What is an hourly income for an owner operator business?

Got 2 trucks now...its easiert o hire then drive um myself. Yes employees can be a handful, and they make stuipd mistakes you wouldn't make, but, if you find good drivers its not nearly as bad as everyone says.

 

Why not finance a truck. The profit from truck #2 will more then pay for the added interest and you will own 2 trucks quicker. I ran one while other was financed. My second is still financed and im making about 40k a year after the truck payment. The one that is paid off is on track for 60k. at first, i drove one and hired a driver for the other. Then i hired a driver for the truck i was in a few months later.....after the 2nd truck was running stable.

 

Im sure you meant that sarcastically...but my business model works. In 3 years I went from getting my CDL to owning 2 trucks. Im now on track to make 100k this year and i work from home....only about 15 hours a week. You may joke, but I am on easy street now. I had a few hiccups at landstar and Arnold, but since i came back to TMC in February, I have managed to buy another truck, and hire 2 drivers. Im not trying to brag, I'm simply saying it can be done. Hard work and finding the right carrier is key.

 

I do almost all my own repairs, i currently don't do my own tires though, iv always figured the cost of tire repairs didn't justify doing them myself. but I think im going to change to doing more tires repairs myself just from a time stand point. its too often that i wait longer for them to even get me in the shop for a tire repair than it would take me to do myself. im going to start looking for some tire tools soon.

 

You can get some basic Ken-Tool brand tire irons fairly reasonable at your local NAPA. They (Ken-Tool online) have this nice tool that's around $500 I think that can break a tire off the rim in about 3 easy steps from what i saw on YouTube but that's more suited to a service truck guy doing road calls all day than someone like me doing a few tires a year though. I just have regular irons. NAPA has some good tire lube. Maybe also get some tire soap for stubborn ones that a cheetah won't seat the bead. Unless you don't mind using the starter fluid method. I don't care for it myself. If you're in the bush in a pinch it will do, which I never am.

Yeah I've followed your threads and discussions over the years. You and several other o/o sort of inspired me to quit being a lazy ### and take on what I know I can deal with. There are a few guys on here that do their own inframes. Nice score with the Mack btw and nice shop you have also. One of these days I'll have a real shop too.

 

After the aggravation of getting that air hose off I'm about ready to go wrap it around a Petro"tech's" neck. #### sure going to show it to him. The line went from the air drier around the back of the head and up to my air compressor. Which I should have known better when he said where it went. Failed my tractor over nothing. If I ever get time I'll post a pic of the "badly chaffed air line that's going to fail"..... idiot.

 

Dang RC hate spending hours fixing a problem thats not a problem?
Thats ok had company DOT this a few weeks ago an hour later when I got home and did my weekly deep look found a leaking fuel line, a light out, and a slack adjuster nut loose. Great DOT.

 

Yeah lol. It doesn't bother me they find something. An extra set of eyes looking it over is a good thing and if there is a problem I want to know so I can fix it before it let me down. But get it right man!! My old company was a lot like yours. They knew I took care of it and so basically just signed off after half assed looking it over. I didn't like that. The flip side they'd run a fine comb over some operators equipment.

 

I've always been a cash guy. I want something, I start putting money into a savings account like I would be making payments. Then when I have enough.. I go buy it. Cash talks. That way if I miss a payment it doesnt hurt anything except my pride.

I've always felt funny financing something. We bought a little sports car for my wife. Had the cash to buy it but because of my cash only habits I had a very low credit score. The bank agent refered to me as what they call a ghost. Other then some hospital bills I didnt exist. My wife is the brains in my house. She's the whole reason my credit score is up where its at now.

It doesnt feel right owing a substantial debt. I read about people getting deep in debt. My father used to tell me that it was easier to borrow $200k then it was $20k. I've always been afraid of it. What ifs.

I dunno. Maybe by the time I hire a second driver I'll finance a newer truck. I'm always scared of not having the money to do a major repair. With 2 trucks it mean twice the risk and twice the expences if something goes boom. Maybe once I get $100k cash in the bank I'll loosen up a bit. This first year has beeb rough. $14k in maintenance and repairs and come Jan I'm dumping another $5k - $6k into it. Its always something.

Hurst:smt111

 

A lot of them out there that couldn't put a cob handle on a file, DOT included.