How many O/O didn't do the cdl mill

get your training like most said but also I noticed you were looking to broker you own loads and have your own auhthority. people with their own authority make it seem like life is all good but it really aint. You have to have money for your own truck and trailer repairs and when you buy fuel you dont get a big discount, for instance fuel is 3.80 a gal and since im with a big company my discount is 3.37 a gal. Also there is alot to learn about trucking. where and where not to go like and when freight gets slim guess what having your own authority will have you sitting cause the big companys will bring down the rate to keep their trucks moving. Martin,England,KLLM,FFE,Stevens,Werner,Swift, and on and on

 

You have gotten some very good info from these drivers.. From my stand point they are not telling you not to go with you own authority or anything like that . But from past experiances its a very hard cut throat world out here and to think your just gonna go out and get some dedicated accounts is just not gonna happen right out the door .. Im not trying to discourage you by any means but just trying to help. Hell i been out here sense 1988 and i still don't have my own authority,or trailer. Im not saying i couldn't have just haven't had the right things fall into place. I mean get CDl , By truck 25,000 and trailer 8,000 to 10,000 or what ever.Then you got to have enough to cover your fuel, maintance, and Repairs god forbid something major go wrong. So imoo if you don't have a truck and trailer and at least 15,000 in the bank stay as a company driver until you do . Well with all that said GOOD LUCK

 

Its a good idea to go to school for driving ,at least get the basics down.I myself never seen a class room .I was self taught and still learning every day im out there .
When you least expect it .it will happen .Stay calm and common sense goes a long way .

 

started to goto a puppy mill had a bad experiance with a trainer yelling at me i said screw it demanded my money back and went to a tech college wich was a way better choice than a puppy mill. they say free schooling um nothings free in this world not even the air you breath. you'll be locked into a contract and if they fire you or you don't forfill the contract you'll be getting the bill in the mail so how is that free?? and most of these starter companies wanna keep the seats cold so they can keep training more and more people so they can get the students tution fee and the goverments 10-15 k per student.

 

Coming from one of those young and knows everything guys I would have to say the school would be valuable. I did what redforeman said and just did the tests to get it. I had ZERO time driving a truck before that and it doesn't make this easy. More than once I have had a close call and just barely got out. I assure you if something would have happened a lawyer would've ripped me a new one based on my limited experience. If you have the time and the money go to school, I never went but I am sure the experience and knowledge you will get will be worth the expense. Remember the school of hard knocks is unforgiving.

 

The schooling experience might end up like the experience I had with motorcycles. I had been riding for over 40 years when I took an "advanced riding" course. Even with over 4 decades of experience I still leaned a ton of good stuff from the course.

 

I joined the Army at the age of 39 in 2007, they paid my schooling 100%... Plus i got money for going to truck driving school. Sweet!!!!

 

One of the previous posters on this thread mentioned something to look out for when going through a 'school' that is run by a trucking company you'd wind up driving for afterwards.

Sometimes (not all the time) it's the blind leading the blind.

You get a guy who gets a few more cents a mile to be a 'trainer', yet he has barely 6 months on the road himself. As far as I'm concerned, that's possibly worse than no training at all.

If you can ask around you might be able to find an 'old hand' to show you the ropes. I was lucky enough that my father in law showed me the ropes in flatbedding and driving. He has 40 years of experience, and working with/listening to/learning from him was (and is) invaluable.

The local community college here has a CDL program that I have seen first hand and it looks top notch. Perhaps that's something you can pursue in your area as well.

Whatever you decide, best of luck to you.

 

Love how guys running for fuel money with a mega carrier have to justify how the little money they are making is better than being independent.

For sure you have to plan and be smart. And part of that is always looking for ways to increase the bottom line.

Some facts that the fuel money O/O's don't want to hear because it will rattle their world.

You can get the same fuel discount as the big boys. You just have to educate yourself.

You can get all the discounts as the big companies (however, I can still beat tire prices compared to national accounts).

When you are netting 2-3x more per mile than what the fuel money guys are making you can sit for a looong time and still make more. And my bad loads are still $.10/mile more than what they make 52 weeks a year.

Mega carriers have long-term contracts so that the idea that they drive rates down during a slow week is silly. Maybe they take a cheap spot market rate to reposition a truck but not on any significant level.

Over time, as you build relationships with shippers and good brokers you will see that there are loads that no matter how slow it gets these people would never, NEVER put these loads on the nameless, faceless carriers.

Again, this is not a slap your name on the side of a truck and you are going to get rich. There is a lot of risk. But with risk comes rewards.

For me the rewards are making a good living and only driving 90,000 miles a year. Building a carrier business that helps other O/O's make a good living and have a life. Building something that I can be proud of with my wife - a dream we have had since we met.

It will be different for everyone. But I can't imagine that being able to say that you found a carrier that gets me 3,300 miles a week so that I can provide for the family I don't get to see is all that rewarding.