What am i missing here!?

I used to want 20 trucks. And then i had a few and all i wanted was to go back to one truck.

 

I think you are missing what we are saying. Many people ARE operating in the RED. Not all, not half but many. You are wanting to start a business at the worst economic time possible. OK but to do this you need LOTS OF CAPITAL. Which you say you don't have. You want an easy fix but there are none at this time. You want $1.5 rates and I see people hauling for .89¢ that's for fuel and all. I'm talking owner operators not some company driver. They are working for free and so will you be. Several have told you sound advise but because it's not what you want to hear you say it can't be true. Times are hard and you need deep pockets. My truck is parked more then it runs and there is a reason right now. I don't want to burn through my capital running freight that is at a loss. I hope you understand. You have valid questions. Just currently unrealistic expectations, I say this not to be discouraging but to give you pause.

 

Maybe I missed it,.. but if companies are only offering you .30 - .36 cpm,.. what kind of experience do you have?

Are you just starting out? If so,.. there you go. If not,.. how many dings on your overall report? MVA, CSA, work history, criminal record etc?

The way I'm reading your post, you come off as though you have experience and some insight to the industry, which confuses me as to why you are only being offered mega fleet pay.

Everyone of us,.. with a few exceptions,.. started at the bottom and worked our way up. Like it or not,..you WILL pay your dues somewhere, somehow if you plan to succeed and master this industry. As stated,.. you have to crawl before you can walk.

I own my own truck. It took me years of planning and saving to reach that point. I'd like to buy 2 more trucks and put drivers in them just to see if I have what it takes to be a fleet owner. I'm almost 3 yrs into being an O/O and I have yet to purchase a second truck. My personal risk assessment says now is not the right time. In order to survive the next 2 - 3 yrs I'm going to have to watch every penny and hold on to as much cash as I can. I just grind away and when the time is right I'll make my move.

Thats how you have to be in the business. Its very easy to go upside down and fail. I came close to being completely broke last summer. The stress I went through just make it week to week was horrific.Cash is king,.. always will be.

Hire on and cut your expenses and spending down, you can and will save money. It takes time to get to where you want to be. Once you reach your goals, the satisfaction knowing that you did it on your own is one of the greatest rewards.

Good luck out there.

Hurst

 

Company gig over .40 cpm? Prime is over .40

 

You need to forget about the mega companies, they are not gonna pay. Look around, I've seen several starting at 40 to 45cpm. Just have to look. If you have 2 yrs exp. And a decent to good record, you can get that. Something else to check, if you have doubles check with fed ex. They are all independent contractors with multiple trucks, and one is always looking for drivers. They are team, but many pay between 45 and 60cpm. Many of them post on craigslist.

 

Maverick, TMC, System Transport, Nussbaum, and that's not even counting some of the smaller carriers that pay well over .40 cpm....

 

Years ago when I was a company driver my goal was to always save $500 a week no matter what. I did it too. For years. Some weeks I even saved more than that, sometimes a lot more. One year I even cashed out 2 weeks of vacation pay and continued working saving all of that above the usual $500. Our vacation pay was an average of what we earned the previous year so at $60,000 a year I really raked it in on that paycheck. I went home for "weekends" but I wasn't there for long. It was all work but nothing ever comes easy. It's all about sacrifice now to set yourself up for later. How bad do you really want it and what are you willing to sacrifice in the here and now? I never made excuses and I laugh at people who say that's impossible I can't save money whah, whah.