midwest specialized will tell you anything to get a good driver

After having owned a 4 axle W900, and pulling a 9 axle setup, I feel your pain! I got out of it when someone wanted to buy my truck and went to a 3 axle truck to pull either a 2 axle RGN or a 3 axle stretch RGN. Too much work for me in the multi axle trailers, not to mention the empty weight!

Martin

 

Hi Leftlanetruckin, Oh Yea, Last year was slow for big work and some of the stuff that shippers wanted you to haul for 10 axle rate was funny..

Too many newbies wanting into wind and then had no clue on rates.

I keep joking about just selling out, but nobady has money.
I do not do easy finance..
I'm not the buy here pay here guy..HaHa.

 

I was hauling blades until last year (last load Nov '08), then the rates went hilarious. The Shelby,Mt job paid $750 less this year than it did last year! Then they offered me a Houston to In. job, that paid $1.50 a mile round trip!!!!!! I told them what I thought of it and the blade trailer has sat all this year......
So needless to say, RGN's are us for the past year or so.
Bad economy+good money = too many fools hauling for cheap very soon.

Martin

 

Yep and the bad thing is it will get worse when the big sale hits with the old Arrow junk.
I know they did'nt have that much big equipment, but what they do have people will buy it and say gee, I got a good deal on this and I can haul it cheaper.
Well wait untill the trl. breaks and you have to hire a crane to transfer the load and call "welders r us" out to fix it just to move the trl. or have it loaded on another trl. and then taken to a repair shop

 

Yep, I agree mate.
Funny how I hear of people "going broke" in this industry. They fail to realize they are buying a business, not a truck. Ask 99% of the "owner operators" how much it costs them per mile to just put the truck down the road, and they can't tell you. Same as attempting to explain fuel taxes to them. Just because fuel is .03 cents a gallon cheaper in Ok than Tx, does NOT make it cheaper fuel. But they will run the truck bone dry to save that little money, then get a whopping bill at tax time for the fuel taxes

Martin

 

Oh yea, learned that lesson well with my first trk. many moons ago.
Went broke.
Right now I have my trk/ trl. parked.
Well it still costs me right at 7200.00 just to park it every month
So now I'm losing money due to the fact I'm taking time off for 2 months.
Then there will be the repair bill for trk/ trl.
I give the dealer a to do list and they seem to find more. You know how that goes.

 

Yes Sir I certainly do!
Funny how folks dont realize it costs a couple of grand a month to go home, but they will always say "its better being an owner op because you can go home when you want to"....
Don't get me going on the beloved IRS having quarterly taxes due in the middle of January neither. Who the hell figured out that that right after x-mas and new year would be a good time to get hit with a tax bill?
I do make good money, but the potential downfalls are everywhere IMHO. Is it truly worth it? I dont think so myself. Only problem I have is getting something else that lets me take home the money I do now, that I can actually (and legally) accomplish! No other job will pay what I get, and believe me I have been looking.........
Trucking is just a normal job with a boat load of overtime, but no labor laws to protect you IMO.

Martin

 

Yep. I have payroll that I have to meet every week.
Then taxes out on top of that.
It just seems that it is a never ending battle.
I am like you, would get out of it,but I like the being able to set my own work schedule as long as I have the funds to do it..
I used to joke with my buddies before I remarried that I was just going to sell the trk. and buy a GO-Go bar in Thailand.. Then I look at that and then you have the hassles of drunk customers, paying the bribes every month to the local cops and mafia figures.
Then you have to worry about the staff ripping you off because it's a cash bussiness.

Less headaches with the trk.
Plus now being married the wife said no way. No money in bar she says, plus seeing all the girls wanting to be with boss would cause my to lose certain boby part I do not want to lose. HaHa

I just hope this year will be as good as they say it will be for hauling.

 

It does have its perks, they are just coming at more of a price than they used to in my opinion mate.
When the freight is paying good and Cat etc are actually shipping instead of storing, It's a good job overall.
I do like being able to pick my own loads, go home when I want to and so on, but you have to make sure you can afford to!

 

Yep, The way I have it figured.
For every week not working it takes 2 weeks to start breaking even again.

You get these drivers that think I'll work 2 weeks and take a week off.
Then they want to know why am I going broke..
You have to plan ahead for your time off.Plain and simple

Work during the busy season and then take your time off during the slow times.