A thread to judge the number of IC's who like or dislike the New Contract.

For that 35% Schneider also takes care of the administrative side of trucking. I do think 35% is a little high. Seems 25% was kinda the standard back years ago, at least from the companies I looked at then. It is what it is & a new o/o doesn't have much chance succeeding with their own numbers. Sure some will be not the majority just like only some succeed with leasing on with a carrier. Plus, Schneider does make it easy to start a business. I don't have the financial backing for me to feel comfortable running my own numbers. Plus I wouldn't get the discounts that Schneider offers. Has anyone checked the numbers to see if you would still be money ahead paying more to run the truck & making a higher percentage? I would be interested in seeing those numbers.

 

Has anyone ever had a problem getting paid from Schneider as a LC/OO? I bet not.... you know Schneider's money is good, but you go independent and get burnt by a couple brokers?? Hope you have enough in the bank to survive something like that....

 

There's a solution for that, you can take steps to prevent it from happening.

Nothing you can do with SNI through, they now can burn you and you have no recourse.

 

Before jumping into being an Independent Trucker, ask yourself this question.... Deregulation happened over 30 years ago... How come Truckers are still leasing on to Carriers??
How come some are suspending their Authority and go back to leasing on to Carriers??

Getting your own Authority is the easy part... Paying upfront costs to setup up that business can get very expensive.. Insurance is one and can easily cost thousand a month.. Getting paid for load hauled, may include factoring, which is an expense, etc, etc.....
Picking loads off load boards or have your own customers...
Brokers can be a pain.. I would think there is very little drop and hook you guys always talk about..

Yes, there are rewards too for guys with their own Authority, but most will tell you first starting out isn't as easy as some seem to think...
Another thing to ask yourself, What other Carrier can you haul freight for that operates box freight can match or do better that what you already have?? What Carrier has the customers that Schneider has?? Wanta work off broker type load boards, try point and click on those??
I do agree Schneider is a big PAIN, with their new contract from what I read, but most companies change their agreements from time to time..
All I'm trying to say, is be sure an weigh your options, think things thru before jumping ship... NO Carrier is perfect and Independent Truckers have their own set of problems..
I still say good luck on your choice, whatever you do... Just an ole retired trucker trying to get you to think... Wish we had computers back in the 70's and 80's like you guys do today... Still haven't figured out the smart phones and tooo ole to learn...

 

I'm going to sign an Charlie Mike.

 

You will work harder having your own authority. You might have to make 10 calls or more to get that one load. To be honest, I don't see a benefit of having you own authority, when you are a 1 truck operation. Just remember, there is always someone you have to answer too.

 

Get your own authority and sign on with Schneider Logistics and get a 35% raise...

Be Safe Out There

Captain Dave