How long should I drive before getting my own truck.

Like i said five years.

You need to get some miles under your belt, it is critical to first deal with driving to learn about driving.

Take a year or so doing that and then look for a truck and get into a lease with a company like landstar which has a few things to help you get going right, do this for a while 18 months at least and learn the business side of this, learn how to handle sales because you can use the agent system to create a sales or marketing plan to the real world.

Others will say jump in but you want to make sure you last the slow times and right now there will be another one coming up.

 

Good start. I would encourage you to keep notes on any company driving you do and try to shadow run the truck accounting wise so that you have a baseline set of numbers to work with.

You will need to develop your business skills so that you know what will be a problem and deal with it way before your wife tells you about it.

 

Honestly if you really want to become an owner operator Drive long enough that you have the credentials to lease onto a good company.

Then Drive long enough under them so that you have enough experience that your insurance won't be outrageous.

A new Authority with no experience or little experience to show could be worse than my ex-girlfriend.

Every year we would drive down to the shore and I would see a billboard and say ooh look honey it's your show.

That would be the
"the nutcracker".

Yep, insurance could be even worse than that.

 

I don't really think there is a good answer as everyone's situation is different.

But, at least after a year or two so you can experience driving a semi in each season in a variety of states and cities. That way any screwups won't be as bad.

Besides that, I'm sure you've been in a shop and seen the repair costs. You don't have to be experienced at all in doing repairs, but if you are mechanically inclined then you can at least figure stuff out and reduce some of those costs. Especially if you can't afford to buy a newish truck.

Home time is time spent not making money. If you also have down time due to repairs, that is more time not making money. Newer the truck, more expensive the truck, but theoretically less down time.

 

Doesn't take a genius to become an o/o. If you have that entrepreneur spirit in you and willing to take a huge risk (your savings), then take a leap. Just don't ruin it for the rest of us by accepting low rate freight...

 

Agreed. Most people see the $$ and forget about the work involved.

 

The huger the pile of money you can throw at it the more likely you'll be to succeed. Keeping that overhead low means there is only 999 things that can #### you instead of 1000.

 

Low rates are accepted because more like him are coming to the party to begin with.
The more at the party the less floor to dance.
Your telling him about not accepting low rates is inviting him to the party and asking him not to dance.

 

What does it mean not to accept low rates?
Is it really a choice? Who wants to accept low rates while high rates are available?
Don't haul cheap! Don't haul cheap!
I am sick and tired of hearing these clicheish slogans.
Don't accept this rate, it is too low!
OK.
It means sitting home and waiting for a better rate tomorrow.
Or next month or next year.
None of you decides what the rates are.