Where will u find freight? That should be ur main focus. Dont matter what kind of truck u got . If u got no freight ur not making money. I have no idea the market for a daycab and small radius on the loadboards but im sure it aint pretty
Hypothetical: Profitability Of Trucking As A Side Gig
Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by MGE Dawn, Sep 14, 2020.
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Save your money, invest in real estate and make money that way.
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You can log 10 off in a day cab that is not moving, no splits obviously, and you are only allowed 2 hours of someone else is driving, I don’t care how local you are I would never buy a day cab, I spent to many nights passed out in my bunk for hours on end 10 miles from my house while the truck got hourly pay to go otherwise
do you have another business that is doing good and you need to “loose money”/write off for Uncle Sam on? If you answers yes, I’d spec out a stretched out hood with anything else you can think of to add as that is perfect, if you answered no I would Head to Vegas and after the hookers and blow are paid for put the rest on red so you can atleast enjoy pissing your money away. -
Forget it. That is well beyond most full time jobs, and made so by the expense and maintenance.
If you want to drive on the side, I think your best bet for that is at a company with dump trucks.BUMBACLADWAR, gentleroger, stuckinthemud and 3 others Thank this. -
Your plan has Office Hours in the future. Maybe run a wrecker on the weekend. You can not go anywhere. What I like about your plan is you are doing this in your Mind.
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I have a full-time non-driving job with a flexible schedule. I've driven flatbed and power only under my own authority part-time for the past 2 years, so it is doable.
Your biggest problem will be finding loads that pick up and deliver on the weekends. Those are almost non-existent in my area so you may want to start knocking on doors to see if you can find some loads on your own.
The next big hurdle is insurance. To keep your cost down consider paying for your truck in cash. Get a quote for just the minimum liability and cargo insurance to see if you can even cover the basic minimum before you jump in. -
That said, what have I learned so far?
1) There's a million and one ways that a weekend gig would fail. Kinda figured that was the case, but it's always good to get outside confirmation.
1.5) More specifically, it CAN'T be done. Unless I'm routinely hitting up S1 for mileage passes and burning my leave, nothing of value is on the load boards to be had. The freight just doesn't exist.
2) Any potential fuel savings stemming from the decreased weight that accompanies the choice of a day cab over a sleeper is immediately negated by potential legal issues surrounding the idea of skipping hotel expenses and sleeping in 1 of 2 seats in the cab.
2.5) HOS also sees legal nightmares stemming from my job in the Army being to drive. Apparently I am required to log any of my work done in that capacity as well, which honestly hadn't crossed my mind.
3) For an exercise intended to introduce me to some of the numbers involved in the starting and operating of one's own carrier, it sure did a ####ty job at that task. I've learned jack squat in that category.
3.5) The number of people who think a mental exercise is actually a plan i intend to act upon is astounding. Maybe bad wording on my part, maybe misunderstanding on respondents' parts... the world may never know. Either way, this exercise was clearly a waste of time and effort, and for that I apologize.
Guess I'll just find some other way to try and learn this #### in the future. Thanks again, y'all, and good nightLite bug Thanks this. -
If say get into hopper bottom work... Grain, fertilizer, gravel, and the like. Those kind of loads are more likely to be available on weekends and can be very lucrative short hauls if you get in with the right customers. I know a guy who runs a few trucks local to my home 20, last I heard he was getting $10 a ton hauling fertilizer. Runs were 100 miles or less round trip and could get 4 to 6 loads in a day... No scales in that particular area so he would load up heavy and rake in the money. Was hauling an entire railcars worth (100 ton) in 2 loads, pulling A-train hoppers.
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