Ready, Set,,,,Here I go.....

Discussion in 'Lease Purchase Trucking Forum' started by SheepDog, May 20, 2014.

  1. rockyroad74

    rockyroad74 Heavy Load Member

    Get your financial discipline up to par! I can understand bad credit due to a medical crisis or divorce, but a chronic, lifetime pattern of bad financial decisions points to something else. Those patterns will reflect the same in your business too.

    Study personal finance, and find and correct those bad habits which have hurt you.
    I really like Dave Ramsey, myself. Listening to his shows via podcast downloads for 5 yrs gave me a lot of knowledge. I never was bad with money, but I got better still. I'm a natural tightwad, so it's easy for me.
     
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  3. SheepDog

    SheepDog Road Train Member

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    I put myself out there for people to read for a reason, it puts pressure on me to work harder at being better. Sure, I am 46 with really nothing to show for my life but there is more to it than just blowing money. Besides being raised by a father that bought when times were good and sold when times went bad, I had 5 kids by the time I was 22. Not making any excuses, just that it is important to note. I never had a talent for sports, acting, singing or anything that would make me rich over night so, I worked and worked hard my whole life. You see, I was born at the end of the Industrial Age and the beginning of the Information Age but, didn't know it. I was told to get a great job, and stay for 30 years to get the retirement, that didn't work out. Wife didn't work until the kids were all in school and she didn't have any special talent either so she had to take what she could. I decided to goto tech school and get a real job. Thought computers was where it was at,,,nope. We did good for about 8 years and than it all started going down hill. Inflation was 7/8% every year for about 7 years and I was only getting 3/4% for a raise. Finally after 14 years, I started a new career in Trucking and have never looked back.

    In the early years I did just like my father, bought what I wanted and thought "I am going to have what I want because I don't want to die without enjoying life". Filed BR in 97, started fresh and it was going good but, both husband and wife need to be on the same page in order to stay in the black. I finally gave up on working so hard to get perfect credit. I just decided that I don't need anything that doesn't provide me with what I actually NEED. All I care about these days is creating this business and accomplishing the Goals I have set before myself. One of which is to buy some property and start preparing it for retirement, if I ever get there... I really don't want to work my whole miserable life!

    Speaking of Dave Ramsey,,, I took his advice and cut up all my credit cards, sold everything to pay of bill's and only pay cash for things I want or need. Credit is over rated and this country builds too many things that the average person could never afford. Seeing the commercials for the new AWESOME cars, boats, bikes, houses, land, vacations and on and on... I don't have cable TV and rarely even watch TV anymore. I read and listen.
     
  4. Oscar the KW

    Oscar the KW Going Tarpless

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    Typically with a one truck operation, leased to a carrier, there is not enough money involved for this to be of any value.
     
  5. rockyroad74

    rockyroad74 Heavy Load Member

    Yep, those constant commercials are a form of mind control. What we watch and hear often will change the way we think and believe. Consumerism is trained, it causes "want-itis". All the junk we buy as a result doesn't bring hapiness. It just puts people in a chronic indebted, slave existence.

    Grandpa would hit the mute button when those commercials came on. I rarely watch TV. I would rather research things on the web, or waste my idle time on TTR. When I'm home, a do projects/chores or hit the beach.
     
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  6. SheepDog

    SheepDog Road Train Member

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    I wish my father would have been like your Grandpa Rockyroad74
     
  7. SheepDog

    SheepDog Road Train Member

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    Well, today is day one of my first week as an I/C and I don't feel any different than I did yesterday. I am on my 2nd day of my 34 restart and looking forward to starting tomorrow...
     
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  8. popcorn169

    popcorn169 Road Train Member

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    Hope the maiden journey is well.
     
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  9. rockyroad74

    rockyroad74 Heavy Load Member

    Start thinking ahead about: lane strategy, high and low times of month and year to run or go home, maintenance plans, paperwork organizing/filing, tax prep, profit/loss numbers weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually.

    The difference between a company driver and an owner operator is what they think about most of the time.
     
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  10. SheepDog

    SheepDog Road Train Member

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    Thank you RockyRoad74,,,,way ahead of you on all that. Been planning for this for 5.5yrs... I welcome any encouragement or advice you care to offer though brother trucker...
     
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  11. SheepDog

    SheepDog Road Train Member

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    I think I made a good impression with the company I am contracted to. I book my first two loads as an I/C and they approved. First one pays $3.28 pm on 365 total miles and 16K lbs. Second load is 42K llbs and pays $3 per miles on 1265 miles. It has 3 extra stops but, all easy. Not bad, for a guy who has never booked a load before. I took all my learning and applied it like I had been doing it for a while. The first load was offering $1100 to the truck, which wasn't bad but, always ask for more so, I did and got $1200 The 2nd one was offering $3400 and I told them I couldn't do it for less than $3700, and I got it. I will have to drive nights for the next few days but, that isn't so bad since the blitz is going on anyway.... All in Alll, I am happy Just got to find a load for Monday morning but, got a few days to worry about that.
     
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