owner op

The problem you are going to have is no company worth leasing onto will look at you because you have zero experience. So that leaves you with going out and running under your own authority. Regardless of your age you should beable to get a job out of school, unless you you have to many skeletons in the closet. Get a year in on some companies dime and then go for truck ownership.

 

Short answer: You don't know what you don't know.

Long answer: There are a LOT of rules and regulations you have to know as a driver, but you've got a company to help guide you through them. When you buy a truck, there are a lot more which will apply to you that you'll need to know...and if you have that truck leased to a carrier, they will help guide you through them. When you get your own authority, there are a lot more regulations which will apply to you....except now you are on your own. Taking it gradually....first driving for a company while you learn those rules....then buying a truck and leasing it to a carrier while you learn those rules....then studying up on the rest of them and getting your own authority....gives you time to make sure you are compliant, because it gets mighty expensive if you are not. It also allows you to learn the ins and outs of the business, rather than jumping in with both feet and hoping you keep your head above water until you figure out what you are doing. Whether dealing with shippers and receivers, brokers, the DOT....when you are a company driver or leased to a motor carrier, you've got somebody to lean on for help. It'll take a while to absorb all that you'll need to know to be successful in this industry...you won't learn it all overnight. You won't realize just how much there is to know until you start learning it...and just when you think you know it all, you'll find out that you still have a lot of learning to do.

Can you make it as an O/O fresh out of CDL school with zero experience? Perhaps...but the odds are not in your favor. If you've got the means to buy a 30K truck, finance a trailer, and run for a year breaking even, don't you think that money would go a lot farther if you took a little time and learned the ropes? As the saying goes, look before you leap...

 

my boy went out at 21 and leased to a company without any trucking company experience ,he had harvest and feedlot experience. He is doing just fine,granted he is leased to a very good company and they worked with him and guided him along the way. If you have the desire and listen to those who know a person can do well. He had about $42500 tied up in his tractor and pulls their trailer. Of course Pops taught him how not to tear stuff up and how to limp in if something does go wrong. He never attended truck driving school either.

 

Airline pilots do not start out on 767's. They learn on cessnas, or some small plane, and work their way up to the big ones by gaining experience. Book learning is not real world education.Many choices made by a trucker are seat of the pants decisions, made from a gut feeling, and all that comes from experience.
Unless you have a good mentor, a good rabbits foot, or an unlimited bank account, start out as a driver and learn a little more. Good luck in whatever you do.

 

I don't think it matters how old you are as long as you can pass you DOT physical. In fact if you are over 40 you are protected under labor laws and the companies can actually earn tax credits for hiring you. I think you are having the same problem I was having when I lived in S.W. Florida. I see you live in Idaho and let face it Idaho is no trucking Mecca. See a lot the super size carriers say they hire in all 48 states they do but they have hiring caps for different area of the country. They want to hire drivers in the areas in which they operate the most.

 

I meant to say it doesn't matter if you are a company driver or an O/O if companies don't have work in your area they just will not hire you. Plus 30K is a nice down payment but a 30K truck wouldn't even qualify you to contract on with 90% of the companies out there.

 

Not knowing your age, I want you to think about your commercial liability insurance. These companies who insure trucks look closely at your experience level. An older driver who has very few miles under his belt will have a tough time getting covered at a reasonable [ if any ] price. Fleets can do it ok, O/O's will have more of a problem. Check it out before deciding.

 

Very good input on here. As far as 30k truck wont be able to lease on with 90% of the companies that is sadly true anymore. I would say with little or no experience you probably forgot to say the only way you can get a trucking job is to run 2nd seat and that is the way guys get experience these days, you're probably gonna have to bite the bullet and get some experience if you want to be successful in truck ownership but some guys do just start at the top, that is just my thoughts on it