Starting my own

That's why you get a rental. You just go down the street and rent another one.

 

Fixed it.

Doesn't matter what contract you get, what freight you pull, what kind of trailer. In a small operation, you're going to have to have good drivers to make it. Bottom line. How are you going to get good drivers? You need two out of three to avoid an early grave.

"Well Six, I am planning to put some ads out and..."

Bad plan. You will spend a fortune weeding through all the scum that ripped off CR England for their CDLs, all of those spineless guys who either can't trust their old lady or have to rush home every time she calls, or all the guys who were too stupid to make it at Werner (do you really want a Werner reject in your truck?)

We see a lot of posts from people asking what would happen if they sign on with a mega to get their CDL and then quit. They're scum. They're going into a job with the intention to defraud their employer. Oh yeah, England and Werner and Prime are bottom feeders TRUE, but excellent drivers can thrive there. The scum, hasn't even gone 1 mile in a truck and is planning to get something for nothing. If they will do it to England, they will definitely do it to you no matter how well you treat them. Understand? These will be the ones selling your fuel. Or coming up with fake lumper charges. Or going in with scum repair shops to get extra money out of you.

There are some drivers out there with trust issues at the house. They will miss a load every time the old lady doesn't answer the phone. Going out of route to get by the house. Taking off for a 'family emergency' every time she gets pissy. That hurts your business. It will cost you your contracts. And you will know when he gets a new girlfriend. He will quit and relocate to be near her. Yeah, the moron worked for you 6 months, cost you a contract and he quit.

And of course, there's the all time loser. Wants to drive a truck. Never learned how to properly drive a car but he wants to drive a truck. Swift had to cut him because of so many accidents. Does a bunch of stupid stuff. Poop for brains. Talks a mean game though. Shows up bragging about how great a driver he is and how long he's been driving. Can't pull a 73 ft rig through a 60 ft wide entrance without hitting something. How is that even possible? But according to him, it wasn't his fault...they should have made the entrance wider.

There's one more type driver you're going to run into. "Diva." Diva can actually drive. But Diva has unrealistic demands of everyone. Diva doesn't go to the northeast. Diva doesn't go past the Rockies. Diva doesn't run at night. Diva doesn't drive in the rain. Diva doesn't run when it's colder than 30degrees or hotter than 85. So much of your day will be spend holding Diva's hand. You think your health is bad now? Just wait until after you met Diva.

I'm going to tell you the truth: you will not see a quality driver looking for a job. The only way you're going to get a good driver is steal him from someone else. How do you do that? Find him on the job and ask him how he likes the job. The solid driver will always be positive about his employer. "How are you doing at Swift?" "Doing alright. Making money, putting money back for a rainy day. Get home every 3 weeks and play with the kids and chase mama around the bedroom." Offer him a deal. Has to be sweet. Pay. Better bennies. Home more. Money. A better truck with less handholding.
Yeah, it will cost you more, but it will save you loads of money on the road, and be worlds less of a strain on you. Always keep in mind tho...good drivers stand out. There will be others trying to steal your driver.

 

I am curious to know how much capital you have and think is enough for 6 months. Please tell us a number. Remember, your are anonymous here so it's safe to share information like that.

 

Sounds to me like some folks will be getting work visa's..... The equipment is the easy part. They build trucks everyday. A solid business model, staff, finances, and customers is what you need. Then once you have them the hardest part, keeping them (both customers and drivers). Good luck.

 

Well you're off to a good start. Perhaps you should figure out what expected rate of return you can make in trucking while hiring drivers and compare that against other investments and see what the most wise thing to do with your money is ...

 

Good luck to you, dont underestimate how difficult it is to hire AND hold onto decent drivers. If I had the capital you say you have, I'd just buy used equipment instead of renting. But thats just my 2 cents.

 

Those are your questions. I answered them as well as anybody. Your business plan and numbers should have answered them both for you. Apparently you didn't take the time to run the numbers and formulate a business plan and are coming here for a little hand holding. Looking for some of us to tell you that things will be alright and how great a guy you are for being a 'business man.'

Unfortunately, that happens a lot in trucking. Some of us are just tired of it.

 

I would start by knocking on doors and talking to your targeted potential customers. You need to know rates ( be nice to know what they are currently paying so as not to make an offer too low or too high ), delivery schedules, what your operating costs will be, before deciding if lease or rental is best. You need a commitment in the form of a contract so if everything does work out the rug cant be yanked out from under you without warning. A ton of things to consider here. Have you done any of these things yet? It's not rocket science but can get complicated if it isnt well thought out...just like any other business.