New CDL A holder looking for advice..

That's actually more than one question.

So far -- your prospects don't look so good....

-- L

 

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Question 1, Got sick of company bs

question 2 Think long and hard about it, it is way more involved than you more than likely realize, if you think that you can drive and that is all you need to know, you are dead wrong.

question 3 23 years

I am not trying to discourage new owner operators, some are just cut out for this life that it offers, some are not. Driving is like 5% of the job, the other 95% of the job has to do with the business side of things, which is more than likely why you are looking at going on your own, here is the deal, all the things that make you sick of dealing with company bs, you now have to deal with on your own. Especially with your own authority, all the compliance, all the paperwork, all the crap that your company has to deal with, you now have to deal with. While some are cut for it, alot are not, their is a huge failure rate amongst new authorities, I would guess most is because they have no idea what the business side of things take. I have ran 2 other businesses before this, obviously not overly successful or I wouldn't be in a truck right now, but I have had a fair amount of business experience and knowledge on what it entails. I have also had pretty good mentors, not in the transportation industry, in other aspects of business, and am constantly watching and learning. I will put this another way, I have had over 2 months off this year due to slow downs in the general economy and the haul I am on, but am going camping for the first time tomorrow in 2024. why? Because the whole time the haul that I am normally on was shut down due to plant closures, I was running around trying to find other business, while at the same time, trying to not blow though reserves while I wait 30 days (that is business days with most brokers, or 6 weeks which ever way you want to look at it) to get paid on the little scraps I was picking up while waiting on the shutdowns to end and my main haul to pick back up. While it has sucked trying to work through this, I have learned more about the business, and am trying to diversify my operation so I do not have all my eggs in one basket, and just learning from experience and trying to not make the same mistakes twice, that I have made in my journey as a independent.

One big item I never really thought about was insurances and downtimes, I was never really worried about it since my wife carried our health insurance through her job when I became an owner op, but I got hurt and got driving rights pulled (head injury) and had to fight to even get my driving rights back so I could operate again, spent 9 months recovering and getting my driving rights back, then having to have enough money to operate after 9 months off and waiting 30-45 days to payment on most stuff I was hauling, really threw a wrench into things I did not plan on. If I would have stayed in a company truck for that injury and actually probably over all I would have been better off never getting into being an o'o. almost 3 years later and I haven't fully recovered financially from that 9 months off, I am still in a precarious position after that (the freight market hasn't helped in the last 24 months). My case might not be common but that doesn't mean you can't take a fall in your garage, and have everything turned upside down in a hurry because you were trying to make a storage area in your attic. With all that said, think long and hard about it, because stuff doesn't always go as planned

 

Use the search feature above. Lots of 411 on what you’re looking for.

 

I have been a company driver for 13 years and would never be an O/O. If you’re just coming into this industry, just concentrate on getting experience and learning the business.

 

I became an Owner Operator back in 2022 when I bought my first truck after having my CDL since 2000.

I was leased to a Mega Carrier with my own tractor since 2003 until 2020.

I applied and was granted my own authority in 2021 and have own my own tractor, dry van and reefer outright, no payments.

I have two other drivers leased on to my authority and charge them a percentage of their gross.

I was a company driver starting in 2000 for Stevens Transport for six months, then quit and got a local Class A, M-F job in Southern California for a year.

Went to U.S. Xpress for six months in 2001 and quit on October of 2001, and purchased my first used tractor, a 1999 Freightliner Century in December of 2001.

Ran under someone’s authority for a year from CA to TX and left in January of 2003.

My advice is, be a company driver first and get your experience driving, learn the business, don’t get speeding violations and use the Smith System in your daily routine.

Save your money up to buy a used tractor cash, don’t fall for Lease Purchase scams that all these companies are pushing for.

Once you buy your first tractor, lease on to a company that’ll let you have access to their load board, and learn that aspect of being a contractor leased to a carrier.

Leasing on to a Carrier will save you money on base plates, insurance, fuel, parts and maintenance and in the meantime you’ll be using their trailer.

In the meantime, keep saving your money and if you finally feel the time is right to get your own authority, then it’s best if you have your own trailer.

So if you were saving your money you should have enough money to purchase a good used trailer and pay cash for it.

In the meantime, if you were driving all this time and getting your experience, then hopefully you’ll have a un-blemished driving record because you’ll need to start getting quotes for insurance so your MC (Motor Carrier) number will be activated, because no broker will give you a load without having your MC number authorized.

Quotes for a New Entrant Operating Authority can range from $25k to $50k and up depending on your driving record, how long you’ve had your CDL license, driving experience, what type of freight and equipment you’ll be operating.

So everything is a process, that’s my personal process in a nutshell.

I’ve had no accidents in 25 years of driving a tractor trailer, had two speeding tickets back in 2011, but nothing else since then.

Too many drivers want to become owner operators because they think they’re going to be rich and it’s easy money, so they jump into the Lease Purchase scams and wind up losing their butt.

Take your time and learn the about the equipment you’ll be operating, the business of owning and maintaining your own equipment, the business of filing your quarterly taxes, IFTA reports, etc

Learn how to work on your own equipment, do your own oil changes, fix and replace parts on your equipment yourself instead of paying a Stealership or shop to do it.

Invest in tools so you can carry them in your truck, in case you need to make repairs out on the road.

I could go on and on, but you need to be smart when making decisions in this industry or it’ll come back to bite you.