prohibited by their companies, but they take the chance of getting caught and fired. The guns are kept hidden away in the hope that a random search would not discover them. As for me, I carry a can of the long range spray wasp and hornet (Raid) in the driver door compartment.

So much to digest here but I’ll stick with a couple very simple, fairly easy answers.

In regards to carriers, it’s as simple as a phone call. Being an O/O, chances are you have very little to no interest in leasing your truck on with the majority of companies promoted on this site. There are tons of companies who don’t have an issue with a driver having a firearm on the truck. They expect that driver to be aware of state and customer policies and hold that driver responsible.

While Texas no longer requires a carry permit for residents, you still have to have one to carry across state lines and only in states which show reciprocity to the Texas permit. With the exception of states you’ve already mentioned, along with Chicago, you have to abide by transport procedures in states which do not show reciprocity to the Texas permit. I know those particular requirements but am not going to type them all up because it is your responsibility to learn and know them. Groups like USCCA have plenty of information available to read or watch regarding states rights and policies and I encourage you to educate yourself.

Finally, stop thinking that a firearm is a solution to every problem. You come across as being more fearful than situationally aware and any good firearms training course teaches that using a firearm should be the final option, not the first.

Groups like USCCA have plenty of information available to read or watch regarding states rights and policies and I encourage you to educate yourself.

Finally, stop thinking that a firearm is a solution to every problem. You come across as being more fearful than situationally aware and any good firearms training course teaches that using a firearm should be the final option, not the first.

"The Right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" ~The 2nd Amendment

It's at most truck stops on merchandise meaning many other truckers, not just myself, believe in that, otherwise by supply and demand, the truck stops would eventually stop selling the merchandise.

Like I said, I may ultimately decide to solely work within and support Texas for the sake of ease. I don't care what the laws are in the states that infringe on the second amendment, and Chicago is definitely another place I don't haul loads to.

I am aware of how infringed our 2nd Amendment is becoming and honestly, I've got my limits on tolerance for adaptation to foreign invading forces. My solution is to be alongside the others in places like Texas rather than going out and putting myself up in harm's way. I can easily work with the constitutional carry states as far as the law. Texas is a big state and I have seen lots of truck loads do just go across Texas. 😀

But my inquiry as I initially stated is not about anti-2A poetry and I am not requesting to know more about "laws" that have to do with the 2nd Amendment because the 2nd Amendment is the only legal and constitutional gun law in the United States, and it's also on a novelty permit for sale at some truck stops stating, "The 2nd Amendment is my gun permit." Of course, the 2nd Amendment does not require we all carry that notice around since it's in our Bill of Rights. 😎👌

As for firearms being the solution for everything, yes, firearms are the solution for everything. From breakfast to arithmetic, we Americans like our breakfast in the form of a tall pile of bacon on the plate, balanced with a pistol set on the table to the right of the bacon plate. Firearms are even the solution for basic arithmetic: What is 2 + 2? (Bang bang bang bang) 4 shots. 😆 That's right, 4. 😉

So I guess you don't have that list of truck carriers whom you said don't care whether we have a gun in the truck? That's all I am inquiring about. I don't personally care for phone calls. I'm not that old school. We text. That's why I'm texting the inquiry online. But perhaps as you suggested, this forum is only resourceful within a limited selection of mega carriers who are against guns?

Apparently you’ve forgotten the part where states rights override the rights of the federal government? You really should read more into the Constitution because it’s written specifically to tell the federal government what it can’t do. It does not place restrictions on the states which is why states are allowed to enact their own regulations regarding how, when and where firearms can be carried. Maybe you should put together that list? I mean, there’s only a little more than 500,000 trucking companies in the United States. Heck, you’d be doing the rest of the drivers in the nation a favor. I do know of at least one company that allows a driver to keep a firearm in the truck, it’s the one I work for and I can honestly tell you that having been all over the country in some pretty rough neighborhoods, not once did the thought ever cross my mind that I might need it. You really need to stop being so paranoid.

I'm glad at least 2 others have said it. You are coming across as one of those paranoid prepper types. The ones who make the whole prepping and firearm communities look bad.

If you honestly feel as strong about carrying as you say then your not gonna let company policy get in the way. You already cut yourself off from some decent loads by not taking loads into the NE and the blue states. Why do you care what your company has to say about it?

As for myself, I can honestly say I've only felt the need to carry once. That was when I got in a hurry and failed to look at the overnight parking this one customer had. It was on street parking in a sketchy neighborhood in Philly. I just saw the dispatch said they had parking and ran to it. Shame on me. Other than that I've never felt the least bit concerned about it. Situational awareness goes a lot farther than packing heat.

