No experience but getting Authority

So. And your point?

Get it replaced or use a pencil till it's fixed or replaced Mr Doom and Gloom

 

My point was very simple. Make sure you have a "hard" copy also. At least don't rely on it 100%.

 

That's why I have backup mileage being recorded by hand. I can do the ifta accounting manually in a worst case scenario. Three tips for using the Garmin:

1. Make sure it's on every time the truck moves, even when trolling for parking at a t/s, or your GPS miles will not keep up with the odometer.

2. True up the miles when you turn it on to start the day. The very small variance against the truck odo will get adjusted and the built-in ifta reporting will agree with odometer miles.

3. Run a report every week or so and save to a secure place like online backup, or email to an account like gmail that stores e-mails online (IMAP4 or Exchange). If the gps/laptop gets broken or stolen, at least you won't have to reconstruct the entire quarter manually from trip reports.

 

Just to give you an idea of what I saw, here's a few rates I was getting for contractors on a project about 5 years ago that included some ERP work:

Network architect = $75/hr
Database design = $100/hr
SAP consultant = $200/hr

All three of those roles are senior, architect skill level. These are the folks that design and build stuff, not the ones on a service desk keeping one running. In fact, the DB designer shares most of the skills of the SAP consultant, short of some application-specific detail and a piece of paper from the company.

Before you get all gaga over those rates, it's not as easy as it sounds and those guys earn that money. Most times an implementation is a 24/7 grind with huge penalties against deadlines. Mistakes can cause a company's stock price to drop. And on top of all that, they're usually away from home about as much as an OTR trucker. When a project wraps up, they'll usually take a month or two off just to decompress and catch up on training requirements on their own dime before shopping out the next job.

The reason I mention all this is that, out of the box, Peoplesoft and the like are truly just a core system and framework. Even with a small one-truck carrier, there is some configuration and customizing that must be done to make the software useful. The deliberate nature of these systems is that the modules all have soft dependencies on each other. That spells $$$$$ for your sales rep when you get tired of manually entering or transferring the data in the one or two modules that you bought.

It's also the reason these projects fail. It usually goes like this: The sales rep gets an exec to buy-in with a minimal loss-leader quote over ####tails at the golf course. The project gets funded and work begins. Over time, the implementation starts running into road-blocks that are solved by adding more modules (change order!). The new erp system apps break other things already in use, or require other apps to be re-done, leading to more supplemental work. Eventually the budget and timeline gets out of control and the execs have to stop the bleeding.

Google "when erp goes bad" and you'll see pages of examples with lots of zeroes in the figures. Those folks get paid so well because very few of these systems actually get completed and do what they're supposed to. Someone with a those successes on their resume gets big bucks.

 

Red, bought a telecom business when I was 21. Install small and medium systems. I would win bids that lost money because I knew when the install was completed I would make money on the MAC orders. Wouldn't do this with a small mom and pop as they watch those things but bigger companies made me good money.

 

Red, I have not been active in this forum for quite a while, but that is mainly because I had nothing to notable to say.

As some of you may recall, I got my authority about mid april shortly after I bought a truck. It then took me about 3 months to get apportioned plates. Then I had a lot of other projects going in my former line of work.

Long story short. I finally arrived in Omaha 2 days ago to get the truck. For the first time I am not trying to get my first load. It does not appear to be that easy so for.

I am a power only unit which may be part of the problem. Then 1 company said they only used drivers that their own authority for at least 1 year.

Today, I sent my proof or authority, Certificate of Insurance and my w-9 to about 4 companies I found on load boards.

No one seems to be knocking my door down to have me drive a load for them. I'm starting to think the business end of trucking is going to be a lot more challenging that I thought.

I'm starting to think I and my brother will be living out of truck for a while in Omaha.

I'll keep u updated when I finally get my first load.

 

Man, you need a trailer!!!!!!!!! I just checked the load boards and there are 6 power only loads within a 100 miles of Omaha, NE all paying what Red would say

"My foot up your ***"

 

Can we say in other words that you bought a crimping tool and installed cable in peoples houses? Guess it sounds really cooler when you say Telecom Business.

 

You could starve to death without a trailer. Do you have enough experience to go run JB Hunt's Power Only program?

 

It can be difficult without having a trailer. CH Robinson occasionally has power only loads. If you are not set up with them, you may want to do it. If you cannot afford to buy a trailer, you may see if you can rent or lease one until you can afford to buy. There are a few companies that have been actively looking for those who have their own authority to pull their trailers. JB Hunt, PTL and Interstate are a few that I have seen advertised or been contacted to pull their freight. You might check with Schneider. They have their own loadboard but I don't know if they do power only unless you are leased to them. Landstar brokers freight, but I don't know if they use outside carriers to pull their trailers. There are also a couple of brokers who only pull trailers for companies but I think they only use owner operators who lease to them.