load boards and buying a truck

That is the only way you can run a business. You have to have the rates and at $4 per mile plus fuel surcharge, you are doing great. Too bad it is not every trip.

 

Owner Operators will continue to struggle. Many learn the survival skills necessary to survive. Some don't, and they will fail, but the O/O will be there as long as there are road to drive on and rigs to haul with.


It's that Independent/Freedom thing and you can't take that away from anyone who loves Freedom; least wise not that easy.

 

I think that maybe you do not understand what the regulations where.
It was not just about about rates ( if at all) it was about what lanes, how many carriers, and so on.
Yes, in a way, de regulation was bad, but in many other ways it was good, but like all things American, some (ok, quite a few ) a holes gotta screw it up.
Re regulation is not necessarily the quick fix all, if there is one at all, it would be education and cooperation ( without using a verbiage that evokes the anti union population).
You would be surprised at how many O/O and I/C's do not know or understand what there operating costs are , whether it be per mile, per week or per month. It's sad actually.

As far as good freight, well, there is plenty of it. Is there bad freight, well yes, theres plenty of that as well. Funny thing is, a lot of it is the same freight, from the same shippers , I guess what I'm getting at is know your lanes that you run, unless you just want to bounce across the nation without a game plan other trying to just get by.(knowing what the average rate is per lane & per commodities is a must, that is where the $$$$ difference is)
Something to think about, well, at least for the O/O.

 

First off, you where not an O/O, you where an I/C......( or for the LS crowd a BCO) Big difference.
And yes, some O/O have no idea of the rates they can demand from not only brokers, but directly from shippers as well.( they are usually not around long enough to cause to much worry)

 

I understand exactly what regulation was and deregulation was necessary, but not without some protection. Again, bottom end freight rates should have been maintained.

I would never want to see total regulation again. However, far too many have gone bankrupt in this country because of greed, graft and corruption and their own naivety when it comes to running a truck business.

Those trucks must pay for themselves, families futures, retirement, medical and you name it. Yet, many company drivers make more than owner operators when all is said and done.

As far as lane's, some people don't have a choice; especially when you are depending upon a lease to a company that provides the freight along with the rates. Those who can run a business and have brokers that keep them in the right lanes are doing much better than the average O/O. I have a friend that has done that for years, but he is also the acception and not the rule. He also runs into problems now and then because people try to take advantage.

Yes, people can do well out there, and especially if you have someone at home taking care of you or if you have good brokers you know and trust. Otherwise, it just don't happen.

 

Okay, play with words and you are correct, but as an IC, I was doing great running the farm freight until the rates were cut.

I would have just cut loose and gone on my own, but I did not have the freight, nor the lanes lined up and I was not about to go it off the load boards. Had I the time to set myself up, I would have done my own thing. Out of Washington State, the freight has been supper cheap. Anyone who runs this part of the country knows that. Some good loads and some great specialized loads, but not enough for everyone.

Now, my brother was an O/O trying to do it the hard way. I went with him for a while and tried to teach him, but he just did not pick up on what I was trying to for him and I ended up getting off the truck and going home.
He never could make a dime out there.

Now, had I been a little younger, I would have switch companies and put the money in the bank while doing my homework about brokers and get myself lined up. Alas, my age was catching up with me and I did not want to continue driving until I was 90 years old.

I did run my business effectively as an IC for some time while most could not make it, but I made a few enemies of dispatch and operations personnel.

The problem is, most people are Asset providers for others to make money off of, and I did not believe in doing that. The assets I owned were there for me to make money and if I was successful, so was the company. Far too many don't see it that way. They want it all. Run cheap? No thank you!

 

So I read the whole post and was curious of something....If you guys had it your way, what would you want on your Web load board?

 

In addition to information already provided, there should be no guess work when it comes to what a load pays. All too often loads are rate quoted way to cheap, and truckers are taken advantage of when it comes to other truck expense income.

Rate
FSC
All additional Pay:
scales
tolls
load
unload
tarp
stop
Dead Head-All trucks should be paid from dispatch to delivery.

 

What about a web page where you could enter in the starting location of your truck and tell it how long you want to stay out. It would show the start up load and all reloads and by a particle date would find you a load home. Kind of plan your whole week, if the loads are there. Or even a webpage where you have preferred shippers and loads can be booked with zero interaction with them. Sound Good?

 

Well there are only 50 or 60 of those types of load boards out there already. It sounds like to me that you are trying to poll the members. make a poll if you are,that makes more sense.