I didn't make it, but I want other startups to learn from my mistakes.

That's why I'm driving my old 96 International, 3406E and no crap thrown all over the motor or all over the truck. Cheap to maintain and easy to work on. Always runs and very little trouble ever. It's safe, reliable and ugly. Do you think the loads know the difference?

 

Hope you recover quickly and completely, sounds like you will.

Pre-emissions motors aren't a guarantee.of success. My 2001 Series 60 needed an inframe 6 months after I bought it at 630 K miles, and again after a head gasket failure at a million. Sometimes, it's gonna break, regardless. Darned near broke me the first time.

Money in reserve in a maintenance fund, bad debt fund, and general rainy day fund is absolutely necessary to have a good chance at success.

 

That's a horrible way to live your life afraid to take a chance on life he may not have succeeded but he tried and as long as he keeps trying other doors will open

 

Do you have any idea what the percentage is that fails?Its high.You wanna take a chance more power to you.Me I listen to other folks and make my determination then.I'm not talking about just owner ops but also lease operators.I'm not going to gamble my money and work harder then I should for peanuts and an outstanding debt.You wanna throw your money away then why not lose it in a casino.

 

I think the problem lies within the perception that you can just buy a truck, get loads and make money. In the OP case, he was trying to do it right, but bc the company he was with shut down, it forced him to move up his time table by 6 months or more.

Now getting a lemon truck doesn't help matters. Also, we don't know what kind of freight he was after, did he own or rent a trailer, did he work for non paying brokers or companies. Also, the 3 months in a shop with no income and still out the repair bills killed him. I used to lease on O/O's that begged for help, just to have them stab me in the back. Another situation I had with an O/O was he tried it on his own, bought a junk trailer, couldn't work on a darn thing himself, and didn't know that you could negotiate with brokers. He had been an O/O for several years before coming to me, so I figured he had a clue. I was WRONG.

I am more than willing to help anyone out. I have often thought about bringing O/O back on, but I run a tight business. My customers are very discerning and I am in a specific niche market. I work about 9-10 months a year. Run about 75k miles and am happy with what I do. I fingerprint most loads. Everything sounds good till that point, right. Once you tell a driver he has to work, ba bye potential driver.

 

Did you try Craigslist?
Did you try "Seek Employment" thread on here?

 

I know all the companies cl for over 5 state radious.

Been on that site looking at options for 3+ years

 

This OP's experience is 100% of why I don't own truck(s) right now. I'm very much in the industry and I have freight... But I'm not sure I want to bet this kind of money on owning trucks, an activity I have no experience of. Seems like the actual act of buying the truck is a hugely skill intensive activity that is very risky.

 

May I ask what it is you meant by your statement? Just curious

 

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger to go on my own right now. I had money put away to cover me and two out of three trucks are paid for. I have people skills and some knowledge of dealing with brokers, agents and chasing your own loads. My concern is more on the getting paid? I have a company that is offering factoring for .5% of a minimum of 20-25K per month. Is that possible? I want to get back into flatbed work but I'm thinking maybe starting with a box might work out better for now? I can cover my fuel cost for a couple months, insurances, etc. but then I might sweat a little.