Start up truck/trailer advice

That's what my daddy calls me! Since you have about the same amount of time in the seat that he does, I'll let you call me that too!

 

Where are you located? Do you have a driver? IF YOU DO THIS--YOU ARE GOING TO NEED A VERY EXPERIENCE ONE--in your start up scenario--assuming you can even start up--the wrong driver WILL destroy you B4 you ever really get ROLLING
Just sayin

 

Ok , So this is what I am doing , and maybe you can learn something through my startup experience...and get Idea of just 1 man team ..

Little background:

I have been a driver for over 6 years , and for the last 3 months I have done nothing but homework about this business ( i have learn more about the business side the last 3 months than driving 6 years) ..and boy its risky . But its risky with any business , I had Yogurt Shop once and same ####t just different scenarios ..all depends on whats going to excite you , drive you and makes you happy overall. After my beautiful x wife ripped me off and I was left with zero dollars,(thank god no kids) and after i traveled the world for little while I decided to do what makes me happy !!!!! and thats get on the open road with my Jack russell in the passenger seat and enjoy the privacy and beauty of this beautiful country and of course, make couple bucks. ...so with little loan i got I decided to get my own authority and buy my own truck .

My plan .

First thing I did is write a business plan and figure out whats going to cost me to run THE BUSINESS per each mile
which in my case its going to be $1.09 cents per mile. Thats everything to run my business and equipment and my food on road ......but thats not including my pay, taxes , accounting ( my g/f is accountant so ill be getting it for free ) , and unexpected breakdowns .
Looking at startup cost of 65000 plus 10k line of credit in case of extreme emergency

I have 1 local broker , I have load board that I will use and my brother is going to help me as well , I have relationship with ch robinson out of utah and Ill use tql if i have to , kinda have rs with them too
I am also going to watch market , produce out of yakima , seafood out of seattle , try my best to build long term relationships with these people..... coming back west it will suck little since I REFUSE TO HAUL CALIFORNIA . but Ill manage ....
I will not haul cheap freight.

Hopefully buy 2nd truck in 12 months or so and Hire someone I CAN TRUST ...

my equipment choice :

truck: Buy 2003 pre egr 12.7 l detroit engine in the truck thats aerodynamic ( i choose freightliner century , light and affordable) with 13 speed and under 750k miles. good tires, good maintenance records, mine has 816 but its ok. I got the truck for 18000. Run dyno , mechanic test etc.... check the truck out Hoping to get 6 months out of the engine before major breakdown,
But I also have 12k set aside for complete overhaul of the engine .
I also have 10 k set aside for small break down and fuel cost for first 4 weeks.
Trailer... have not gotten one yet but looking at .....
buying 2005 utility with thermo king reefer about 9000 hrs on unit.. for $15500
set up costs :
Authority , insurance , apu, fridge , overhead , maintenance tune up cost : total $10k
I am also buying few things slowly thats going to make my business successful , sideskirts on trailer, wheel covers, airweighscales, tire inflation system , ecm tune .straight through muffler things to improve mpg


thats just how i am doing it ...good luck to you whatever you decide..Just be aware of who you hire , lots of idiots out there ... Research this site too it will help you alot ...lots of guys on here will talk #### to me too and tell me i am doing it wrong blah blah... If someone cant give me advice on how to be successful i just ignore the haters... but there are lots of good people here who want to help.
Good luck!

Peace

 

o yea ...your question about what truck..
if you cant afford 2012 truck dont buy anything after 2003 ..my opinion ..OR glider truck with 12.7 l cr engine ... i have talked with over 50 mechanics in the last few months and based on my research thats what i think.....

 

You have 1 local broker and CH Robinson do ya, that is just too funny!

 

OK, that sounds like a deal!

 

local meaning the broker is in same town but will send me all 48 ... why is that too funny..cant give advice gotta talk #### ivory

 

Actually, I did give my opinion, and if you read backwards in this blog you can read my thoughts.

While there are exceptions to every rule, the majority rules, and the majority of owner operators with their own authority do not make it past the first year, unless they have a nice gig lined up.

While I do not know your financial staus, I did read in your thread about a small loan and I believe an emergency line of credit, which in my thoughts, you are playing with scared money. Going into business with borrowed money, you are behind the 8 ball from get go, because everything that is borrowed has to be paid back, and there just isn't enough money in the business dealing strickly with brokers, or even leasing onto the better part of these carriers.

You obviously don't know brokers too well; these are non-asset based companies, whose overhead isn't near what an asset based company contends with, and if you have done your homework as you claim, you should certainly know this. Unless you have a broker by the bal*s that needs to move a load, he/she is going to suck upwards of 25% off the top of the figure; and they have already cut another brokers throat by under bidding the account to get the freight; there isn't much that remains! These slugs are are worse than any car sales person ever has been!

While everyone else has been struggling to just survive these past serveral years, CH Robinson has made record profits, and where do you think that those profits came from? They came from the pockets of an asset based company! Brokers can't even be considered competition, because they are not on the same playing field with an asset based company; with many working out of an extra room in there home.

I watched as major trucking companies closed their doors when deregulation came into play, because they knew what this industry was going to be about with brokers in the picture. But I want you to think of me when they tell you; well it's fuel money!

I don't talk s*it, I talk facts!

I wish anyone success in any venture, but you'd be better off going back and selling yogurt!

 

You are talking ####...and your facts are based on your experience..
I have planty of good friends who are o o and they didn't fail.
Maybe you should start selling yogurt or ice cream or sandwiches and see how its so fun to deal with

 

Idiots .....who just talk ####. And don't have anything smart to say.