The American Dream, is it still possible?

I think the idea of the American dream is alive and well. I think where most people mess up is by thinking that "I will be my own boss, control my own destiny "etc. What they quickly learn is that in order to succeed you will probably wind up working harder than you ever have in your life. I would love to have a day off but the reality is its not going to happen. Between keeping my truck loaded and rolling/booking loads for my truck and our other truck/invoicing/maint for both trucks etc etc a day off is not in my future. Sleep in on Sunday? not happening because truck #2 unloads every Sunday at 4am and calls for a lumper check. When you take that leap into independent O/O think of the number of hats that you have to wear sometimes at the same time. Think of every person that has a hand in keeping your company truck rolling, dispatcher, maint, accounting, receptionist, this list goes on and on and you have to be all those people. Is it worth it? I think so, I love what I do and feel incredibly blessed to be able to do it. The reality is I could make a good living working less hours as a company driver. So why do it? Because I feel the sky is the limit I can take this as far as I want to go and I am not limited by company pay plan that says I will get X cent raise after X number of years. That's the draw and that why guys keep doing it. The ones that you hear complaining at truck stop counter probably didn't take all of the above into consideration. I will sit down now.

 

Cali isn't desirable for me for a few reasons.
#1 they require trucks to have at least a DPF on them. I went this route once and the truck did not perform. Even the new trucks have problems. I have not had one single emissions problem with my current truck (and it gets higher mpg too!) because it does not have emissions systems which ultimately cost me money. I am not really interested in buying a machine for $150,000 that will likely spend more time than I would like in a shop for emissions related problems, while the "mechanics" scratch their heads not knowing what the hell is wrong with it. No thank you.
#2 the scales work a lot. And they inspect everything. Not that I need to fear the scales, I just prefer to not deal with them any more than absolutely necessary. 55 mph too. All the aerodynamic devices they require must really be working at such a low speed. Maybe it is safer at 55? I guess the laws of physics change once you go over the line in the sand into NV or AZ and they let you clip along at a reasonable pace. Another strike for California.
#3 yes Cali grows a high % of the produce eaten by the both USA and Canada. This does not mean it is impossible to make your money elsewhere as a reefer hauler. I am making a good living and because of Cali's emissions laws, I have completely written off the entire south west USA. I do not see how I could make more money or have a better situation by chasing freight in the south west.

That is my version of why Cali sucks for owner operators.

 

Listen.
If you are having trouble seeing the way forward, you need to do more research .. ok never mind.
I suggest you read Diesel Fuel Only's threads over in the Schneider forum. He has some good reads about his experiences as a company driver and an O/O lease guy, or whatever.

Some things, certain undertakings, require a certain clarity and directness of purpose to succeed and the one who, erm, undertakes them needs to have that in order to succeed.

Edit: The truth is that what separate the average and mediocre from the excellent and successful is work.
You do that extra bit, pull that extra, be a little quicker with the paperwork, be just a tad more efficient, have a little more guts. I learned in academics that the difference between an A and a B grade is a few more hours of work per night. You have to be willing to exceed the average or the expected. Considering how many average people have backed into all kinds of success in life, it's not that hard. You just can't out-think yourself.

 

Amen. I agree completely, It really boils down to had bad do you want it and are you willing to put in the extra work required.

 

There is an old saying. "Success is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration." The difference between success and failure is often the extra work you put in to make your business work. I have owned a number of businesses. I worked harder and put in more hours than anyone who has ever worked for me.

 

Agree with Chinatown.
Remember this. "The best way to make a million dollars with a truck is to start with two million."
You could possibly survive by jumping from company driver to independent but, I would bet against you. A few people have done it but, the odds aren't in your favor.
It would be best to lease to someone for at least a year , maybe two. Otherwise you will probably bite off more than ya can chew. There are so many things that you don't know about running a truck business and at least you have some help with some of it when leased to someone. They already know the ins and outs and have freight already established.
The words 'home every day' scare me for someone who wants to get into the trucking business. Again, it's possible but, not very likely. Now, there is a lot of freight moving on the I-5 corridor and some company's that do it all the time. But, definitely not home every day. Some do well by running the western states only, again, not home every day.

 

There are many paths to figuring out how to make money, anyone can agree on that. Trucking of any sort is a get rich slow scheme at best. Think about who you are, what you're good at and try and make a plan based on that. If you're good at planning and keeping track of everything, maybe going out on your own is best. It's not for everyone, most people fail. Most fail within 3 years. If you make it to 5 years, it's probably long term, or so they say.

As for the american dream, it's there. But.... supplies are limited.

 

I put in 4 years as a company driver. Went into the office for a year working in logistics, dispatch, safety and compliance, recruiting, maintenance, etc.

I decided the office just wasn't my cup of tea. While in the office I was exposed to a lot of proprietary information, including which L/O O/O were doing well and which one's weren't and why.

When I decided to go back into a truck, I signed a lease with the owner who I trust and hit the road again running the I-5 corridor. I'm doing very well financially, significantly better than I ever did as a company driver. There are a lot of opportunities out there. I'm not sure how you define the American Dream. However, the trucking industry is wide open and with experience, good planning and hard work, one can do well for himself/herself.

There's always going to be naysayers, who will try and detract you from pursuing your dreams. It's usually because they themselves had a bad experience or because they are just too afraid to give it a shot and settle for mediocrity and parrot the same negativity they've heard from others.

I agree with what someone else said here, start out by leasing on with a good company first and learn the ropes. Then, you can decide how to move forward.

As my signature here says, "luck is when preparation and opportunity meet."

 

Also, I should clarify that mediocrity isn't necessarily all that bad, especially if it's putting food on the table and paying the bills 😉