Instant PDF download · 15-day refund guarantee
Three books by Nicolas Holt

Stop working for free

141 one-page checks for truck drivers: unpaid dock time, bad loads and carriers, the craft nobody taught you, and the night.

  • One check per page, each with numbered steps
  • Built for drivers who do not like to read: big type, tables, ladders
  • 19 field cards to print or keep on your phone
  • Every check tells you what it will not do. No hype.
The collection$44.99
See the three options

Three PDFs, 263 pages · Instant download · 15-day refund guarantee

Nicolas Holt standing beside his truck
Cover of Stop Working for Free: the title on a yellow diamond road sign Cover of Nobody Told You: the title on a yellow pentagon road sign Cover of After Dark: the title on a dark diamond road sign with a moon
3 books · 141 checks
The problem

The wait was never on the paper

Most of the money a driver loses at a dock is not stolen. It is just never written down. No arrival time, no name, no notice sent when free time ran out, no out-time on signed paper.

Then the claim goes in a week later, from memory, and it is the easiest claim in the world to refuse.

You can check this one yourself, today. Pull the paper behind your last load and look for the line that says what waiting pays, when the clock starts, and what proof they want. If the line is not there, the pay was never there either.

“If the pay for waiting is not written on the paper that covers the load, it does not exist. A promise on the phone is not a detention policy.”
Book I, check 1
Where the money goes

Drivers fight at the end. The money is lost at the start.

The usual order is: take the load, sit at the dock, get angry, take a photo four hours in, argue after delivery. By then every piece of proof that mattered is gone.

A better app, a louder phone call or a tougher attitude does not fix that. The order does.

  1. Before you rollFind the waiting terms on the paper. Know which clock counts.
  2. When you arriveTime, photo, name. Two minutes, parked.
  3. When free time endsOne written message. That is the notice.
  4. When you leaveOut-time on signed paper.
  5. The same dayOne complete claim that needs no follow-up questions.
How you actually use it · Book I

One dock day, with the book open

You do not read this book front to back. You open it at the moment you need it, parked, read one page, and do what it says. Here is what that looks like on a single load.

1Before you say yes2 minutes · parked

Find the waiting line on the paper

Open the rate confirmation or your carrier’s pay sheet. Look for when free time ends, what is paid after that, and what proof they want. No line, no roll, until it is in writing.

You open: Checks 1 and 2 · the two-clocks diagram
Nicolas Holt parked in the cab, reading the paper behind a load

“A promise on the phone is not a detention policy.”

2At the gate3 minutes · parked

Time, photo, name

Write your arrival and appointment times on the log sheet. Photograph the sign with your truck in the frame. Get a name at the window and ask one question: when should I expect a door?

You open: the Dock arrival card · the dock log sheet
Nicolas Holt at a gate booth, writing on a clipboard

“Take the photo when you arrive, not when the wait starts to hurt.”

3When free time runs out2 minutes · parked

Send the four-line message

Load [number], [facility].Arrived [time]. It is now [time].Free time ended. Still waiting.Please confirm detention applies.
You open: Check 6 · the word-by-word table
Nicolas Holt leaning on the open door of his truck at a loading dock, writing a message on his phone

“It protects the claim, not the afternoon.”

4Leaving, and that night10 minutes · parked

Out-time, one claim, one score

Get the release time on the signed paper and photograph it. Send the whole claim the same day in one message. Then give the dock a plain score so you know what to say next time that address comes up.

You open: the Detention claim card · Checks 12 to 14
Nicolas Holt sitting on the bunk of his truck at night, writing in a notebook

“A claim with no out-time is a claim with no length.”

The dock log sheet from the back of the book

Three things you print once and keep using

  • The dock log sheet. One per stop. Every box is a piece of proof somebody will ask you for later.
  • The eight field cards. One page each. Screenshot them and they live in your phone’s photos.
  • The seven decision ladders. Yes or no, top to bottom. The first no tells you what to do.

Every step above is done parked, with the brakes set. The book says so on every page where it matters.

