Help for a Brand New O/O!!

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Msticlaru, Feb 22, 2009.

  1. Jerm

    Jerm Bobtail Member

    18
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    Mar 27, 2008
    Kaliforniia
    0
    Misticlaru,

    I have a friend who has a contract on freight from CA to WA and Portland if you pm me through a moderator I can get you in touch with him it is dedicated van freight.
    Jerm
     
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  3. Msticlaru

    Msticlaru Bobtail Member

    29
    5
    Feb 22, 2009
    omak, wa
    0

    well, heres the deal on that. Dad was working with a guy who was setting him up with loads, basically... a dispatcher. After the first load he sent my dad on, it was obvious he either didnt know what he was doing, or didnt care. I thought initially the guy was a broker, or a broker agent. Truns out he is just a retired trucker who pulling loads of off the load boards. After talking to my dad about this, we just decided to have me do... after all, if its just some yahoo using the same website loadboards I am.. then it doesnt make sense to pay him to do this.

    that is when i jumped on these forums to get some more information.


    however the pure logisitics of pulling your own loads frmo the road seem pretty daunting. Then there is the simple fact my dad hardly knows what "double click" means. He is a hard worker, but he has 0 computer skills. even if i could teach him how to use the internet, loadboards.. gethim setup with wireless internet and the whole 9 yards, I still dont know how it would work. without a dedicated route, we need loadboards, to use loadboards, we(he) need to call on loads mon-fri wich means hes going to have to park his truck and work on loads for a few hours a day or every other day. its alot easier for me to do this on the fly from home, so his wheels never stop turning.

    My post asking if it was nessasry was simply me trying to understand the business. while i think what i am doing is unnessary for him, im asking myself how other drivers are doing it. are they toting around fax machines in their rigs? even if you are already setup with a broker, there is the exchange of paperwork and rate confirmation, etc... all this needs to be done before the load is a "go", and all require a fax machine.

    I also did some research and found "dispatch companies" who essentially do what i am doing, but charge a premium.

    so again, as a single truck owner/operator. no contacts in the business, running purley from loadboards, whats the best method to get rolling and stay rolling? the only thing i can think of is sitting my butt behind a PC screen while my dad keeps his butt in his seat and his pedal on the floor.
     
  4. PharmPhail

    PharmPhail Road Train Member

    3,084
    1,125
    Nov 7, 2008
    NC
    0
    Everyone who would answer you here, is obviously computer savvy.

    Your father doesn't have to pull off load boards at all. If he has his own authority, you can pull for most of the major companies. Use the motor carrier link on their sites (it's different than the O/O lease links)... Werner, Schneider, Landstar, etc. You just get in contact with them, fill out the motor carrier agreement, and you can call them direct and find a dedicated broker. You don't have to lease on to these companies to pull their loads. He can also consider leasing on somewhere and just having a dispatcher too.
     
  5. Msticlaru

    Msticlaru Bobtail Member

    29
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    Feb 22, 2009
    omak, wa
    0
    awesome, I just got your PM and am reading it now. I will give them a call on monday. We are kinda parked right now. I got dad home yesterday. but he has yet to be paid. the last load i setup up for him was a 2 day fast pay, but they have not paid out yet, and the load he just dropped off wont pay for 14 days. and then all the loads he was pulling for this other guy before i took over are "somwhere". cant do much till monday but read and edumacate myself some more.
     
    PharmPhail Thanks this.
  6. JasonTheRock

    JasonTheRock Light Load Member

    257
    102
    Feb 7, 2009
    Oakland, Ca.
    0
    Hey Pharm,

    Do you know of anymore carriers off hand? If not i will just search.

    I finally got my truck! its 97 Century, It has a cat 475 that they just did a partial in-frame on it. The only negative about it is that its a flat top, I am tall like you (6'5"). My 6 yo loves it, his favorite color is red! Brakes are good and may need some rear tires in a few months. The did not care about my bad credit, just wanted last 2 years of taxes and Huge Downpayment on the lease. If it was financed I would be paying about 20% interest, but the truck was only14,900 and beggers cant be choosers!The guy that owned it before me was doing bottom dumpers with it (its already setup). Isnt that what you are doing? Can you give me some info on it? thanks.

    Here are some photos:


    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
     
  7. PharmPhail

    PharmPhail Road Train Member

    3,084
    1,125
    Nov 7, 2008
    NC
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    Awesome you got a truck!

    It was doing hopper bottom or end dump? If it has a wetline then it was end dump, if it was hopper bottom then there is no particular setup.

    If you want to do either of those I can give you a good contact. As far as the more general freight I don't know anymore companies in particular except that most of the biggies seem to offer carrier agreements. Landstar calls it BCO (business capacity owners) I think. I would probably have called them first.
     
  8. JasonTheRock

    JasonTheRock Light Load Member

    257
    102
    Feb 7, 2009
    Oakland, Ca.
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    Thanks. There is no wet kit. he was doing hopper bottom. Right now there is a switch on the dash and mini pig tail in the back. I drove double bottom dumps for about 12 years ago and the truck had the same setup. If you could email me any info on both contracts that you mentioned in your PM that would be great. I sent you and email a few days ago, so you should have it still, if not pm me and I will send you another email.
     
  9. PharmPhail

    PharmPhail Road Train Member

    3,084
    1,125
    Nov 7, 2008
    NC
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    yes, please send again, I don't seem to have added it to my address book.

    I'll PM the link for the company.
     
  10. Dispatcher/VP baby!

    Dispatcher/VP baby! Bobtail Member

    15
    4
    Feb 5, 2009
    Manassas, VA
    0
    Dont listen what anyone else is telling ya brother, if you live in a good starting state, I live in Northern virginia and surrounded by good loads.

    If you have a good state, and work hard you can live off of loadboards, but if the economy keeps going south even living in a good state doesnt mean crap. There wont be loads for us and the bigger companies.

    As for what you are doing for your dad, I am exactly where you are 2 years ago, the first year I did ok, but 2008 or last year, I netted a gross of 197,000.00 for my dads trucking company of of loadboards. IDK about you but thats pretty decent. But you have to work hard. And you are right its better to have a dispatcher than a trucking doing it.
     
  11. Msticlaru

    Msticlaru Bobtail Member

    29
    5
    Feb 22, 2009
    omak, wa
    0

    wow thats awesome! so let me ask you a couple of questions then :) Were you just running the 1 truck? how much per mile were you able to negotiate on average? Right now, i can squeeze about 1.30 a mile out of most of these guys. as far as starting states go, we live in california, but my dad leaves out of cali on a 2000+ mile run and i just keep him going all over the 48 states till hes ready to come home and have a weekend or something. hes not afraid to drive, and that makes my job alot easier.

    oh, are you keeping a % for yourself? how much?

    id love to talk to you more :)
     
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