Purchasing trucks

I agree with above statements "buy 1 truck run it for a while then add as your business grows". I started with one truck that I was driving running under my own numbers. things were going well and in about 6 months I added another truck/driver. If I had it to do over I would run 1 truck for a full year and then add additional trucks. Don't get me wrong, both trucks are doing well and all is good BUT; I didn't know how much I didn't know until I was trying to drive and keep 2 trucks loaded, 2 trucks maintained, loads invoiced, driver paid etc etc etc. Buy 1 truck run it for a while then as you are doing all the work think about how much your workload AND financial exposure will increase every time you add a truck. Good luck

 

Couldn't pay me enough to run more than 1 truck and babysit anybody beyond myself, but I guess it's like being a landlord...some have the stomach and patience for it but most don't. If you own dozens of properties you're probably wealthy because of it. If you own 3 you're probably just living a nightmare of your own creation.

 

Brandonpdx- As has been mentioned here before, the driver is the key. If my driver left for any reason I would seriously consider selling a truck. Not a lot of babysitting goes on as he is very squared away. What I wasn't prepared for or took too lightly was the additional workload of having another truck. If I was setting at the house keeping 2 trucks rolling it wouldn't be a big deal but doing it from the drivers seat adds a new degree of difficulty at least in the beginning.

 

Realistically once you get beyond 1 truck and have people driving for you, you need somebody sitting at a desk playing load planner/accountant/safety and compliance mgr/etc to do it right, which usually ends up being some guy's wife. I knew a guy who ran an intermodal drayage outfit in Portland and had several company drivers and trucks and a few "one truck Chuck" O/O's who ran under his numbers. Usually he'd be in his office pushing papers but often would be out in his truck covering for other guys and his wife or daughter ran the office. A true family business he had. No way you could do that if you still plan to be behind the wheel all week.

 

From experience, seeing your equipment regularly is critical. Most good drivers don't think the same way an owner does and they won't always mention things you will notice and need to plan to fix or replace. Tires come to mind for me.

 

Yeah that is exactly the case here, wife does alot of the paperwork side but she has a full time job as well. Invoicing etc usually falls to whoever has the time. Going into this I said that if we get to 5 trucks then I will get out of a truck after 5 months running 2 trucks I have changed my tune. I am incredibly blessed to be in position Im in but there are days when I wonder if its worth it.

 

Another thing to think about if you plan to keep each truck in it's specific region. Make sure the perspective driver is 100% clear on this, and 100% accepting of it. There are those that like dedicated runs, there are those that like dedicated regions, and there are those that like variety.

I for one, have always been the type for 'variety'...if I were stuck on the same lanes all the time, I would get bored and want to move on. So, that is why it would be important for the perspective driver to know exactly what you expect out of the operation of that truck BEFORE you put them in the seat.

 

It's a scary plan for all the above reasons, but please, is it impossible to start a small trucking company? I don't think so, while acknowledging all the problems exist in real time. Like, what about money? 3 truck/2 additional drivers is going to be 3x costs, fixed and variable. New trucks? Used trucks? Reliability is crucial, but how will he buy that? If you could buy reliability, we'd all be driving the same rigs. Drivers - like Barroll said, one good driver is hard to find. More than one? I see a bad moon rising on that critical component. Hey, OP, let us know about those good drivers. I for one would love to know. Spyder is right, you're going to have to dig deeper for them, or pay a lot of their operating costs. Last thing from me, money. How much cash on hand would the OP need to make a reasonable chance to succeed happen? After the truck purchases and setup costs, maybe have $50K in a good bank somewhere? That's not a lot, but it's what I'm thinking might work for me. Good luck to you, Stark.