Thinking about purchasing my first tractor. Any insight is greatly appreciated.

1st off, if you truly research ads on indeed or other sources you will find local Cdl jobs that pay more than $20/hr. Some start at even $26/hr home daily. You also wrote, that you don't want to be gone all year but when you're an O/O you have to have the mindset as a Businessman first and by all means what's needed to make it work for your business so if bad times occur you might have to be out as long as it takes. That could even mean a couple months straight carrying loads coast to coast. IMO a driver who has at least 5 years of various experience and a good understanding of trucks should then become a O/O as well as having that reserve fund of 1/3rd plus of the initial cost if buying a Used Truck because something will eventually give. A O/O can't afford to be on the side of the interstate trying to negotiate a lesser tow rate because they can barely scrape up enough money for the garage bill.

 

Save your money. Drive for someone else.

 

1. Generally speaking, a bad deal on a good truck is better than a good deal on a bad truck.

2. Meticulously maintained by an owner op, they can get way over a mil. 1.3 mil is definitely possible and I think I recall one guy saying he got 2 mil. But then you can rebuild or replace the engine and get even more.

3. Kenworth is good, but there's better choices for a first truck in my opinion.

4. I recommend a 12.7 Detroit for a first truck. Reliable, cheap parts, easy repairs, and a shop on every corner.

5. Go with self-dispatch on percentage pay. You can do better than $2.10 most of the time these days, depending on where you live and where you run.

6. Figure out your cost per mile and then add what you would want to earn if it were a company mileage gig. I figure my cost at $1.25, so if I want a minimum of $0.50 per mile personal income then $1.75 per mile is break even. Everything extra should be set aside for equipment upgrades and catastrophic repairs.

7. You're already asking more questions than some owner ops ever even consider, so you already have a decent chance of success. The biggest downfalls are neglecting maintenance, overspending rather than saving, and getting stuck with a bad truck right out of the gate. Often all of the above.

8. Depends on the company. Some can go either way.

9. Yes. Always assume you're missing/forgetting something. Guys been driving ten years still miss/forget stuff. Make sure the gear ratio of your truck matches your driving style. Plenty of info on that (and most everything else) can be found in this forum via the search bar. Don't ever stop learning. At the very least, learn to handle tiny repairs such as lights, wiper blades, mud flaps, etcetera. That can save you some cash and more importantly, time. If you have to pay for little stuff, try to have the work done somewhere where you can watch and learn, so you can do it yourself next time. That way, instead of an overpriced repair, now it's a cheap education.

10. Yes. But don't just expect to make a fortune as an owner op pulling a dry van. The path to success lies thru either upgrading to higher paying freight, or building a fleet. Or both. But the first step might just be to get a truck paid off while you build a foundation of experience-based knowledge, and then start growing from there.

* depending on where you live, you might be able to score some runs that pass by the house. Then if you can manage a schedule such as 11 on, 3 off, with a couple overnight stays at the house mixed in, you might be able to score some long weekend runs and still bag halfway decent home time. The sixth and seventh days of the week are where the money is really at.

 

My only advice is think about the amount of cash you expect to need to start your business and double that amount, at a minimum. Triple would be optimal.

 

dont listen to the guy who drives a 50k$ personal vehicle and tells you that you can never go home, he can never go home so he just assumes your an idiot too lol now cue the guy who says everything he has is paid for, as if he didnt have to go to work to pay for it lol

 

There’s lots of ways to make money moving freight

I know several people that are using sprinter vans or Chrysler minivans to haul expedited freight and say they are clearing 70 cents a mile after fuel.

A lot of you’re success as an o o will depend on if you can fix the small stuff that goes wrong on your truck.

you will go broke taking it to a shop for every minor repair.

And you won’t be able to sit at home very long .
It’s hard to sit at home for a few days or take a family vacation when you know that the insurance and permits for your truck are costing you $1,300 a week.

that plus your lost revenue for the week is a lot of money.

When I started as an o o in the early 90s I bought cabovers , they were practically free, and then when I bought conventionals. I bought Ford LTL 9000s because they had the same engine trans and axles as a Pete or KW, but were less than half price since it wasn’t a status truck.

if you buy a used truck , look for maintenance records.
Most o/o’s do not maintain the trucks or keep records.
The best trucks I bought were from Ryder or some place that leased them, and maintained them and had maintenance records that you could look at before you bought the truck.

 

People will always project their own fears and insecurities onto you. I'm not offering any insight, but everytime someone asks a question about being an O/O you have naysayers enter the thread. There's many different ways to make and lose money, if you're committed and knowledgeable about what you're getting into that's all that matters.

 

Who makes that part that goes “SPISHHHHHH” about every 15 seconds? I’d like to have a talk with that jackarse!

When I was OTR, that used drive me nuts when one of those yahoos parked next to me.