Picking my own freight baby! My journey to & of being on Schneider choice, the Adventure & Numbers!

oicu812 · Sep 9, 2017

Not the most modern high-tech truck out there but,

I'm doing fine in my W-9

AlBig · Sep 9, 2017

freightwipper said: ↑

Before I came here I these Schneider threads for months and also asked many questions.
I saw other drivers pay, saw the load board etc etc.
It's a big commitment to leave a job and go sign a lease for a truck to do something new.
If you look around there really isn't any unhappy Schneider choice drivers nor ones saying they're going broke and in the trucking industry that's saying A LOT! Yeah we including myself might complain about minor things but overall everybody agrees this is a pretty good gig. Seeing all the happy drivers here and seeing for sure I can make money here was the key in giving me the confidence to pull the trigger to come here.
Where else can someone go where they'll lease you a truck.. and you work off a load board picking your own freight, paid on percentage and have endless drop and hook freight??? Nowhere.. it's second to none.
The closest to this program there is you'll find is Landstar but there are differences in that.. the main ones are they won't help you get a truck like Schneider and two while yes there's a load board you're dealing with brokers and speaking to people vs here loads are yours once you click on "assign" and lastly there's a lot more live load/unload freight with set appointment times there vs here.
Not saying Landstar is bad but it's simply different and for some better suiting for them.

As far as trucks go Schneider finance pretty easily will accept you, the main thing they care about in knowing is your living expenses. Credit really doesn't matter to them but if you have a million dollar mortgage and have 7 kids then they won't accept you..
As far as picking a truck.. new vs used.. nice vs basic.. that's different for everybody.
For me a new truck was the way to go. I wanted a warranty and less headaches.. as simple as that.
Yes payments are higher but there's greater risk/reward in a used truck that I didn't want to get involved with.
Money isn't everything.. comfort and peace of mind held a huge factor with me.
Being I spend a lot of time in my truck and want to enjoy it so I went with spending a little more money upfront for a Kenworth which for me is a lot nicer and more comfortable than any other truck I've ever been in.

As far as the numbers go here any new Freightshaker or Kenworth will run you in the $700 range per week for just the truck.
Used trucks are less BUT Schneider makes you pay a larger amount per week into a maintenance account.
As far as fixed costs go new vs used here there isn't that much of a difference.
Schneider does offer a one year lease but only on new and used Cascadias. The purpose of the one year lease is to "see how you like it". Schneider finance wants you to do well and be happy, they won't try to suck you into a longer term lease. Again that's your choice.
After your year is up they won't do another one year lease for you.. 3 years seems to be the norm from what I've seen.
Up front costs are as follows (as of recent)
Used Freightliners are zero down
New Freightliners are $1k down
Those pretty much are company spec trucks as in plain but without the governor.
Used Kenworths are $2k down
New Kenworths are $5k down
They are loaded, 13 speed, refrigerator, APU, power everything etc etc.
When you lease onto Schneider with a new truck they give you a $1,400 bonus into your maintenance account.
So for example the down payment on a new Freightliner pretty much washes out.
$3k of the $5k I put down for my Kenworth is a security deposit which is doubled and returned to me at the end of the term. Or in other words if I walk away after my term I have $6k coming to me along with whatever money is left in my escrow and maintenance accounts.
My fixed costs per week including everything.. tags, insurance, truck, maintenance account etc etc is $1,103 per week. $135 dollars of that is my fixed maintenance fund
If I want to buy the truck after 3 years it'll be $59,000 which I plan on doing regardless of if I keep the truck or not because based on the market I see I could flip it at that point for a profit.
As far as coverall cost.. yes I realize I'm paying a premium by leasing a truck through the company I'm working at. If you have the credit and a big down payment you can get a better deal elsewhere I'm sure.
If you compare me leasing my truck through Schneider and then buying it after 3 years.. vs me going through lonemountain for a Kenworth to buy I'm spending about $20k extra over 5 years by going through Schneider.
For the record the same type of Kenworth from Lonemountain is $14,000 down and $2575 a month for 60 months.
Everybody has different wants and needs for trucks but for someone not wanting a lot of risk, money up front and wanting to test the waters I suggest doing a one year lease on a new Freightliner here.
That $1103 I'm paying is if my truck is moving or not which appears a lot to digest and it is.. it's a commitment for sure. The key obviously is to run well and to good enough to afford time off which isn't as difficult as it might appear.

