Starting a business

If they are giving it away to you free and clear and you have money to get started and really want to give it a go , then I say do it. But you can only pull one trailer with the pete so I can allways come and take the other trailer off your hands......thats assuming its free LOL. In all seriousness though, I say if its what you think you want, then go for it. Give it a shot, dont let it be a wasted opportunity or a regret later on that you never gave it a go. Lots of options open to a guy with a truck and trailer, experience and the desire to succeed.

 

if the truck and trailers are free, and you don't have any major repairs for a couple years you might be able to make a go of it part time. It would be cool if you could set up a little local drop and hook operation since you have the two trailers and only want to do part time. I couldn't tell you exactly how to set it up but I'm sure if you spend some time talking to grocers or butchers, or maybe even go out to your nearest refrigerated warehouse or what not and ask the right questions you'll turn up something.

 

I wonder about following a dream in this economy. Having a secure goverment job with all its benefits would be hard to walk away from. A partnership with another o/o could be beneficial to you for a while.

 

I think you will find it difficult to make money only running on the weekend. Most shippers, especially in the northeast, don't work on weekends. That will make it hard to earn money only running on the weekends. With it being a reefer, things might be a little different, but my guess is that you will greatly limit yourself without going full time where you can run during the standard work week. Reefers also tend to do more waiting to be loaded or unloaded than other types of freight. I agree that having a truck and trailer given to you is a great way to start, but you will still have the cost of base plates and permits along with insurance. Unless you have a CDL your rates will be high. Before jumping I would look further into this to see if only running weekends would be profitable. Without experience it will be very difficult to lease on to a carrier. Most require 6-12 months experience as a minimum. If your in-laws have their authority and are willing to allow you to use it then that might help, but it may still be hard to get the insurance with no experience. You might find a driver to put in the truck and relieve him on weekends.

 

Trucking is not a part time job, period. Your insurance will take you down quickly if you're going to attempt to be a weekend trucker....

 

Putting a driver in your truck is an entirely new ball game. You can't just hire a driver and turn him loose in your truck. Expenses will be higher when you hire a driver. You will need to find loads for him or lease to a carrier that will run the truck for you. I never liked allowing someone else to run my truck. It will help that you have driven in the past, but things are different when you own the truck. If you decide to get rid of one of the reefers and buy a flat, you will also need to buy securement equipment and tarps. Prepare to spend about $2,500 for new. If you decide to do this I would not buy anything else. I would work with what I had. Reefers can be profitable. There is less risk hauling a reefer. With flats you will assume more risk when it comes to securing the load. With reefers you will need to watch for spoilage. With either, you need to have the right driver. If your driver blows a turbo or engine while out of town it will be up to you to find someone to tow the truck and make the needed repairs. It will also be your responsibility to pay the bill once repairs are made. Even though you may get the equipment at no charge, repairs will be your responsibility. So will buying fuel, replacing tires and making sure all maintenance is performed. You will need to spend time running the truck during the week. There will be the occasional calls in the middle of the night when the truck breaks. Unless you keep a close eye on your driver you could easily lose your shirt.

 

Hi all im gonna jump in here and ask a question

is their a thread on here that breaks down what i need to run on my own not leased onto someone?/

i want to run some numbers and see where i would be sitting with the 25% the company it getting, since i am booking over half of my own freight as it is

TIA