I just retired and used to drive a truck in my younger days and have always wanted to get to again. I would like to buy a new tractor and maybe lease with a company or start with brokers but I need to know what costs I'm looking at to start with. I really could use some advice.

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My 2 cents,

Now is not the time to get in, UNLESS you can afford to pay CASH for a truck. I would not, never ever, ever lease onto a company (many do and are sucessful). I run with my own authority and wouldn't do it any other way.

I take it you haven't drove in some time, so my suggestion is go be a company driver for 6-12months and see if you still like it. Besides you will have a hard time getting insurance if you don't have any recent OTR expierence.

Could I afford a brand new truck payment? SURE

But, with the market doing what it is, I feel safer owning my own truck/trailer outright.

Also the biggest tip I can tell you is to write a business plan and do the research yourself, I strongly feel it will work better for you.

It is hard basing your figures off of someone elses. Some people can run at $1 a mile, others need $1.50, etc.

Do some searches on here and find facts for what you need to have and then find out what it will cost you on your own. Baseplates, fuel mileage, insurance, etc. etc. are all different from one guy to the next.

I have been reading and trying to digest this information I don't live in an area that has any trucking companies anywhere near by so that's not really an option although you're right it would help. So do you have some advice on how hard it is to get started with a broker and get loads.

You don't have to have trucking compaines near by to work for them.. heck there are so many compaines out there now, that they will route you home when you want to go home.

Its not hard finding brokers, or loads.

It is hard finding "good" brokers who pay ontime...

The biggest problem you are going to have is getting insurance with no recent OTR expeirence.

There are some pretty good threads on here, including stickies.. read BROKERS 101 thread and it will give you some good info on brokers.

Ins. is the deal, they want to see some recent history before they insure you. i have heard of ppl. getting ins. w/ no exp. but it was so high, and i'm talking 18k-22k for a year.

do you want to afford that !!

No that's a little too High!, I am wondering about a new truck or used? the way I figured if I buy new the maintenance will be low for the first couple of years. If I buy used I may have major repairs early. what do you think??

i think your coming at this from the wrong angle

call a agent and get the lowdown on the ins. first

then shoop around for a co. to lease onto

then go pick your tractor

You shold be spending around 15K for ins. and plates. A little less if you can shop around a bit. I am stuck with my ins. as they are the only ones that have allowed me to take my little brother with me... and I will be counting the days, when he has 15 months under his belt accident free of coarse my rates will go down a couple grand... the price we pay for inexperience.....

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That sounds like good advice. How about new or used tractors? with new there's the payment but less maintenance, with a used no payment but higher maintenance. I would appreciate some advice on this.

Bulldawg,

To me, the choice between new or used can sometimes boil down to where you are going to be driving.

Here is what I mean:

If I was going back to a 48 state operation, I would buy a new tractor if I could afford it. To me, the stress of having to get towed in and having a u-joint replaced ten states away from home was a killer. I was always stressed out by feeling, "This guy can throw out any price he wants and I am really in a jam"

Now, I must say that I was always treated fairly, but that stress alone weighed heavy on me while I was running 48.

If you get into dedicated lanes, or even go local like I am now, then you have a real advantage. Here a used truck seems much more appealing because you know the guys in the weigh stations and you know the good and bad shops along the way. In this case, a breakdown might not wreck your whole week.

Just wanted to show you two sides.

Lastkidpicked, Retired Simon tractor 1357