Forum Newbe... Hello All...

Hello, My Name is Vince I am 39 and have been Driving for around 9 years. I have been a company driver for a smaller company in Baltimore. Most of it was flat bed, building materials and such. Took a couple years doing refer, van , Oversize , and spent a while sitting around the port waiting for over weight containers.
I got into the business when I was at the mans house i started with one night, hanging out and I noticed all the cool "toys" he had. He had ran around 4-8 trucks for 20 years and seemed to make a good living at it. He only took loads when he felt like it. I respected the fact that he had started his company with one truck and an old 45' steel flatbed, and grew it to where he was grossing over a million a year. I had always liked driving and took many 4 wheeler trips across the country so I signed up for "school" the following week.
After school I started working for him @ 26% and about 6 months in he offered to "sell" me a freight-shaker day cab and put me into O/O status. I stayed with him for a couple more years, paid off the truck and then decide to try the Over the road thing. Sold the truck and worked for a couple different companies over the next few years. Eventually ended up back with the first guy... seemed it wasn't as bad as I thought. The work was pretty steady and his checks always cleared. lol
Recently my Mom asked my wife and I to move in with her in DE as she is getting a little older and we agreed to help her with maintaining the house. After four months of "fixing up" the home I started to look for a driving job around the area. It seems that ppl over in Lewes,DE do not want to pay any real money to anyone so after looking into many, many, businesses I decided to start my own trucking company.
I had around 45,000.00 to start up , I got a good friend of mine who is also a driver to agree to leave his low paying crappy inconsistent job and come on with me as he knows more about "running" a truck over the road. Started to look at 2, 30,000.00 rigs. The plan was to put down 15,000 on each and finance the rest. After getting told that the financing would be at 16.99% and I would have to put my home up for collateral, I decide screw that and went a purchased "for cash" a 1998 Frieghtliner Classic XL that looks very clean on the outside and other then some "wear and tear" on the interior is a very mechanically sound truck. I also picked up a 2003 Great Dane refer, 53-102" air ride, great condition...
With the rig payed for and insurance in place, i am just waiting for my Authority to become active, which should be Monday or Tuesday. I have become incorporated into an LLC , and am ready to get back on the road.

The plan now is to let my friend drive this truck and asap. get a second truck for myself.

This is my story and I am happy to be a new member of a site where there is alot of experience and people want to help everyone else succeed in the business.