Central Refrigerated Truck Stop II

see your point of view is lease op. owning a truck paying 800$ a month is different than a weekly payment. besides there many different companies that pay more than central for o/o. i know you guys make like 1500-2000$ a week. but some can make like 3k im sure in certain companies. i might take that job offer. the real question is.......go to vegas and my fiancee drop out school. or stay and let her finish?

 

OK, you asked. I'll answer. Do whatever you wish as far as the job is concerned. Just set the wedding date for something like...June of 2045. You can thank me later.

 

The problem with being a "real owner op" with no more driving experience than you have is, what extra we pay in a truck payment every month you're going to pay in break down repairs and insurance. A tractor payment of only 800 a month is not going to be a new truck with warranty. And getting that truck insured as a new o/o with less than 5 years experience is going to be a very expensive proposition. I'm not going to get into another lease or not to lease debate on here but I will say this, anywhere that hires a central schooled rookie or driver that has only a year or two on the rd is taking one heck of a chance so if you've found a descent paying job elsewhere driving then go for it. I will tell you this much though, trucking is not a get rich quick gig, you like everyone else will be tried by fire before it really begins to pay and only then will it pay if you know what yourself and the industry are doing at all times. As a trainer here at central I want to see all of the students succeed whether it's here or elsewhere but way to many get to overconfident and start thinking they are ready for o/o and wind up with less in their pocket than they come to driving school with. Just an honest opinion from a lowly lease op. LOL....

 

My reply was about real o/o's. At central all the loads pay the same. In the real o/o world a load from one place might pay triple what a load somewhere else might pay. That doesn't even get into the fact that establishing yourself with the good shippers takes time. Owning a real business (like an independent o/o) is 75% finding customers, 25% doing the work, and 50% not going bankrupt. It's tough being 1.5 people, but we keep striving for that good ol' American dream.

 

im nothing more than a confused very very confused individual. i feel like i have no idea what I want. like really. i guess im also scared to take risks. but i do know that i wanna make the most $$ possible. the job in vegas is great because the money is amazing. but trucking can be too. besides im waiting for some things to happen in my life. it will be a couple of more years but when it does. my goal is to go open some type of business for myself. but i need some more support. in the meantime i need to save up more $$$. and if im going to work 70 hours a week. id rather make o/o money than company money.

 

I think you're working on the false impression that o/o's automatically make more money that company drivers. Many do, but others have trouble finding good paying freight and make less than company drivers. Being an o/o carries a lot of risk and it's not something to go in to lightly.

 

My aunt and uncle are real owner ops. They drive themselves then have a couple employees. Me and him were just talking today about loads. He said. People rely on that load board too much. It's all about getting a good rep with the shippers. And more importantly the brokers. Brokers will call you specifically about a good load before they put it in a load board. And it goes both ways. When your truck is stuck in a no load zone. You got those contacts to call and see if they have anything that's not on the load board. Brokers run almost everything. (That's their next business they're working on). That's why it bugs me so much when central calls their lease ops owner ops. They're really not. (No offense to you lease ops. I know that isn't easy either) A real owner op dispatchs him/herself. Permits their own truck. And many more. There is money in it. I've seen loads (flat bed) anywhere from 1.35/mi to 4.50/mi. But when you fall. You fall hard. I've seen my aunt and uncle thru the best and worst. But they keep going and they like what they do. That's what it takes to survive is enjoying what you do. My uncles a certified diesel mechanic. He's said before he could go he a mechanic for a more stable income. But he enjoys what he does too much to do that.

 

Just tried to pick up my 2000 load at 2209 and was told it wouldn't be ready until AFTER 0830. I have a pickup in OH at 0930 tomorrow...

 

i dont mean being a o/o with brokers. you can be one and lease on to a company. you use their trailer and etc.

 

There are a lot of variables when considering Lease Op between different companies. You can't just look at cpm offered. There is also the question of what expenses you are resposible for and what the fsc will be. Also, how busy they can keep you is a significant factor. I seriously doubt there are solo lease ops out there making 3k, unless its specialized work like extreme oversize, government/military (the kind where they shadow you on your trip) or sensitive explosives. Those who run older trucks that they own, especially if they have their own authority can regularly make that and more though.

What companies pay to ship freight is pretty standardized, and trucking companies who have to fight for drivers also tend to share a fairly standard portion of that pie. The only significant way to increase income therefore is not usually found in changing companies, but in taking the less traveled path that offers reduced expense (truck ownership), gaining a co-driver/training (more miles with the same fixed expense = more cpm) or taking a larger portion of the pie by eliminating the middle man (run your own authority or a hybrid thereof) or a combination of these tactics. There are other tactics, I'm sure. But, these are what I've been acquainted with so far.