Double Yellow's Company Driver to Independent Thread

Believe me, I would do lots of things differently if starting out again. And I've reconsidered and will probably continue to monitor opportunities available running someone else's numbers.

If you go back and look at my early posts on the matter, I aknowledged that my skills & preferences were best suited to leasing to a company. I mainly became an independent because I was tired of feeling like everyone in the industry was out to exploit drivers -- and I couldn't see the value in forfeiting 25% of my income to a carrier. (News flash: they're out to exploit everybody -- independents too...)

So the "they're stealing 25%" is really an immature point of view -- I should not care what the carrier is making as long as they are offering me value. Specifically I ignored the fact that better freight is available to brokers and carriers of a certain size. That doesn't mean @icsheeple is going to automatically run better freight than I am (he's leased to Landstar), but he has a much better shot of pulling good-paying automotive and military freight with regularity than I do. In between those loads, I can probably do better by keeping 100%...

I made a critical assumption that when/if the market turned (which I predicted that it would turn bad), I would be able to survive & even thrive by virtue of having much lower fuel costs. I failed to consider what happens to fuel prices when the economy contracts: they go down. A 9mpg truck only saves $0.10/mile over a 6mpg truck when fuel costs $1.75 (I had assumed $5 fuel was more likely, which would be a $0.28/mi operating difference).

I also never planned to get direct freight. I like variety, and didn't want to be pulling the same lane or region. And I didn't want to commit to any one shipper. That's all fine in a booming spot market, but the main advantage of having your own authority is having the ability to cut out middlemen (brokers and carriers) yet I'm still giving up 15-20% to a broker...

I probably would have some direct customers by now if things weren't complicated by CARB changing the exemption rules the day after I bought my truck, rendering it illegal to use in California... Getting direct customers when over the road is a lot more challenging -- the more likely a shipper is willing to work directly with a small, out of state carrier, the less likely they are to pay much above spot...

I also overestimated my ability to get hazmat. I expected to be pulling HM freight this year, but could not find insurance. Without it, I'm just another dry van (albeit one with tanker & twic -- which occasionally help).

I've also been opposed to doing much actual work. Multi-stop & driver assist loads seemed to pay exorbitantly last year and I was all too willing to haul them. This year, they pay only a little more than 1 pick, 1 drop no-touch loads. But if a load ties up my truck for the same amount of time, pays more, and doesn't materially increase my chance of injury, then I probably should take it...

I also avoid loads paying less than $1,000. I don't want to spend a lot of time billing and chasing down payments, so hauling a $500 load generally doesn't seem worth it no matter how short/fast. I shouldn't be so picky.


With all those shortcomings aknowledged, I do think the rate per mile master types tend toward the myopic. Would you rather do 8,000 miles at $1.80 per all mile or 13,000 at $1.60?

The later would net me an extra $1,400/month and ultimately not take any more of my time (I'm on the road anyway so I'd just trade unpaid time spent sitting on the computer watching loadboards & making calls for time behind the wheel listening to music watching our great country pass by). I would also be sleeping regularly rather than flip flopping schedules constantly around short load scheduling...

My biggest issue has been in unsuccessfully trying to blend the two strategies: haul cheap, long, and short (timewise) when necessary, but haul short, long (timewise), & expensive when the opportunities present. The opportunities rarely just present themselves this year -- it takes a lot of work (work I'm not great at, and don't enjoy). So I wind up combining the worst of both philosophies and doing 8,000 miles at $1.60...

That said, trucking hasn't been the only disappointment, my stocks have generally performed poorly too:


(VOO -- holding)



(BRK.B -- currently buying more)




(MKL -- holding)



(PFHO -- sold out of a little while back @ a 60% loss)

On the other hand, my rentals have done well and continue to pay for themselves -- and then some. I'll be adding another property within the next month or two...