How much $$$ is enough?

There’s a bunch of threads on here that detail how to enter the O/O game without losing your rear end.

I advise you get to reading.

Good luck.

 

I'd go with the warranty remaining truck personally. Only if you're sure you can make that payment. Have you figured out your cpm yet? Being new it's almost all guessing. But will give you a rough est. Of how hard you have to run. Mime is 1.15 pm That includes trailer payment insurance ect ect. And paying myself 48k a year.

Figuring Cost Per Mile, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

Theres a spreadsheet that does it all for you. You can get all your weekly deductions from LS. After this I'd sign up to do one of landstars live loadboard demos to see if the rates you'll be running will match what you need to make. Everyone will have a different opinion Some want to just be dicks. As for money in the bank. I'd personally set aside 15k for repairs and maintenance right away Then .10-.15 pm going into it as well. Hope this helps and goodluck!

 

Not trying to be a dick - trying to be realistic.

You’ve got good advice there, but I’ll tell you from recent experience, I dropped the flat and ran a van load with LS at 73% - ( using LS van is 65% ) -

Admittedly, I had no agent contacts, and on the fly lane knowledge ( of van ) - and this is how it turned out -




That’s at 73% ( customers trailer ). Try that at 65%.

It’ll leave you at less than .45 cpm which the OP is currently paid, with benefits.

Again I’ll stress it was a spur of the moment decision to drag a van, but it’s similar to going in blind like the OP would.

There is disgusting van rates out there to pull if you want to, and unless you have a solid plan and established business model- it’s just a question of when you want to go under.

Again - good luck.

 

Which is why I advised them to go do the live loadboard demo. Which I did and saw I couldnt make it at LS. Most rates they showed were around 2.30. That's before deductions and ls 35% cut. But hey theres people making it. And thriving there as well! I dont personally see how. 2.30 pm comes out to 1.49 pm to the truck. I'm at 1.15cpm and that's with no truck payment. So you see I cant make it there I'd rather go to mag carriers get 90% of the load. But if OP can make it at 65% more power to them

Something else to consider is I did the live load demo on a Wednesday after 5pm I watch trucker dave on youtube. He does a lot of load board rate videos Hes showing a lot of $3 pm loads Which is 1.95 to the truck before deductions

 

To be fair though, 30% empty is high. Also, strictly my opinion, LS isn’t a good place if you plan to pull a van.

 

I believe to make it at Landstar..... you have to love cats and take them with you as a pet..... @Dave_in_AZ knows..... , and name your truck Casper.

 

Yeah, you’re right - I wound up in NY state and reloads were AWFUL. I havent pulled a van in years. My impatience had me bounce 400 miles to a ‘solid ‘ load (not one of the cut and paste flakey loads).

Learned you’d have to know your areas, and keep deadhead to 10% or less.

Hey - I love cats too, but Buddy runs a mile when he hears that truck start up . . . bad memories from his rescue situation.

 

Here’s a run back on flat. About 4 days all up. And not near what I’m used to.

Im just trying to show it’s a bit tough right now on the open market.

 

Reconsider nows not the time .

 

I don't have much, but my truck is paid for. I lost a month and a half of work trying to get financed to replace an ECM. The repairs were over $5,000, and really replacing a ddec2 ecm and some harnesses is not that expensive compared to new engines.