Instant O/O and Load boards

Exactly what I thought......witness protection.









All my cousins are Hoosiers.....(Indy).....give you a clue how I knew you didn't grow up in Alabama?????????

 

I think there is enough information in this thread and the many other threads on here, that he should have known what to look for regardless of his ambitions or choices. If you ask me he was just too lazy to look. Just my opinion though. Which we all know what those are like. Read all the advice everyone gave him, and you will see what I am talking about. My life long dream is to own my own truck and company. But I didn't and won't jump out and buy my own truck and get my own authority until I'm ready. I may not know anything at all, but I know if I'm not ready to do something of this caliber, then I'm not going to risk it. Something more people should think about in the choices they make. That's just me though.

 

It doesn't cost you a thing to set up a Ryder/Penske/Whoever account and you can pit them all against each other for the lowest rates for backup units if you let them know you're shopping. There are far more rentals on the road than you might think....and...as mentioned before...some major companies are starting to drop their owned fleets and turning to using just rentals because of the cost advantages. These are guys that run trucks 24 hours a day...7 days a week as well. I would think rentals would be even more advantageous for someone like Rob than the likes of Fed Ex where his freight has low seasons where it might make sense to not have a truck for 2 weeks to a month... and maybe he might want to take a week off for vacation here and there. When that occurs...no sweat...drop the truck off and you're paying for nothing! I think the insurance costs would be FAR less for him to go thru them as well as I don't believe they care if it's the first time you sat in a truck or if you've been on the road for the last 30 years straight. If I was going to play his game I would take a long hard look at using rental power...and would have purchased a new or nearly new trailer (I don't think any major rental companies rent hoppers...so you're stuck there...but if you want flatdeck...reefer or dry van I would look at renting the trailer with the truck) which would be easier to get done because you don't have a tractor on your credit profile lowering your available credit. The only downside to rental power is you have to drop the unit off and re-rent it once (atleast on paper) every 30 days to stay inside the law regarding rentals and plate fees etc.

 

So.........at the ripe old age of 28 and with ALL your worldly experience.......this is what you come up with???????

GOAL?????????????

Whichever BIG company you drive for(or work for) certainly has you brainwashed really well.

I have my doubts if you're really a truck driver at all. You don't indicate such in your experience column.

So Mr. Safety and your GOAL answer.........go away........grow up........and get some more experience.

I've got tattoos and Levis older than you and my Dog has more time in the truck than you do.








Rant off.

 

This is my first time posting here,I have spent several days reading through every page of this thread and i have to say it has been quite the adventure just reading it. It has almost been like a good book. I am looking at jumping in this game some time early next year myself. I have a little short of 4 years pulling vans and flats and cant wait to get out on my own and this thread has had many bits of usefull information and examples of what to do and not to do. This whole thread has been entertaining and a real learning experience all at the same time. PharmPhail,I hope you are still at next year and running strong so i can run across you out there somewhere. Blow your horn if you ever end up in middle tennessee.Get you a load of corn coming over here to the Jack Daniels Distilery or something.

 

ok the whole rental thing seems good, but there's really no personal gratification in it. (prob spell that big ole "g" word wrong). it's like you're making a truck and trailer payment but at the end of the year i have nothin to show for it. i can't cut a hole in the dash and put a double din lcd display with backup camera or none of that other personal stuff in there. i pay for a truck and get nothin. i mean it's a great deal for a fleet where the drive pretty much pays for the rental fee and the company gets to mark maintaince off of it's worry list. but the DRIVER is kinda left alone with nothin to show. sorry if i'm loosing people with my way of thinking. i tend to over analyze things.. but dont worry cause i make up for that with my spelling.

 

####..... Ya'll still at this #### ?

 

Lowest pete, I have seat back and read your post about how Rob does his business, and what you would have done. And like it has been stated before that is all find and good you have that right. But I think you have lost sight of the (way he did the trailer the way he did) with your last post.
He drop the trailer and headed to Ga because his friend can fix his truck far cheaper then any d** shop would. You ask why not take it to some place closer, to someone with all the knowledge you seem to have you should be able to figure out it was a money issue. To me he made the right call by going to his friend to get the work done.
With that being said I have been a truck mech for the last 12 years, so I know for a fact that if he had brought his truck to my shop it would have easily cost him a few thousand instead of a couple hundred for parts at his friends shop.
Jpatasl , I do have to agree with you about the rental truck thought. It would have been better to beat the heck out of someone else's gear. Once it was in bad shape just go turn it back in and get a new one.

 

This thread has been a real eye opener for me. Very informavive. Thank you Mr. pharmphail for posting up your experiences here.

Oh geez. By what you posted above makes you no better than who and what you're posting about.