Am I an Idiot? O/O's Please Read!!!!!

If you hate your job then its time for a change, no matter how much money you bring home. You will never know until you try, there will be a lot of negative answers here, only you can decide what to do, but I say go for it.

 

u need to do what will make u happy in a blink of an eye u could be gone. Of course if you wanna become a ballerina thats another story

 

Don't feel bad BlackD..you're not alone!

I'm in the same boat..just tired of the grind..company wont pay for decent equipment/maintenance..but other than that..money is good.

I run up your way all the time..I cover from delaware to bedford pa..up to williamsport to Mount Bethel and down to allentown.

Easy running until the blue route.

I ran over the road back in the mid 90's..been longing for it ever since.

Like the others said,follow your dreams.

Be happy,be free..you only live once.

 

Been driving 30+years,15 as a o/o. Work local with a great company home every night. I use there trailers. 4 year old pete day cab decked out I ordered it. Life is good right,

Fuel $4 plus a gallon

Tires $500 a pop

Labor rate local pete dealer $100 a hour

Bc/bs $1200 a month (health ins) single person

And now when you get home you can do paperwork, taxes and work on your dream truck. It can be done but it's very hard.

Your job sounds about as good as it gets these days. If you do it anyway try to stay with what you know. Local food I guess. If you have any kind of money troubles now be very careful. No lease plans from carriers!!! Good luck!!

 

DO NOT BE SAD, am I an Idiot for wanting to become an Owner/Operator my self.

We all dream on being an Owner/Operator and owing your own truck.

When the price of fuel was down, you could make a good buck but since it is your biggest expense it is had to make a living with out putting lots of hours in.

But the thing that puts it clear is that I do not have to worry about paying every one money to keep working the truck you drive now.
Fuel cost, inspections, cost of fixing truck and trailers, paying insurance, truck payments and so on can add up to a lot.

Make a list of what a Owner/Operator has to pay out every month and to who.
Check your own list for what you pay out now.

How many more worries do you want to worry about.

If you what a better job, start looking.
Ya never know you luck some times.

If I win the lotto, NEW Truck.
If not, I will live with what I got.(working my but off)

 

A deal like that, may be worth trying to get every other Saturday off. It is the obvious & may be not a option?

You will not work less if you are a o/o. Even when you cannot get loaded or not willing to take the cheap stuff, you still feel worked. Even when you have had a good week on paper, you still worry if a broker/direct shipper will pay by X date, 30 days late(i.e. 60 days) or not at all. It can be managed, but have never been the sort to be able to turn off that kind of thing.

I was burned out at my previous day job of 11 years, needed a change & took some advice on getting into this business in '07. Would not think of doing it again w/o some sort of known contact needing their freight covered.

I like what I do now, don't get me wrong. But it is not the easiest thing, nor do I think a wife/children/family would put up with the ups & downs of this business financially if that is the sole income. Definitely something to consider. Too many people willing to work for nothing & sometimes seems like they are working for less than fuel money.

 

You talk about not having much energy to do anything now with your limited time off....but once you buy that truck, especially if you lease it back on to the company you are with now, you will still be running the truck the same days and the same hours...except whatever "free" time you might have now will be spent chasing parts or turning wrenches on YOUR truck in order to keep it fit for the road.

4 years in, my truck is paid off...and I've finally started riding my motorcycle again. I've had it out twice so far this year...just enough to find I need to repair the radiator. Truck comes first, though. Instead of working on the bike this weekend, I was chasing after filters, oil, and other supplies yesterday so that I could change the oil today. Unfortunately, I overslept and missed the "sunrise" Easter service which would have left the majority of the day to get a few other things done...so after I went to the later service I was left with only 1/2 the day, so I'll have to work on a few of the other minor things I skipped today in my "spare time" during the week.

If you ever need to bring YOUR truck to the shop, you won't be paid...you'll be the one paying the bill. Parts & labor can get REALLY expensive REALLY fast. It really isn't hard to drop $1000+ in one shot.

You probably won't see $62K...at least not on paper. By the time you pay for fuel, parts, supplies, depreciate the price of the truck, and add up all of your other deductions, you may be in the red...again, on paper. For tax purposes, that's good....but you won't enjoy the same "income" for a few years...at least until the truck is paid off and you can start pocketing more of the money the truck earns....unless it starts breaking down too often in which case repair bills add up and you may end up looking to "upgrade" to a newer truck....which means truck payments again.

If you AREN'T planning to lease on with the carrier you are at now, there really isn't any way to know what sort of revenue to expect to know just how much truck you can afford starting out. The LAST thing you need is to toss away a perfectly good job to go into debt buying a truck you can't afford, which could wreck your credit and possibly cause issues with your family when the bank is coming after your house, family cars, and the truck due to your inability to stay on top of all of the payments.

My suggestion is to find work for the truck. Work that job as a company driver for a year or two in order to learn the job...the lanes...the revenue...what to expect...be certain you can make it there. THEN buy a truck you can afford to pay for based upon what you'll be making for the work you're doing....and look for a truck spec'd for the sort of work you'll be doing. An improperly spec'd truck will cost you more in the long run.

 

Growing up, my father always told me to pick a career I would enjoy waking up and looking forward to getting to. Life is too short to hate what you do for 1/3 to 1/2 of it. You'll also always wonder "what if" if you don't take that chance. If you're a smart business person and manage your money well, you could be very very successful.

I would recommend building up a significant reserve before up and purchasing your own truck though. Plan for breakdowns, plan for slow freight periods and poor paying loads or slow paying brokers. They are a fact of life and you need to be prepared. Good luck to you!