Any SNI I/C living in VA running Choice?

I don't live there but can tell you the freight is good there for running in and out. I just spent last 2 weeks running up to PA and back down NC, back up NH, down to MD, over to Richmond and back up to PA. Ran through Richmond 3 times in last 2 weeks. Not saying I could have stopped all 3 times but if I was living there could have easily got a couple of nights at home.

 

I'm not an I/C but I'm a company driver so I really don't have a dog in this fight, but if you've never driven before, research running your own business and get alotta wheel time before thinking about leasing. Just my 2cents.

 

Honestly if you think staying OTR for a year as a company driver will be difficult, think about how it is gonna feel when you have a 1-year lease with a $1000+/week payment that you HAVE to make regardless if you run or not.

You probably won't be out for a week and home every weekend. Many times it just doesn't work like that unless you live in the perfect area for freight. I wouldn't have been ready to start leasing at 6 months. Researching? Sure, at that point I was ready to START researching. But not start leasing.

I'm not sure if you have actually driven or not, but man with 3 kids at home and it seems like you want weekly 2-day hometime... I don't know if you're going to find what you want as a lease/op, owner/op, OR company driver unless you can put up with some OTR for a year+ and then get a good local job.

 

I'll throw in my two cents too I suppose

To answer your first question, you'll be an owner operator. There is no "out of route". Since it's your truck and your fuel, Schneider doesn't care if you go from Dallas to Fort Worth via Houston, so long as the load picks up and delivers on time. I wouldn't recommend going way out of the way for anything, but if you run loads and come within a reasonable distance of your house, you can always get through there. My personal general rule is under 50 miles from home, and I'll come through here, especially if I need to take 10 anyways since I can park near my home in a spot that is always open.

You can drop your trailer at any OC and bobtail anywhere. The only exception to this is HV (high value) loads, which can only be dropped at OCs that handle HV stuff. Charlotte, NC is a HV OC if you were wondering. Also, I believe you can, in theory, drop your trailer anywhere legally and use the kingpin lock they sell you to secure it, but you'll be 100% financially responsible if something happens to the trailer and/or the freight while you're gone. personally, I won't drop a loaded trailer anywhere but an OC. I might, on occasion, drop an empty for a short time to bobtail somewhere for food or something, but that's usually only when I'm at a customer and the trailer is generally safe anyways.

As for expected income... this really is dependent on you. Personally, I have a brand new truck on a 3 year lease, and I'm taking home an average of $900 to $1200 a week, with a possibility of bringing home over $2000 in a week (done this once so far). BUT, I am also single, no family, no kids. I don't spend much time at home. Honestly, if you're looking for a lot of home time, this might not be the program for you. When you do this, you are no longer a driver, you are a business owner. That new business is going to demand most of your waking hours for your first several months while you work to get yourself safely into the black. Hometime costs every day that you're there. For me, it costs me roughly $285 per day to take a day off, factoring in all of my expenses and my desired salary of $1000 per week. Excessive hometime will put you out of business really fast.

As for OTR, well, you're not obligated to do any long runs on Choice, but I will say this much: The week where I took home over $2000 I did 3 loads, all over 1000 miles each. I was all over the place. Local freight will not always be available, and you'll be in stiff competition with others who live in your area. It's easy for me to find good paying freight, because I really don't care where I go, as long as it ain't New York City LOL.

In general, I would say that if you can't handle being gone AT LEAST two weeks at a time, or even three weeks, then you want to stay away from leasing, and instead stay a company driver to get your experience in and then get something local. Schneider has local stuff all over the country, they probably have something in your area, might wanna check it out. A lot of their local stuff only requires a few months experience.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

 

Looks like your on the right track at least by asking the questions and weighing your options. Your in a pretty good area for good loads and getting home frequently ..

It really is hard to put a number on what you could make with so many variables in this business.. If it were me in that area and had to get home every couple weeks, for maybe couple days? I should be able to earn take home around $1000 to $1200 say 3 weeks or at least 2 weeks out of the month with 1 or 2 weeks out of the month maybe at $500 to $700 with the time off. This is based on my experience and knowing what I can/can't do. This is a low estimate should be able to do better than that some of the months out of the year.

like you said depends on what is going to be your best fit.

We have a lot of freedom as O/O which might work in your favor needing flexibility.

 

I guess it kind of depends on what your looking to do as far as how long you stay out and what kind of pay you need to take home etc. I have been here for 2 1/2 yrs and Have been doing very well. I am home basically every weekend and usually pass thru the house at least once during the week. Now granted I don't live where you do. I have done some loads over in that area as my cousin lives in chesapeake and I can tell you just for example there are loads from nc and ga to chesapeake multiple times a week. As the the other guys have said, once you are on choice schneider doesn't care what you do so long as the loads are delivered safely. Also they offered very wise advice because the payments don't stop because you take time off. And going home also doesn't mean you can't still make money. My hometime is very important to me as I have a wife and three daughters.