I do know other drivers who work for some larger carriers who have said they carry, I've never seen it so who knows if they actually do or not? It comes down to what choice you want to make. They can tell you.you aren't allowed to carry, but if you are willing to chance losing your job, you can carry. The laws can tell you you aren't allowed to carry, but if your cool with losing your gun n not being allowed to purchase more then have at it.

I'm glad at least 2 others have said it. You are coming across as one of those paranoid prepper types. The ones who make the whole prepping and firearm communities look bad.

If you honestly feel as strong about carrying as you say then your not gonna let company policy get in the way. You already cut yourself off from some decent loads by not taking loads into the NE and the blue states. Why do you care what your company has to say about it?

As for myself, I can honestly say I've only felt the need to carry once. That was when I got in a hurry and failed to look at the overnight parking this one customer had. It was on street parking in a sketchy neighborhood in Philly. I just saw the dispatch said they had parking and ran to it. Shame on me. Other than that I've never felt the least bit concerned about it. Situational awareness goes a lot farther than packing heat.

I do know other drivers who work for some larger carriers who have said they carry, I've never seen it so who knows if they actually do or not? It comes down to what choice you want to make. They can tell you.you aren't allowed to carry, but if you are willing to chance losing your job, you can carry. The laws can tell you you aren't allowed to carry, but if your cool with losing your gun n not being allowed to purchase more then have at it.

Well rookie, I guess someday you'll learn 😉

I make on average $5000-10,000 a month when coupled with all the bonuses and everything. 🤑 I buy **** but eventually with the cheap area I live in, as opposed to a ghetto apartment in NYC, I won't need to even work as "hard" as I do currently.

Try Arms List for total gun freedom and not having to register with the government, and of course, no one in West Texas will be surrendering their guns and their 2nd Amendment rights over to any unconstitutional government anytime soon. 😊

Some congressperson recommended once if the government tells you that you can't have a gun, get 2 guns. 🤓

I happened to drive by the Truckers For Freedom march recently along I-80, and sadly they looked like nothing but peaceful protestors. Peaceful protesters won't be achieving much of anything under this administration, same with MLK, until Trump comes Home or possibly a republican becomes the next president whether legally or illegally. (Since Biden illegally became the current president). But I honked in support.

Apparently you’ve forgotten the part where states rights override the rights of the federal government? You really should read more into the Constitution because it’s written specifically to tell the federal government what it can’t do. It does not place restrictions on the states which is why states are allowed to enact their own regulations regarding how, when and where firearms can be carried. Maybe you should put together that list? I mean, there’s only a little more than 500,000 trucking companies in the United States. Heck, you’d be doing the rest of the drivers in the nation a favor. I do know of at least one company that allows a driver to keep a firearm in the truck, it’s the one I work for and I can honestly tell you that having been all over the country in some pretty rough neighborhoods, not once did the thought ever cross my mind that I might need it. You really need to stop being so paranoid.

LOL Well now is the time to be paranoid, that is if you're aware of the state of the country and the world. I'd sure hate to find myself as without and worthless as that one aggressive panhandler at the fuel pump back in Tennessee if 💩 hits the fan

I don't think all the peaceful protesting is doing much obviously. Look what became of the Canadian event... It's over. So now they're trying it in the US, under an illegally elected president whom everyone, even Trump ultimately gave up upon, a president who's party has a history of obstructing peaceful protesting and outright ignoring the people. Trump is good but even he couldn't "peacefully" stop it from happening. Maybe they didn't have enough resources to choose that battle, but in the end, those who are peaceful are being bested by those who know that's not how nature works, even the socialist leaders know better and use it to their advantage to exploit their people for believing in non-violence.

Most people aren't paranoid, and that's why most people are said to be underprepped and said they will not do well if even a month long disaster occurred. Maybe things will look up over time, and maybe most preppers will have been prepped for nothing.

But honestly it's rare I feel endangered and rare to feel like I need to be on guard and defensive. Most places out here don't feel dangerous, and it usually feels like a peaceful vacation, hence why I like the job. 😌 Until all of a sudden someday...and that's why you don't want to forget and why you want to at least have a means of defending yourself should that situation ever occur.

But who cares what a bunch of California commies think of Texas patriots anyway? Who cares what a bunch of religious nuts who happen to be patriots think of nudist atheists who are likewise? I'm not quite the stereotype. I'm actually gay and a Satanist too. HAHAHA As a smartass mothertrucker and a badass mothertrucker, I say just be yourself and don't let others tell you how to be or whether by being you you're making some "cause" look good or bad. LOL

Prepping is more than paranoia, it's a hobby. It's a proud thing to be able to think and say, "I can bunker down right now, I can quit my job, and I can eat and survive, defend myself, and live comfortably until I'm 100 years old, without relying on anyone else" Can you say that some thing?

