The journey begins - purchased a truck.

Thanks, and duly noted. Fortycalglock also -

I don't include it in my work resume because I 'rebirthed' when I arrived here from New Zealand, but I ran flatbed for a short time there, (also liftgate delivery, general freight, food service and sales, barman, supermrket management and retail). Employers weren't interested in my overseas experience, so it's not something I include in conversation.

Banks didn't care about my previous financial responsibility either. When I was 25 I was $250k deep in mortgages on a house and 2 rentals, which I turned over to a property developer, and then sold my house to family after I'd been here a couple of years. Bank of America gave me a $300 secured credit card when I applied - thin credit file, they said.

I was the most inexperienced of the 10-15 Australian and Kiwi driveers who came here 11 years ago. They'd all been there and done that - B-trains, Cattle trailers, road trains . . . . on and on they crowed about the fancy big HP equipment, the big companies, the long hauls. They'd been there, and done that. I kept my mouth shut. My limited experience at shoestring companies and under-dogs, running puddle jumpers and beat up equipment paled by comparison. My longest haul was 100 miles to Wairoa. Most of my driving was within a 15 mile radius.

Fast forward about 9 months - I was one of the last ones here. Some quit and left their trucks in downtown situations, headed straight for the airport and were never heard from again. Others left for home citing 'family issues'. Some barely lasted a month - right or wrong, I'm still here. My long elaborate point is - I hated the culture of tall poppy syndrome in NZ, people had to run you down or out boast each other. Male chauvinism run rampant. They just couldn't be happy for you if you did well, or OK. I like folks over here better. They say "Good for you", and "you can do it" - and "I like your _______" - they help each other out and lift each other up (for the most part).

I'm a bit stubborn, I'm a bit determined, I'm pretty cautious, and I've made it OK so far. Motivation comes from hearing "You're not old/tall/smart/experienced/strong enough to do ________".


I apprecciate the concern - but I'm committing to the open deck freight for a return to physical labor, and plan on applying a shorter length of haul/higher revenue approach to it. I'll consider (as Rollin Coal said) a garden van ornament for winter time/drop in rates/freight on the flat side.

Hey - what do I know - it may all turn pear shaped and I'll be on here in a years time to tell everybody they were right and I should have listened, but I'm not planning on it.

A user on this forum reached out tonight and has almost a full kit of equipment for flatbed that he purchased off an O/O that got into a bind a couple of years ago, so I apprecciate that.

Ooops - I think I poured out a bit more than I expected there ! Sorry!

 

I'd read a few threads on here that asked the :53 foot vs 48foot: question, the "Step vs. Flat" question, and spent the last couple of months observing deck utilisation of both groups and lengths going down the road.

I think your best point in there is "never have the right trailer every time".

Have you ever called on loads asking for 53', to find they simply clicked the wrong button, and the load only requires 48', or have you hit a lot of situations where you were the idle truck while the boys and girls with 53' trailers were loaded and gone?

Starting to second guess my initial idea of trailer purchase . . . . and rent for a couple of months.