I do NOT have the experience to operate under my own authority so I have to start somewhere. Do companies with bad reputations for their treatment of company drivers such as Swift, JB, Werner, USEx, treat their O/O's any better ??? And no... I would NOT be leasing one of their tractors. I'd lease myself and tractor to them. Thanks.
depends what you want out of life. Most the big companies you are basically what we call a company driver with a truck payment. meaning they run you just like there co drivers. they route and dispatch you and you have no choice in the matter and that choice is why most of us get into owing trucks... it sure isn't for the money. do you have any driving experience? if not I suggest you forget about owning untill you get some and decide if you like it. most don't and can't handle it for long. and if you get into it without knowing the business, not having contacts, not knowing the freight lanes and seasons you will kill yourself and most likely end up running cheap broker loads which lowers rates for everyone across the board
I've driven for 13 months for two companies. The last company really screwed me. I'm in the position where I can afford 20% down on a used tractor, and my day to day living expenses are minimal. My thought is, if I can't survive as a new O/O, no one can. Again, I have lived a very financially disciplined life and so has the wife. Essentially all that I would need to do is pay the tractor off ASAP ($1150.00 a month) plus insurances/maintenance and hope there is a little left over, and build up experience. If you do a good job, are civil towards your dispatcher, surely there must be companies that will treat you right ???
There are companies out there, but I wouldn't look to the larger ones. The smaller companies will value you as an O/O more than a larger one will. Spend some time talking to O/O's that you meet at the truck stops and get their take on the companies that they are running for, how they are doing and if they are being treated fairly. You will eventually find a place that will take care of you.
Check out the expediting companies like FedEx Custom Critical and Panther . They are always looking for E units . (tractors)
I dont have experience at L/O or O/O, but here is my 2 cents. Why take a chance on a co. with a bad rep.? Does this mean all will go well? No of course not! But you may as well stake the deck as much in your favor as poss., the co. will. I think a smaller co would be your best bet, you will mean more and your hard work wont be as easy to overlook.
I didn't say I was going with a company with a bad rep, but they do have O/O's driving for them and I was wondering if O/O's were treated any better?
Sorry, my bad! I think it would then depend on the company as to how they treated their people. I would hope that a good company would treat BOTH the same! They are both valuable, even if in different ways.
