Not the right time?

some people would complain if you hung em witha new rope. If the numbers work for you then go for it. "You are the CEO of your own destiny"

 

There is no shortage of negativity on this sight as far as that topic goes, however there is also some really good contributors on here who are doing well and are very helpfull. They may not always tell you what you want to hear but they enjoy what they do and are doing well. I think you need to ask yourself is it the right time for me? Do you have a business plan? Do you have money set aside for down the road expenses? I see you have been on the sight for a year so im sure you have done a good share of research as far as operating expenses go and what not. As far as the economy, the talking heads can babble on and on in there news reports about how its turning around and so on but the way I look at it, what you see is what your going to get for a long time to come. Its not changing any time soon overnight. It took many years to flush the good paying blue collar jobs over seas and will probably take about the same to come back if they do. The goods will still need to be moved from the ports even if some of it is coming from sweat shops over seas. If you ask me its as good of a time as it will ever be but thats if YOU are in the right position and only you know that.

 

i agree

unless these naysayers are paying your bills, then dont listen to them


england, prime, schneider etc make enough money on a truckload to pay for overhead, permits, accidents, and they still do pretty well

why not you?

that was my thinking then and now, and i havent regretted it for a moment

yes, there have been ups and downs, but thats LIFE, not just trucking

 

At some point you need to quit talking about it and do it. There is nothing short of a third world war that will make things much better or worse for a starting business. In fact, I'd venture that waiting will be worse. Only one indicator there: Progressive insurance.

When we started up in March 2011, they were the insurer of last resort. If you could fog a mirror, they would offer you coverage. There may be one or two unknown, low ranked companies that might too, but not on the level of Progressive with their high ratings and well known claims service. However, in just the last two years, I've heard from my agent as well as other commercial policy holders that they are trending away from new or risky (safety, claims, even time in business) ventures. I just left them myself after three years. Why? My reward for a clean loss run, decent safety score with no oos, and three years in business was an increase to a rate 2.2 times what the rest of the marketplace offered. Why did the better market suddenly like me this year? Time in business and 2 yrs CDL issue date (I had one for years until the national CDL program started in 91? Anyway, had to test out and get one issued again).

Point is, had I waited another year or two, I might have decided not to start at all due to just the inability to get decent insurance. In my opinion, between government and the insurance industry, barriers to entry continue to get higher. Now, once you're in business, you've passed those flaming hoops and it's all downhill from there LOL. So why wait for more flaming hoops to get in your way?

Do as derailed points out: have a plan and money to back it. Then go for it.

 

Its a good a time as any. This is shaping up to be a good year. Projections (i know) are for large freight volumes and higher rates this year. If you have a good plan and money in the bank to cover yourself, do it. I found a situation that works for ne and Ive never felt better being an O/O. Find youre niche and make it happen!

 

If you think you are ready then go for it, anyone out here not making money has no one to blame but themselves...

 

Heres the reality: if your company can buy a truck, a trailer, get a load, collect on the load, pay you, pay some of that towards a building, shop, office staff, etc and still turn a profit for them... you should be able to do it yourself.

Not everybody is cut out for it, though. Some may only like have the job 'truck driver', and let someone else handle the rest of the work. But, you will have paperwork. You will do bookkeeping. You will be waiting for payment or deciding whether a factoring company or a quick pay offer is worth it. You will be maintaining and paying for your own equipment. You will be calculating whether you want to do a particular load. You will not have 'high dollar freight' that you're trying to get to. The next load should be your top priority. Don't undercut a load just because it takes you somewhere you 'want to be'.

Do all this, drive your truck, and still try to get your 10-hr in every night. Good luck.