Hi Everyone,
I'm interested in the trucking industry and have a ton of questions, but the one I'm having some trouble with is, what type of truck might be the best to look into.
A little about me, live in SW Idaho, married, kid is almost out of the house, no debt, currently work a 8-5 behind a desk and looking for a change of pace. I like the idea of getting into trucking as an owner operator, with CDL, under my own authority. I like it because it seems like it offers great flexibility in when and who you work for, plus the pay is decent. I'm really looking for more control over my time, I would like to maybe work this seasonally and use the other parts of the year to take care of other things in life.
Hot shot truck?
-I was initially interested in this type of truck, I think in part because I'm not familiar with semi-trucks. After some research, I kinda settled on a F450 or F550 with about 100k miles. I was thinking I would run the truck up to 200k miles then resell it and buy another with around 100k miles. But when I look at the load boards, there is A LOT more opportunity for a Semi with a flatbed.
Semi with a flat bed?
-I'm now a little interested in just making the jump into a semi with a flat bed because there is more opportunity for work. But, for me at least there seems like there are a lot more unknowns. For example, I can work on a pickup truck, but I'm sure I can learn to work on a semi. I may need a few new tools and there will be a learning curve, but I'm sure I can figure most maintenance items out.
-It looks like I could get a decent running semi truck for about $25k, would a semi in this range be asking for trouble?
-If you do your own maintenance, are the maintenance cost very much more on a semi vs a p/u truck?
What are some of the pros and cons of hotshot vs semi truck?
Thanks in advance for the help.
Trying to decide what type of truck to get?
Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by burtonridr, Mar 25, 2021.
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Do you already have your CDL? If not, insurance for a new entrant can be outrageously expensive.
burtonridr Thanks this. -
You can sleep in a semi, in a real bed.
Dave1837, nredfor88 and burtonridr Thank this. -
slow.rider Thanks this. -
Being an owner-operator is really sink or swim. You have to really manage your business, it's not all just trucking. A lot of behind the scenes action, ducks ought to be in a row.Truckermania, slow.rider, burtonridr and 1 other person Thank this. -
How are you going to obtain your CDL? How are you going to learn the basics of cargo securement? Do you understand UCR, POC-3, IFTA?
If you buy a $25k truck, plan on spending a lot of time working on it, at least for the first year or two. And, how about a trailer?Brettj3876, singlescrewshaker, slow.rider and 1 other person Thank this. -
Wow thats steep for insurance, we are talking big rig right? What about for hotshot? I've seen annual premium of 8-12k thrown around, does that sound about right? Or maybe I misunderstood that a being brand new would be a lot more.
I plan to study and take the CDL written, then practice for the practical driving portion either by finding someone locally with a CDL that I could pay for the training, or if going the hotshot route just practice with my own rig.
I've transported a few things in my life, and my dad use to move freight a little and has taught me a few things, I feel comfortable securing a load. But I wouldnt accept or pursue a load that made me uncomfortable, I like to play things safe.
I've heard of all the 3 and 4 letter acronyms listed, but dont fully understand them yet, I've got some reading and studying to do still.
How about after the first year or two? Are you just assuming at that point that I should have the kinks worked out and maintenance back up to standard? I've always worked on my own vehicles, how much different are Semi trucks?
For a trailer, for a hot shot trailer, I've seen a few used in good condition 40ft trailers with tandem 12k axles in the $10k price range. For a semi truck, I havent looked very hard at it, but do remember seeing a few in the same price range (no idea on the actual condition). -
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At the end of the day, I'm not sure how other companies work but I'm sure it's similar. You have your own say, I mean hell, you're the owner-op if we didn't have you, we'd just have freight. There's guys that will wait for a great load, or stay loaded down from one of their local terminals. It's all about how you operate.
Often as you want to be honest. Companies when they hire you on, typically look where your located, see if their freight makes sense to keep you loaded and you will be out as long as you want to be out. But favoritism exists, and so do customers needs. So they obviously don't want you home everyday (again depending what you're doing and where you lease to)
Most companies have load boards when you lease on you have access to, and you can bring your own freight if you have it, and get paid a higher percentage for that. But it all depends again with how you operate at the end of the day.burtonridr Thanks this. -
Jumping right into ownership is like buying a restaurant because you know how to microwave a pre-made dinner.
Dockbumper, PoleCrusher and slow.rider Thank this.
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