How much experience

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by eddy64, Dec 11, 2018.

  1. eddy64

    eddy64 Bobtail Member

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    How much truck driving experience do you really need to be a owner operator
     
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  3. gokiddogo

    gokiddogo Road Train Member

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    Enough to have figured out what it costs to move a truck, how it really works out here. You also need business sense and money management. If you will be bidding your own loads, it helps knowing what freight lanes pay what rates, approximately. Where will your revenue come from? There's way more to it than just being good at driving a truck.

    That being said. At minimum 3 years in my opinion. It is much easier to get into than to get out of. So you also have to decide this is what you really want.
     
  4. willisl64

    willisl64 Light Load Member

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    I had exactly 0 miles under my belt. Jumped in both feet first, bought my truck, trailer and got my authority and just went to work...that was 15 yrs ago. I did have a community college CDL training certificate, but that was it. It can be done, it really comes down to the drive you have to succeed.
     
  5. stillwurkin

    stillwurkin Road Train Member

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    A few years ago i read somewhere restaurant ownership was #1 at failure. #2 was semi truck ownership. Don't know now days. May try to look it up?
     
  6. DUNE-T

    DUNE-T Road Train Member

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    6-12 months, but gotta have a good chunk of cash reserve and business sense. There are plenty of people driving 10 years for a company and still don't know anything about business, so all that driving experience does not matter.
     
    stillwurkin Thanks this.
  7. 201

    201 Road Train Member

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    If you have to ask, you're probably not ready. I was a company driver for 20 years before I bought my own. I did most of the work myself, and that was a huge plus, but I lacked the business smarts to make it work, and 4 years later, I went back to a company truck. In this day and age ( with $800 truck mirrors) I strongly DON'T recommend it.
     
  8. BnTPowers

    BnTPowers Bobtail Member

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  9. BnTPowers

    BnTPowers Bobtail Member

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    My son started when he was 18 bought his own T/T our family has been in trucking ad O/O for 25 yrs you will pay higher insurance premiums but fasten your seat belt dont get to ####y take your time and maje friends with ad many old timers as you can trucking is not just a job its a passion and if you have it you will do fine be safe and best of luck young driver
     
    haycarter Thanks this.
  10. michigantruckerb

    michigantruckerb Bobtail Member

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    Most guys confuse driving with business experience. Driving is just a JOB, it’s a SKILL. Same way you drive a truck for a company is how you’ll drive your truck. Only difference is what is your overhead cost, and what rates are you pulling for?

    That’s the real difference.
     
    Midwest Trucker Thanks this.
  11. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    The business side is very important. I got a early education from what I call a older trucker daddy who had 4 tractors on the road each week including my own. I used to sit and listen to verbal lessons about how much fuel I burned in money versus what the truck produced. Sometimes there is damage done with a bad shipper where trailer wont fit etc. So we have to fix that.

    Combine that with sunday mornings under the raised cabover in the bay wrenching on my own replacement parts Im not licensed anything at all in mechanic. But when I am installing a busted water gauge that costs a certain amount of money, you want to put it in right so it will last a long time. The tractor was generally a POS with it's tiny cummins, however it was a big contribution to my learning.

    The worst thing about being younger is that you think you have all the time in life to get everything done. I was doing a little bit of sailing lessons with a tiny boat in the harbor for per hour rate with a good instructor regularly as well as working on ground school and trucking. It was too many things at one time so everything was disposed of to focus on trucking. Now that it's over and done with temporarily, I'll see if I can find a instructor with another 14 foot jack to see about taking some of that rust off again. It would be a focus so that whatever you have going on in life, it will not be a bad existence when you learn to do things that interest you.

    Money has alot to do with it. Everyone will show a newbie how to drive a 18 wheeler. Yay. But no one tells the poor newbie how much exactly it takes for that truck to make the money to keep everyone in the money.
     
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