Whoever sounded the death knell for owner-operators sure got the tune wrong, judging by floor activity at last month's Southern Trucking Expo in Atlanta.

Joining suppliers of truck products and services at the show was a contingent of driver-recruiters staffing booths for various truck fleets, including regional LTL and nationwide TL carriers.

The majority were trolling for drivers with lease/rental terms on new and late-model power units. All the plans were designed to draw in new -- or hold onto existing -- owner-operators. At least one fleet was offering to send inexperienced operators to driving school and then put them behind the wheel of their own truck.

Several driver recruiters pointed out that the key advantage to these equipment programs is the pride in ownership conferred on participating drivers -- who might otherwise not be able to finance their entry into owner-operatorship. And in turn, it's felt these new recruits will perform in accordance with the personal stake they now hold in the success of the fleet that made their owner-operator status possible.

"We're expanding our driver ranks with contractor-partnerships," explained recruiter Jimmy Davis of Burlington Motor Carriers, Daleville, Ind. "We have over 1,500 company trucks, but are now adding owner-operators. We offer truck lease/purchase plans to our existing drivers. The programs allow them to build up escrow for financial support."

In addition, Davis notes, Burlington makes its four major shops available to its contractors for vehicle maintenance and repair at a labor rate of just $25/hr., plus 10% over cost on parts.

"We're an all owner-operator fleet," relates recruiter Roy Wood of Springfield, Mo.-based Prime Inc. "Our goal is to keep our drivers busy on miles." To build its owner-operator ranks, Prime will consider sending applicants, who must be at least 21, to driving school. Upon graduation, the fleet will lease a truck to them with no money down and no credit check, which the operator then leases back to Prime. According to Wood, by going this route, even an inexperienced driver can be in his or her own truck within six months.

Wood says a number of the people taking up this offer are retirees from other fields, as well as those seeking a career change. None of thelease equipment offered is more than three years old. "Payments aren't as low as on an older truck," he noted, "but maintenance costs are lower."

Prime also helps its owner-operators carry the load by handling such tasks as fuel taxes and permitting, and filing of warranty claims. Contractors can have work done at Prime's headquarters shop. Road assistance, including finding repair shops and scheduling work, is provided to them via onboard satellite links. "The way we view it," said Wood, "their success is part of ours."

Trucking companies and other businesses have started paying for a little-noticed provision in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Specifically, Section 267 allows companies that hold toll-free numbers to be charged for every non-coin call made to their toll-free numbers from pay phones.

Here's how it works. A driver makes a call to you from a pay phone on your toll-free line. The owner of the pay phone will charge its phone carrier a per-call fee of 28.4¢. Effective October 9, the carrier can recover this charge by billing you the same price, or even more.

The charge would be assessed from any pay phone equipped to send a special identifying signal, which industry officials estimate at six out of ten pay phones. It is not clear how the phone companies will assess the full amount, or whether they will come off the rate as a marketing promotion.