I'm interested in managing a small fleet of trucks and would like to hear from O/Os and small fleet owners about a path to take. I think that it would be extremely beneficial to work alongside someone with experience managing the financials and learning rules/regulations before making any initial investment.
I'm from a small rural area where it seems every swingin' dick takes a stab at driving truck. Flattop 379, 8" cowboy pipes, and more lights than the Vegas strip. You know the story. A lot of these guys run one, maybe two trucks, and spend the rest of their lives on the road. Why? Is it a lack of business expertise?
My question is whether it's best to make the investment of purchasing a truck and learning as you go OR take a couple months to mentor with someone with experience, sitting in a truck part time. Any insight is much appreciated. Thanks a lot.
Small Business Mentor
Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by KW11, Jul 6, 2020.
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Maybe there’s some kind of specialized MBA program for trucking businesses?
When I took my MBA 20 years ago, there was no special programs for each and every business.
Those owners with all of their extra lights don’t care how much it costs for their trucks’ extra lights and chrome. Trucking is hard, dangerous business with long hours and a lot of overhead. Them extra lights make some people run harder, take more risks I guess. Different strokes for different folks ! -
Where do you live?
Bad thing about getting a mentor is you may find the wrong one and learn all the wrong things to do. Granted, with some reflection and experience yourself, you end up realizing those are all the things not to do. lol
If it was the right person, having a mentor would be invaluable.
Do you want to manage trucks or own a trucking company? You want to drive or you don’t?
Maybe figure out more of what your goals are. It’s just hard to help when I could dive off into many different subjects. -
to answer a question with a question, you asked why the guy with the flattop 379 cowboy pipes an lites would want to spend his life on the road as if its a lack of business expertise, why would he want to spend his life on the road driving for your fleet?
Doealex Thanks this. -
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Maybe you could clarify things a little bit.
Do you want to be a manager for a fleet or do you want to own and operate a fleet?
Do you have any experience driving at all? Do you have any experience in this business at all? Do you have any mechanical experience? Do you have a place for a fleet of trucks? Do you have the money for a fleet of trucks? Do you have any idea what insurance costs? Do you know what the other costs involved are?
Have you ever hired drivers? Have you ever managed other people? Do you know what it takes to keep a driver happy? Do you know what it takes for a driver to cheat you and the ways that he can do that?
Not trying to dissuade you, but I don't think you're going to find a mentor that you can spend a week with and you'll know everything that you need to know and all of your answers will be tied up in a nice neat little bow and you can go on to trucking Fame and Fortune with your big Fleet.
But I wish you good luck whatever you do.
Some things to think about.blairandgretchen, Doealex and KW11 Thank this. -
I see lots of road time and time in the shop cranking wrenches, but I am really looking to step up, learn the business, and take my own risks. -
snowman1980, larry2903, Evil_E and 6 others Thank this.
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unless you offer something that other fleets dont you will most likely be managing a fleet of morons. i guess thats the simplest answer, thats the reason i wouldnt want to run a fleet, i know i couldnt compete with what some better companies are offering, so i would be stuck with the drivers with a less than perfect record who may not have a better option.
blacklabel, blairandgretchen, Doealex and 1 other person Thank this. -
@Long FLD hits the nail square on the head. The “all round O/O” that takes care of his truck, takes care of his customers and takes care of his business is going to be impossible to beat from a profit potential perspective until you get to a decent fleet size.
Throw a driver in a truck, and all sorts of expenses and problems show up that the O/O will never have. Stuff gets tore up, preventative maintenance items get ignored, customer service suffers........ Until you get to fleet size where you can afford to institutionalize and manualize operations, the two to fifteen or twenty truck size is going to suffer in margin.Speed_Drums and blairandgretchen Thank this. -
when i think about the risk of running a fleet i think about myself when i was 27 and a guy who had 8 trucks and a mail contract hired me, it turned out ok but when i think about who i was then it couldve been a complete disaster, i dunno how that guy put his trust in me to drive his truck.
feldsforever, KW11, Doealex and 1 other person Thank this.
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