Choose your level

One book, or all three

Cover of Stop Working for Free
Book I · 51 checks

Stop Working for Free

Unpaid dock time, carriers, lanes, contracts, and how to say no.

  • The dock: the waiting line, the two clocks, the same-day claim
  • The carrier: what to ask before you sign on
  • The lane: pricing the round trip
  • The paper: questions for any contract
  • The no: one sentence, in writing
  • 93 pages, 7 field cards, the dock log sheet
$27
Get Book I
Best value · all three books
Cover of Stop Working for Free Cover of After Dark Cover of Nobody Told You
The collection · 141 checks

The Nicolas Holt Collection

Every check in all three books, plus the printable kit you cannot buy separately.

  • Book I · Stop Working for Free, 51 checks
  • Book II · Nobody Told You, 60 checks
  • Book III · After Dark, 30 checks Collection only
  • The Glove Box Kit · printable sheets Collection only
  • 263 pages, 19 field cards, 18 decision ladders
$44.99
Get all three books

Book III is only in here

After Dark is 30 checks on where you park, how you lock up, and what to do when somebody knocks. It is not sold anywhere else.

Cover of Nobody Told You
Book II · 60 checks

Nobody Told You

The everyday craft of the job that no school covers, from the first week to the third year and after.

  • The cab and the clock: set up the truck and the day
  • The tight spots: backing, lots, missed turns
  • The weather: decisions made parked
  • The body and the truck: look, listen, report
  • The people and the mistakes
  • 113 pages, 8 field cards
$27
Get Book II

Secure checkout and delivery by Payhip. One payment, no subscription. 15-day refund guarantee on every option.

Nicolas Holt sitting on the steps of his truck
Who wrote this

Nicolas Holt

I run a channel about the side of the freight business nobody puts in the brochure: the docks that hold you all day, the loads worth turning down, the places you do not park after dark, and the contracts that read better than they pay.

The comment sections under those videos are full of drivers telling the same stories. Hours at a dock with nothing on paper. Freight loaded by hand for free. Promises from a recruiter that never made it into writing.

These books are the answer to those comments. They are not my life story, and you will not find one in them. They are 141 things to check, in the order you need them, written the way drivers talk to each other.

540K+channel views
2.2K+subscribers
600+comments on the top two videos

Channel figures as of September 2026. youtube.com/@NicolasHoltyt

What’s inside

Three books, one format

263pages
141checks
18decision ladders
26quick tables
19field cards
3books
Cover of Stop Working for Free
Book I · 51 checks · 93 pages

Stop Working for Free

For the driver who is tired of losing time and money that was never written down.

  • The Dock14 checks. The waiting line, the two clocks, the arrival record, the free-time message, the same-day claim.
  • The Carrier10 checks. How miles are counted, what pays when the wheels are not turning, what comes out of the check.
  • The Lane12 checks. The round trip, the empty miles, tolls, weather along the route, the reload question.
  • The Cab3 checks. The dock-wait kit, the paper pocket, the phone as a witness.
  • The Paper6 checks. Questions for any contract, and who answers them.
  • The No6 checks. One sentence, in writing, with a condition instead of a complaint.
Cover of Nobody Told You
Book II · 60 checks · 113 pages

Nobody Told You

The everyday craft of the job. Some of it you already do. The pages you have never heard are the ones it is for.

  • The Cab8 checks. Everything has one place, the reach zone, nothing rides loose.
  • The Clock8 checks. Plan the day from the end, know your tired signs, park it and say why.
  • The Tight Spots9 checks. Get out and look, set up the back, never fix a missed turn with a panic move.
  • The Weather7 checks. Wind with a light trailer, the signs of ice, the shutdown call.
  • The Body7 checks. Food, the seat, sleep set up like a job. Health questions go to a doctor.
  • The Truck7 checks. Look, listen, smell, report. The fixing belongs to a mechanic.
  • The People8 checks. Dispatch updates, sharing a truck, home.
  • The Mistakes6 checks. The near-miss note, owning it in writing, ending the bad day on purpose.
Cover of After Dark
Book III · 30 checks · 57 pages · Collection only

After Dark

Most of what goes wrong at night was set up in the afternoon. This book is about deciding early, looking before you commit, and keeping the truck pointed at the way out.

