What made you leave the trucking industry for good?

You have a good point. "If we all stick together." In my early years as a truck driver driving OTR was an adventure. But some of those companies would just ride you till you would drop. I moved on and then least a 1978 Inter'l Transtar II with a 9 speed and a 350 Cummins. Then after going to customers to make collections I said to myself, "screw it." So, after that I joined the Teamsters Union. Best thing I ever did. But, with the deregulation in the 1980's alot of Union shops shut down. Now I got four years to go to retire. The sad thing is I am now a victim of the economy and a down sized company because of a merger (Yellow/Roadway now YRCW) and have been UNEMPLOYED since July 15, 2009. I guess what I am trying to say is that we need to have our unions get back on track and have the non-union drivers not to be scared to unionize. I still do RESPECT the owner operators. They are the back bone of our trucking industry.

 

The truckers I met, or I should say 'business men' I met, were indeed millionares...multi million dollor homes, one had a giant cruiser (yaht) but sold it for a smaller vessel...

They succeeded, cause they saw trucking as a 'business' rather than an adventure...

It can indeed be done...

but not working for Werner as a company driver...

 

I would also guess that the "business men" you met also had paid for trucks, very little chrome, didn't drive 90 mph, conserved fuel, didn't eat 3 meals a day in the T/S buffet, left home with full coolers full of food and beverages, invested their money in things that would cause it to grow rather then slot machines or video games. Plus I also would bet that they waited till they had their money BEFORE they bought all their toys.

In my opinion, If you want to be successful, treat like a business, NOT a lifestyle. I pay attention to and learn form people who are successful and ignore the whiners, blamers and failures.

 

Yes...where I'll be working here soon...the guys truck ill be driving...he's a stickler on speed...does 63 mph....and now their aquiring another truck...

But ye, many of the traits you mentioned above...were evident in the succesful drivers I spoke with...

Investing in stuff that will help make their business grow was key to their success also...

Yes....you summed it up quite well....

 

The biggest waste of money or accesories I ever saw on a truck was one driver had 'spinner' rims not only on his tracter...but on the trailer also...

I'm guessing $15,000 at least....on fancy rims....come on....

I imagine he's probably a former driver now....one who feels they were tooken for a ride by the industry....

 

Another thing several of them had in common was

1.Own authority (their names were on the side of their truck or trucks)
2. Refer trailers (one had a flat-bed)
3. They had no 'middle' man...so whatever they made, was their...
4. None of them 'leased' their trucks to any company...they were the company

Many drivers follow a bad business plan and end up 'feeding' other entities before they ever get their check...

It's like earning $1000.00 and giving $500 of it away to others just to find you a load...

None of them really set out to 'be rich'...they set out or realized somewhere along the way that the current path or plan they were on was a very ineffeciant use of their time, energy, and money...so they decided to either do it right, or not at all...

Once they started doing it right and took charge of their careers...the revenue stream just opened up...

I'm in contact with one now...and plan to learn from him...

Succesfull drivers out there could do such a service by then turning around and offering 'seminors'...and title it 'The path to success as a driver'....of something of the sorts...

Why? cause many drivers enter this profession, as I did, totally clueless to how much of a ride you get tooken on when you run freight for others or waste years of you life as a company or lease driver...

And if someone could draw a chart with figures..to show drivers how much of their time and energy they give away for free or pennies...eye's would be opened...

Again...if you do it right, you can retire at 51...like this one guy I know...and still be young and in good shape...and still have revenue streaming in...

Trucking is a gold mine, if done right...

 

I havent left trucking. I am merely changing gears. Perhaps I will return to the road someday. Just that there is no reason to do it right now.

 

A lot of independant operators do great with their own authority and customers but they are always at the risk of someone under bidding their rate.Drivers went on strike in the 80's to achieve this uncertainity in the frieght rates it's called deregulation they wanted it until they got it.