I'll share a few recent weeks to give an example:

7 days working.. 7 different loads picking up or delivering in the states of VA, PA, OH and IN.
2,098 all miles Revenue was $4,737.62 ($2.25 all miles) fuel used was about $800 that week so my revenue that week after fixed and fuel costs was a little over $2,800

Most recent week I worked 3.5 days out of the week 4 different loads in the states of OH and PA.
1101 all miles, Revenue was $2,534.08 ($2.30 all miles) fuel was about $440 so that week revenue after fixed and fuel costs was about $990.

Those are a couple of my recent weeks.. I had those "good loads" I posted about earlier in the thread. Have the proof if need be. I must say my numbers aren't easy to pull off. I spend a lot of time checking the load board.. as in every time the truck stops Monday-Friday. Real good loads go fast.. many times within seconds and there's only so much hot freight out there. That's not saying you can't do good on longer runs or by preplanning way ahead of time.
I have found only by doing shorter loads and checking the load board a lot can I pull off $2+ all miles at over 2000 miles a week. Short loads however require a lot more planning and a lot more can backfire.
I've seen drivers run solely the Northeast that live there that average $1.80 ish all miles.
Other drivers who go all over doing 3000+ miles a week $1.50-$1.60 all miles.
If you just wanna run run and don't care much about getting the best rate you can easily do so.
With open window drop and hook freight... there's no reason except for you to knock out whatever amount of work that you want to.

To give a conservative idea of a lifestyle you can choose and what that would look like here's an example:
You work 2,800 miles a week 3 weeks at $1.55 all miles and then take one full week off.
Fuel prices now are around $2.80 per gallon and lets say you get 7.5 MPG
2800 X $1.55 $4,340 in revenue.
- fuel $1,045
- fixed costs of $1,100
= $2,195 to you after fixed and fuel costs per week
After 3 weeks you've earned $6,585 before taxes now you take an entire week off..
so that's $6,585 - $1100 = $5,485
Which all in all comes to averaging $1,371 per week or $71,292 per year with taking 25% of the year off work!
What does the run of the mill company OTR driver earn? .40 and 115,000 miles a year? that's $46,000 and you certainly aren't getting that much time off.
Yes you pay higher taxes as an IC but you remember you can really rock out the per diem still.
Point of this was to give an example showing that even though $1,100 in fixed costs might sound scary you can make it work and still do well.. all with the freedom and choice to go and do whatever whenever you want pretty much.
These kinds of examples I ran over and over again in many different aspects and each time I've come to see I can easily earn more money and have more time off vs being a company driver. That in part was another huge reason why I came here.
As far as income goals I have...
When I'm out 7 days as long as I reach $2000 after fixed and fuel costs I'm content and that number hasn't been difficult to reach. My goal every full week is to do $2,500+ which is more difficult but not impossible as I've done so multiple times already.
I mainly run Mid-West and some Northeast but no New England.
Another goal of mine is go exploring the country and running different areas but by doing so I'd be taking a big pay cut which I've been putting off because I wanted to save more money first.
Before winters comes I am going to go to the west coast.. that for sure is going to happen even though rates suck over there.
All in all I am very happy here and there's no place I'd rather be.
I will continue to update my progress, share my adventures and my numbers.
Feel free to ask any questions...
And to all those other Schneider ICs on here.. THANK YOU. Without you I wouldn't be here.
Your sharings and answering of my many questions gave me what I needed to come here myself.

Click to expand...

2000 miles a week?? Truth McDonald's paying better....lol

scythe08 · Sep 10, 2017

AlBig said: ↑

2000 miles a week?? Truth McDonald's paying better....lol
Click to expand...

I know there may have been big words in there, but try reading it again. He gave a very clear example. Why run more for less, when you can run less for more. Not that hard to figure out.

freightwipper · Sep 10, 2017

AlBig said: ↑

2000 miles a week?? Truth McDonald's paying better....lol
Click to expand...

When you're paying for fuel, truck and maintenance you want to make your money on as little miles as possible.
It's just not overhead but if you pile on the miles you're depreciating the truck faster too.
Miles are the enemy.

MACK E-6 · Sep 10, 2017

freightwipper said: ↑

No posts since February 2015 and you magically appear to randomly reply to a post from over a year and 701 pages ago.

I'll cover for @duddie

SMH
Click to expand...

