Knowing what you know now!

I would have more money put away before I started this time around and have paid cash for my rig. It's amazing how easy trucking can be when you don't have a truck payment to make each week/month.

 

I agree with SHC. I would also worked even harder and built my reputation better and faster than what I did. People really don't understand how much reputation still plays in todays world.

 

I would not have done anything different in the start up phase, but would of worked differently. when I first started, freight was abundant. I would take one or two loads a week. make $ 500-700 & not work the rest of the week. if I would of just done a little more, I would of made a lot more. my phone used to ring all day long from my dispatcher. running 500 miles a week was nothing, but it was all I needed. would it have done me any good> I don't know. my thinking is I wish the freight was AS available now as it was then. AT that time I could not only get loads to & from, but more important was it was WHERE I wanted to go. now I have loads but a lot is not where I wish to go. I guess it's kinda like being hungry & having no money or food, you think of the time you threw food away.

Knowing more, LEARNING more about my truck when I first started would of been nice. my truck went 10 years without a breakdown, so I had limited experience on troubleshooting & fixing things. overall, what good decisions I made, it payed, on the bad, it gave me lessons I will never forget & can teach others.

 

I would have stayed in college.

 

I would have started out on percentage pay. In a way though I'm glad I didn't because I'd never have the opportunity I have now if I had leased on with Landstar, Mercer, etc. I wish I hadn't gotruck fever when I was looking for my current first truck.. lol, oh well, live and learn.. the hard way sometimes..

 

Paid cash for older truck instead of finance a newer one.

 

Thats what I did. paid cash for truck, trailer, all chains, binders, tags e.t.c. made it real nice & stress free.

 

I try not to do things which I will regret later. I paid cash for my first truck and trailer. Things would have been a little easier had I put more money back to run the business.

 

Not underestimating the amount of effort you must put into this business to just break even. I'd probably have still done it, but maybe sequenced things in my plan differently, knowing what I was signing up for.