Owner Operators what are your biggest issues now?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by DrBigRig, Aug 18, 2022.

  1. DrBigRig

    DrBigRig Light Load Member

    70
    57
    Aug 31, 2013
    0
    I have been an owner operator for 6 years, ending in Jan 2014. But I want to get a pulse on the way things are now in this post pandemic environment. What are your biggest challenges?
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

    12,001
    60,367
    Dec 9, 2011
    South west Missouri
    0
  4. runningman0661

    runningman0661 Road Train Member

    4,785
    13,015
    Mar 5, 2009
    Clover, South Carolina
    0
    Maintenance costs have skyrocketed, parts availability, and waiting weeks to get into a shop to get required work done.
     
    Rideandrepair, cke, Vampire and 8 others Thank this.
  5. wichris

    wichris Road Train Member

    3,917
    7,434
    Jan 17, 2011
    0
    Being inundated with everyone hawking a un-needed product
     
  6. Cummins_444

    Cummins_444 Medium Load Member

    605
    1,013
    Apr 28, 2008
    Northwest, IN
    0
    Getting parts is ridiculous. And when you do get them they are crap! Quality is very low. Case in point n14 stuck at a corporate cummins repair shop for over two months waiting on parts for complete rebuild $45,000 plus. Been back 3 times in less then 20,000 miles for failures. Now I had it towed back for it dropping injector cup and destroying head, liner, piston, turbo. Guess what? They don't have any idea when they can get all the parts to fix it.
     
  7. LoneRanger

    LoneRanger Road Train Member

    3,547
    8,999
    Jun 3, 2018
    0
    More 4 wheelers doing dumb things. It’s like they forgot how to drive and they taught the new generation with nothing.


    Parts, shop time, lack of common sense from people.
     
  8. GYPSY65

    GYPSY65 Road Train Member

    1,938
    5,217
    Nov 16, 2012
    SW FLA
    0
    Haven’t had a ton of issues yet but I did read there might be a CO2 shortage coming that will affect beer breweries which could become a much bigger problem
     
  9. Ruthless

    Ruthless Road Train Member

    8,293
    80,468
    Aug 28, 2010
    The City.
    0


    for a one time only $500 fee I can solve that problem for you
     
  10. REO6205

    REO6205 Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

    12,583
    56,853
    Feb 15, 2014
    California.
    0

    This is just the tip of the ice burg. You should see how many never make it past moderation and into the forums. It's constant.
    We can't be everywhere and we knock out the most obvious ones.
     
  11. Kshaw0960

    Kshaw0960 Road Train Member

    1,575
    4,969
    Jun 17, 2018
    0
    I personally believe other than diesel cost and rates everything is fine. I’ve been doing this a long time and there’s always fluctuations where sometimes you kill it and sometimes you don’t. I have trucks as new as 2017 and as old as 1996 and I have yet to wait for a part this whole year. Worst issue on parts is I had to drive 150 miles to get the exact steer tires I wanted in 11R24.5

    As for shops, you need to get a good relationship going with a local mechanic and a backup one. I can get an oil change done anytime any day because of friendship. Doesn’t take much, idle chat, free soda, tacos, best buds in no time.

    Edit: I guess to answer the question what is my biggest challenge, it’s unethical brokers. Such as saying pu is 1pm and in reality it was 6am and now they won’t load you until tomorrow, etc.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.