Just throwing this out there.

Congratulations. You have a business model that works for you.

A lot of people on here don't understand that different people have different needs, goals and or desires, and thus seek to operate their businesses differently in order to achieve them. That doesn't make them bad businessmen, stupid or losers.

 

I run heavy, very heavy. I also run load shifts when the other guys wont. As far as " crappy run down burnt out trucks that have no business being on the road" while they may not be the prettiest looking trucks on the road, mechanically they are sound trucks. Why do I need a $50k truck when I can buy a '99 Classic with a rebuilt 12.7 Detroit for $15k and make more money, so I dont have to run those "big miles"!

I love when people say "But even at $1.71 per mile it would still be very hard to make a living running the low miles that container haulers run" I run my lowly 350 miles a day, half of which are empty miles, my average fuel total for the week is $1,100 which equates me to bringing home $1200-$1800 a weel; I wont get rich BUT I will have a home life and a little pocket change...........

EDIT: $1.71pm INCLUDES accesorial pay, IE: overweight, detention, load shift, haz mat, reefer pay

 

I am a O/O new to trucking/flatbed, many drivers helped me gave me great advice etc....A 1,000 THANKS to you drivers !!!! I don't go on as much in the O/O forum, like many of the drivers said some threads/posts doesn't belong in here.... I'm always next door in the Flatbed forum...Be safe out there guys

Thanks
Johnny

 

Different people have different needs and wants for their business. You have to find out what works best in your situation.

 

And us reefer haulers will seek all you others out while you're sleeping and park as close as possible.

You're Welcome.

 

Isn't that what we already have? We just need to keep it cleaned up, like you mods have done the last couple of days.

 

You are exactly right. I want a forum where I can go and talk pure shop with other independent owner operators. I do not want to have to wade through all the BS questions and conjecture from guys who are possibly thinking about maybe someday, when all the planets align, getting a truck of their own and want to just ask questions about how to get started or what kind of money there is to be made. I and the other independent O/O are already doing it and trying to survive and grow our business. We need to be able to bounce ideas, learned life experiences and opinions off each other without all the distractions caused by guys who have nothing to offer because they have never experienced what we do every day. And yes there is also a big difference between independents and leased drivers. We have many tax, regulatory and business concerns that leased guys give up big money and freedom for so that they do not have to deal with it. This is why it is critical to separate them. It makes giving and receiving the information much more efficient. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to get an email to a thread I have subscribed to only to open it and find out it is a company driver with a smart ### comment or worthless question that adds no substance to the conversation. I eventually just unsubscribe to the thread because it is obvious it is permanently hijacked and is never coming back.

 

The thing about lease ops (some anyway) is that we are paying those taxes (IFTA, HHVUT, etc), just not doing the filing. We are under a company's numbers for now. Some of the lease ops are NOT in a "fleece deal", but a true lease. Some of the lease ops will be getting their own authority in time. Some of the lease ops are trying to grow a business as well, and get out from under a company's authority. Those people should not be excluded just because they don't have their own authority, because they are in business as well.