Weren't you taught to read the thread before replying?

Western flyer · Sep 10, 2017

freightwipper said: ↑

So here's my Western Star review

Pros:
* wow it is smooth and quiet, way better than the Kenworth I've been in, even at 70 mph it feels like a Cadillac.
* nailed it with the auto
* seats are very comfortable
* exterior is very attractive
* wood cabinets are nice

Cons:
* Interior absolutely terrible, besides the seats and cabinets the rest of the interior/sleeper is straight out of the 1990s. No money or thought went into this interior, they just took the same design from their trucks from 20 years ago and threw it into their new truck.
As old and cheap as can be! Even the bulbs are cheapo depot, no LEDs but rather the bulbs that will burn you after being on for one minute. These suckers get real hot, the lighting in here I bet could warm up the whole cab if left on.
This interior is currently the absolute worst in the industry, nothing comes close to second.
The new Cascadia interior feels 20 if not 30 years ahead of this one, it's that sad.
*cheap cheap cheap, Western star is made by Freightshaker and it's obvious..
water leaks coming into the cab day 1, trim pealing away right from the start. Build quality is not there.
*No auto ac controls, either you die from heat stroke or freeze your arse off. Haven't gotten a good sleep yet in this truck and am putting an APU in today.
In the Kenworth you set a temp on auto and forget about it. It will maintain that set temperature throughout. Something as basic as that was left out of this 1990s interior.
*Again interior, the storage is a joke up front.. nowhere with enough space even to put your bills. Your choice is either to fold them up and squeeze into a small place or go into the sleeper to put paperwork away cause their ain't no space up front.

Overall I would not recommend this truck, there are better options out there. It was worth it to me only because of the deal I got.
Click to expand...

I though western stars were supposed to be
Cream of the crop.

I know you hopped in that thing and checked it
Out beforehand.
They must have gave you a hell of deal to jump
In a truck you hate.

freightwipper · Sep 10, 2017

Western flyer said: ↑

I though western stars were supposed to be
Cream of the crop.

I know you hopped in that thing and checked it
Out beforehand.
They must have gave you a hell of deal to jump
In a truck you hate.
Click to expand...

I still have the Kenworth

Western flyer · Sep 10, 2017

freightwipper said: ↑

I still have the Kenworth
Click to expand...

Ok. Sounded like you moved into the western star
With that 1 star review you gave it.

Bumper · Sep 10, 2017

Western flyer said: ↑

I though western stars were supposed to be
Cream of the crop.

I know you hopped in that thing and checked it
Out beforehand.
They must have gave you a hell of deal to jump
In a truck you hate.
Click to expand...

I was never so happy to get in to and then out of a truck. I thought it was the Holy Grail until I found out how little drivers storage space there was. I mean for little things like sunglasses and truck stop books and that kind of stuff. And having the radio up over your head and wanting to connect your xm radio to it was a challenge too. Then the worst part, the #### bed is 6 inches narrower than the one in the Cascadia. Every time I rolled over in my sleep I hit the back wall and woke up. And if the upper bunk was down I could not sit on the bed because it hit me on the top of my head.

It looked nice on the outside though. Did not have the Power option in the trans either. Loved the auto cruise.

freightwipper · Sep 10, 2017

Western flyer said: ↑

Ok. Sounded like you moved into the western star
With that 1 star review you gave it.
Click to expand...

I am in it currently but I have the other truck. Willing be hiring

Bumper said: ↑

I was never so happy to get in to and then out of a truck. I thought it was the Holy Grail until I found out how little drivers storage space there was. I mean for little things like sunglasses and truck stop books and that kind of stuff. And having the radio up over your head and wanting to connect your xm radio to it was a challenge too. Then the worst part, the #### bed is 6 inches narrower than the one in the Cascadia. Every time I rolled over in my sleep I hit the back wall and woke up. And if the upper bunk was down I could not sit on the bed because it hit me on the top of my head.

It looked nice on the outside though. Did not have the Power option in the trans either. Loved the auto cruise.
Click to expand...

Yeah gotta love the radio above your head. Bills, permit books, truck map books etc all have to go in the sleeper because there's no space to put them anywhere up front. It truly is amazing how terrible the interior is. I'm amazed how a company can put out a whole new truck with a interior design from the 1990s along with no storage space.
It does drive nice and is very quiet, I'll give it that.

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