I'm glad at least 2 others have said it. You are coming across as one of those paranoid prepper types. The ones who make the whole prepping and firearm communities look bad.

If you honestly feel as strong about carrying as you say then your not gonna let company policy get in the way. You already cut yourself off from some decent loads by not taking loads into the NE and the blue states. Why do you care what your company has to say about it?

As for myself, I can honestly say I've only felt the need to carry once. That was when I got in a hurry and failed to look at the overnight parking this one customer had. It was on street parking in a sketchy neighborhood in Philly. I just saw the dispatch said they had parking and ran to it. Shame on me. Other than that I've never felt the least bit concerned about it. Situational awareness goes a lot farther than packing heat.

I do know other drivers who work for some larger carriers who have said they carry, I've never seen it so who knows if they actually do or not? It comes down to what choice you want to make. They can tell you.you aren't allowed to carry, but if you are willing to chance losing your job, you can carry. The laws can tell you you aren't allowed to carry, but if your cool with losing your gun n not being allowed to purchase more then have at it.

Well rookie, I guess someday you'll learn 😉

I make on average $5000-10,000 a month when coupled with all the bonuses and everything. 🤑 I buy **** but eventually with the cheap area I live in, as opposed to a ghetto apartment in NYC, I won't need to even work as "hard" as I do currently.

Try Arms List for total gun freedom and not having to register with the government, and of course, no one in West Texas will be surrendering their guns and their 2nd Amendment rights over to any unconstitutional government anytime soon. 😊

Some congressperson recommended once if the government tells you that you can't have a gun, get 2 guns. 🤓

I happened to drive by the Truckers For Freedom march recently along I-80, and sadly they looked like nothing but peaceful protestors. Peaceful protesters won't be achieving much of anything under this administration, same with MLK, until Trump comes Home or possibly a republican becomes the next president whether legally or illegally. (Since Biden illegally became the current president). But I honked in support.

Noctis, I’m calling BS on your story. You hate the radical left, but you are the radical right and so how are you any better?

You really lost any sympathy I might have had for you when you claimed that you and the ranchers down there could shoot and kill anyone who set foot on your property and law enforcement would just turn a blind eye. What a crock of rancid s##t. That expresses great disrespect for professional law enforcement officers who do their jobs everyday. If what you said was true, every Jehovah’s Witness on your area would be dead by now. And if what you said was true, the FBI would be on that like a duck on a Junebug. Please do what you say and keep as close to home as possible. I could point out many lies and inconsistencies in what you say but why waste the effort.

Please do what you say and keep as close to home as possible. I could point out many lies and inconsistencies in what you say but why waste the effort.

Why waste the effort? Because rookie cyberloafers with an agenda or else possibly out of a foreign troll farm, who are not experienced with rural Texas let alone the diversity and consistency of American Trucking have no effort to waste, that's why. 😉

I only asked for a list of carriers who are pro-gun and out come the cyber-commies powered by the internet as first responders to the question with a "left-leaning" anti-gun agenda, when the question wasn't even political 😎👉

Just try trespassing in Hudspeth County, Texas and see what happens as far as the reality you are stating you doubt the existence of... I'll take it you can't imagine any LGBTQ+ nude or black robed, heavily tattooed Satanic Texans with guns defending their land lawfully, but all you'd have to do is trespass. You can insult the pigs all you want too because I don't respect them either, waste of my tax money is what they are. And Biden and his FBI don't like our State nor our Governor much either, but son, that doesn't phase us Texans. We don’t adhere to identity politics in the real world unlike Facebook people LOL 😎👉

This Texan Trucker is a Fabulous Drag Queen 🏳️‍🌈 in Goth, pretending to sound like a hillbilly at the moment HAHAHAHA

Lot of us in trucking wear short shorts when out, and we never get into these kinds of conversations at the truck stops, or I never see it much, simply for having asked about guns. Lot of us like weapons and hate cops and bums.

I guess that's where I can get my answer is out and about because apparently you Internet people have an agenda you would like to pressure me with...

Where are you all out here in the real world? LOL Oh well I guess I'll leave you Internet people alone to do your thing then. 😎👌

Long time no see by the way, your gun laws do work just about as inefficiently as your social media banning does 🤓 Yes I'm one of Them and we don't just "disappear" because we seem to be almost everywhere 😉 Good luck with your thing though. Ta-Ta