Thank you for the apology and the feedback. I only posted this so I didn't have to scroll through 100"s and 100"s of other post to get the input/answers I'm looking for. I love to drive and thought this might be for me. Thanks again!
Thinking about a carrier change
Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Fish'n Fool, Jun 15, 2021.
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How much money do you have?
Like anything in life you will be paying to learn. Either through experience or cash. Thing is, if you pay in cash for that knowledge there tends to be much better ways to invest your money.Fish'n Fool Thanks this. -
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slow.rider and Fish'n Fool Thank this.
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slow.rider Thanks this.
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Trucking is deceptive. It looks easy from the outside but there are a thousand little things to know that can trip you up if you're not paying attention.slow.rider, Dino soar and Fish'n Fool Thank this. -
slow.rider Thanks this.
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I'll tell you why experience is important.
This business has something like a 90 or 95% failure rate. The old adage is that if you want to have $1,000,000 in trucking, start with $2,000,000. There's quite a bit of Truth in that.
The thing is that there's just so much expense in this business. It cost so much to operate. Everywhere you turn money is going out and someone is always trying to get you to pay more for something whether you need it or not.
And every single solitary mistake that you make - guaranteed - will cost you money.
Experience minimizes that.slow.rider and shanman Thank this. -
Try hot shot, move up from there, a dually pick up and a flatbed trailer..
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They're much better ways to get a better return on your investment than trucking.
But that wasn't your question so the answer is yes you can do it. You will probably have to run your truck leased to a carrier because I don't think you're going to find a company that will insure you as a motor carrier with no experience at all. When I got started I bought a 1 ton dually and a 48ft flatbed for it. I already had the truck and trailer and found out I needed something called an authority to haul freight. Couldn't believe I had to have the government's permission to haul stuff. That's how green I was when I got started. I leased the truck to a carrier and off I went. Had some knowledgeable people at the company that helped me a lot but none of them helped me on the business side. That's the hard part of being an O/O or any business owner really. I lasted about 8 months and I sold out and went to drive for someone. That's when I learned the trucking industry.
Do you know what drives the trucking industry? What causes rates to go up and down? When to say no because the load looks like it pays really good but they're other things that actually cause it to be a bad load?
Holding a steering wheel and running down the interstate is a company driving job. As an O/O driving the truck is the easiest part of your job.
I'm not trying to discourage you, just trying you the truth. Lots of other good advice here about driving for someone and learning the industry first.
You can disregard everything and go ahead and do it but be sure you would be just as happy with taking your money to a burn barrel and lighting it on fire. It's going to be about that way for you to lose it.
In summary, can you do it, yes. Is it wise, no. 99% will fail trying to do what you want to do. Maybe you're a 1%er.Fish'n Fool and Speed_Drums Thank this.
Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds
Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.
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