Quiet Leadership: What Owner-Operators Can Learn From Elton Wek

Every once in a while, I come across a trucking story that makes me stop.

Not because someone built the biggest fleet.

Not because they bought the fanciest truck.

And not because they found some secret formula for overnight success.

Sometimes it’s simply because someone has quietly spent decades doing things the right way.

I recently read an Overdrive profile of South Dakota owner-operator Elton Wek, who received the 2026 Wheel Jam Lifetime Achievement Award. His story immediately caught my attention.

Wek began his trucking career as a company driver in 1975. In 1979, he started Premium Best Transport with one truck. Over the years, that one-truck operation grew to as many as 25 trucks and today continues operating 14.

Stop and think about that for a moment.

Starting with one truck is something many owner-operators can relate to. Building that business to 25 trucks is impressive. But maintaining a successful trucking operation through decades of changing freight markets, fuel prices, regulations, equipment costs and economic cycles may be the greater accomplishment.

That requires more than knowing how to drive a truck.

It requires learning how to run a business.

Advice Worth Hearing

What I appreciated most about Wek’s story wasn’t the number of trucks.

It was his advice to other owner-operators.

Among the lessons he shared with Overdrive were the importance of working with a reputable company with good freight, investing in quality equipment, paying attention to fuel efficiency, understanding your operating costs and recognizing that running more miles doesn’t automatically mean making more money.

Those aren’t flashy business strategies.

They’re foundational ones.

And I’d add a strong amen to his advice about choosing a reputable company.

Who you choose to do business with matters.

The carrier you’re leased to, the agents or brokers you work with, the customers you serve and the people you surround yourself with can influence the direction of your business for years.

Good partnerships won’t eliminate every difficult freight cycle or expensive repair. But reputable partners, honest communication and good business practices provide a much stronger foundation when those difficult seasons arrive.

Integrity Is Part of the Business Plan

There was another part of Wek’s story that stayed with me.

Overdrive shared examples from people who know him describing times when he chose to protect another carrier’s established business relationship rather than simply taking freight because it was available.

That tells me a lot about a person.

In business, there will always be opportunities to make a quick dollar.

But every dollar isn’t necessarily a good dollar.

Your reputation follows you much longer than one settlement does.

Honesty matters.

Keeping your word matters.

Treating other people fairly matters.

Doing the right thing when nobody would blame you for doing otherwise matters.

Those principles may not appear on a profit-and-loss statement, but over a long career, they absolutely have value.

Quiet Mentorship Matters Too

Perhaps my favorite part of the story was learning that Wek has quietly mentored other drivers over the years.

Not with a big program.

Not with a fancy title.

Simply by being willing to listen, share what he’s learned and help another driver along the way.

Our industry needs more of that.

Experienced drivers and owner-operators carry decades of knowledge that can’t always be found in a manual, class or social media post. Sometimes the best education a newer owner-operator can receive comes from someone who’s already survived the mistakes, market cycles and growing pains they’re facing.

You don’t need a title to mentor someone.

Sometimes mentorship is answering a question.

Sometimes it’s sharing a lesson you learned the hard way.

And sometimes it’s simply demonstrating what good business looks like year after year.

One Truck Can Become Something More

I hope newer owner-operators see the encouragement in Elton Wek’s story.

He started with one truck.

That one truck became a business that eventually grew to 25 trucks and continues today with 14.

But I don’t think the lesson is that every owner-operator should build a fleet.

The lesson is that one truck, operated with discipline, good partnerships, sound business practices and integrity, can become the foundation for whatever your version of success looks like.

Maybe that’s a fleet.

Maybe it’s remaining a profitable one-truck owner-operator.

Maybe it’s eventually creating something your family can continue.

Your destination doesn’t have to look like someone else’s.

But the fundamentals of building something sustainable rarely change.

Know your numbers.

Choose reputable partners.

Take care of your equipment.

Protect your reputation.

Treat people well.

Be willing to learn.

And when you’ve been around long enough to know a few things, reach back and help the next driver coming behind you.

Congratulations to Elton Wek on a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.

And thank you for reminding the rest of us that some of the strongest leadership in trucking is also the quietest.

Source and inspiration: This article was inspired by Overdrive’s August 7, 2026 profile of Elton Wek and his 2026 Wheel Jam Lifetime Achievement Award. I encourage you to read their original profile to learn more about Wek, his family and the history of Premium Best Transport.