How much experience do you think is needed before becoming an O/O?

Just stay away from all the youtube truckers that are spreading the BS about OO being easy money. Those guys are a big part of the current freight recession, way too many inexperienced truckers bought trucks and are now driving rates into the ground.

 

You can spend 20 years being a company driver and not learn anything about running a business.
Driving a truck you won't learn anything besides... driving a truck

 

I’d at least wait for the bottom of the current down turn…….

 

Keep track of everything on your company truck as if you were paying the bills…….

 

Honestly being an owner operator, even with your own authority is ridiculously easy. Do not think of it as hard or something that stops you. If you lease on they pretty much do everything for you anyway. The ONLY reason I would wait, is to make sure I have the capital, and make sure my driving experience is up to par. Think hitting a pole and breaking your bumper is bad, try owning the truck and paying for the bumper also lol.

The number one reason owner operators fail is they don’t separate business from personal. They see a $6k check and think it’s all theirs after fuel. It’s not. Second reason is capital. Either having too little, or financing a truck and a trailer and the work slows down.

To answer your question, I would buy a truck when I see a good one at a good price. The longer you wait, the cheaper the truck will be as we are seeing a huge down turn in the market.

 

Knowing how to drive a truck is kind of an important thing for an owner-op. Knowing what can go wrong with a truck and how to prevent it isnt something that most people are born with.

I know a guy that owns a doughnut shop. Does really good at it. Really good businessman. He would make a terrible o-o.

In this business, you need both.

I always tell people that ask the question "how long should I drive a truck before I buy one" 10 years. Minimum.

 

Lol I bought a truck and opened my MC after being a company driver for like 6 months. I learned zero about trucking business while being on the road.
The only thing that helped was reading this forum everyday and prior business experience.
If you got money in the bank and have any common and business sense, there is no reason to wait more than a year