for those w/own truck, trailer, and broker authority....

well, I have all the things you listed but I'm not sure I can help you much by expounding in a forum.

I'll try.

Rates are dictated by customers. I have several long time customers that I work with and they tell me what they pay in certain lanes and what other carriers charge them. As a broker I can't always match rates with carriers, especially the megas since they bastardize the market and file cheap rates, so I ask my customers where they need the most help and try to fill in the gaps. I'm willing to find trucks that will help my customers in lanes where a lot of companies don't want to go. In return they support me by giving me good rates and good lanes that help me stay in balance. Other than the rare exception rates are pretty standard across the board.

I also own a couple of trucks an I drive quite a bit. I did my time in the office and selling and now my sons run the company and I ride around and see my customers up close and personal. I started out driving and always missed being on the road so I bought a truck and went on permanent vacation.

The best advice I can offer is to say that a good customer is hard to find and when you do you should protect the relationship. For a smaller company like me 1-2 good customers make all the difference in making a good living and starving.

 

annw you should put your post on the O/O forum because some of the O/O only go to that forum and you get may a lot of replies sooner.

 

Check OOIDA website. This organization is designed for the 0/0 & small fleet owner. Someone there can answer all your questions.

 

I'm not as wild about OOIDA as I used to be. They have changed a lot and are now more in the business of selling services and insurance. I can get the same services and insurance direct and save the middle man fees. I also don't agree with a lot of the things they have supported in congress.....so I don't support it.

 

A driver I worked with paid for my one yr membership to OOIDA.Think I only visited the site twice.The members on that forum are down right rude.

 

Yeah Patty I agree. I think they started out years ago with good intentions but now they just sell stuff to O/Os. I dropped my membership several years ago when they went into the insurance business.

 

My membership expired.Now I use the card for a ruler,lol.

 

Bahahahha Patty that made me lol,thought I was the only one that did that!

 

lol,works great doesn't it,lol.I don't think ive ever used a ruler except when I attended trucking school.