  • The Plan7 checks. Decide before the day gets late, plan B and plan C, tell somebody where you are parked.
  • The Lot8 checks. One slow lap, park where you can be seen, park so you can leave.
  • The Truck at Night8 checks. The lock routine, the seal and the doors, the grab bag.
  • When Something Happens7 checks. The knock on the door, somebody at the trailer, a breakdown at night.
KIT
Printable sheets · Collection only

The Glove Box Kit

The working paper from all three books, one sheet each, made to print and refill: the dock log sheet, the waiting-claim message, the carrier question sheet, lane notes, lot notes, the log of loads you turned down, the contract question sheet, the trip plan and the monthly review.

A check page with steps and the honest limit
Every check: the claim, the reason, the steps, the honest limit.
A decision ladder page
Each part ends with a yes-or-no decision ladder.
A diagram page showing two clocks at a dock
Diagrams where a picture is faster than a paragraph.
A printable field card
Field cards you can read parked, in under a minute.
Nothing in it expires

Why there are no prices, no laws and no company names in these books

Rates move every week. Rules change, and they change from state to state. A book that quotes them is wrong before you finish it. So these do not. They teach the questions, the paper and the order, which do not go out of date.

No dollar figuresNothing about what a load, a wait or a lease should pay.
No legal claimsWhere a rule matters, the book says it exists and tells you who to ask.
No company namesNo carriers, shippers, truck stops, apps or truck makes.
No made-up numbersNo statistics, no studies, no “most drivers.”
15day refund
guarantee
The guarantee

Read it. If it is not for you, ask for your money back.

You have 15 days from the day you buy. If the book is not useful to you, reply to your Payhip receipt email, say so, and you get a full refund. You do not have to explain, and you keep nothing you did not pay for.

The next dock is going to cost you the same hours. The only question is whether they are on paper.

141 checks across three books. One per page. Read the one you need, parked, and do it.

See the three options

PDF · Instant download · 15-day refund guarantee

Questions

Before you buy

Which one should I get?

If docks, carriers and contracts are what cost you money, start with Book I. If you want the everyday craft, the cab, the clock, backing, weather, start with Book II. If you want the night-parking book, After Dark, it only comes with the collection, along with both other books and the printable kit.

Who are these for?

Working truck drivers in the United States, company drivers and owner-operators. Book II is written so that a driver in the first week and a driver a few years in both find pages they have never heard.

Why is Book III only in the collection?

After Dark was written as the third part of one set. It is not sold on its own, here or anywhere else.

Is this legal advice, or a compliance manual?

No. The books never tell you what a law, a regulation, a contract or a tax rule says. Where one matters, they name the kind of rule and tell you who to ask: your carrier’s safety department, the state DOT, FMCSA, an attorney who handles trucking matters, a drivers’ association, a tax professional, a mechanic or a doctor.

Will this get me paid for detention?

It cannot promise that, and no book honestly can. Book I shows you how to build a claim that is complete and hard to wave away. A clean claim can still be refused. Every check in every book says what it will not do for you.

I do not read much. Is it a wall of text?

No. Every check is one page: a big-type claim, a few short lines, numbered steps, and a gray box with the limit. Across the three books there are 18 decision ladders, 26 tables and 19 one-page cards.

What format is it, and can I read it on my phone?

PDF, delivered by Payhip right after checkout. The collection delivers three PDFs and the kit. They open on any phone, tablet or computer. The field cards and the kit are made to be printed.

Do the books talk about hours of service?

Only as “your legal hours.” They never give the numbers, because that is a rule, and rules are not what these books are for. Nothing in them is a reason to drive past your legal hours or to drive tired.

How does the refund work?

Reply to your Payhip receipt email within 15 days and ask. You get a full refund, on any of the three options.