Western Express?

Dont believe everything you read.he could be a recruiter posing as an owner op.

 

I get about 7.8 but I stay between 62-65 mph. If I run 70 it drops drastically on my mpg. also I'll save about 20-30 cents a gallon average depending where I fuel. I'm not saying anyone should drive for 1.10 but mega fleets don't offer you much better. Right now I'm on $1700 one pallet about 560 mile load. Got a heavy reload back for $1400. Loads are there its just about a little work. I see 1.10-1.80 on the load boards going to dead zones and someone is taking them. Not sure who, but I'm still well over 2.30 a mile all miles. About 2800-3200 miles a week. It's a lot more work then it was before. But I run my own numbers and get to mix between load boards and direct customers.

 

Also look at doing reefer/hazmat. That's what helps me a lot in winter time. I think for your age it would work well. You'll get a lot of time to rest do to loading and unloading times, but it pays better and if you add hazmat to it you can get better rates. For example load I'm on now was suppose to be a primer protect from freeze 5 pallets. I got there and they said order was changed to one pallet of non hazmat water base product. Still the same pay, loaded in 5 minutes. But of course this is a customer of mine. Reload back will be frozen meat. probably going to take 2-3 hours to load, and I know the delivery guys, they'll empty me out in 45 minute time frame . But think about doing that. You'll easily be over 1.80 on all miles.

 

Well I run my own numbers. I know a few guys that are smaller companies doing well. I can ask them and you can talk to them if they have capacity.

 

I would not advise it. I tired to become an o/o with them thru their program and I did more sitting than anything. Trucks always breaking down and it takes them 2 weeks to fix such a simple thing that should only take 3 hrs max. I went thru 5 trucks with them and every one of them broke down. The last truck I was in the turbo went out on it. I had 2 weeks left on my warranty and they made me sit till the warranty ran out then decided to fix it. It was an international prostar. Good trucks. With the international truck, you get a warranty from the dealer of 2 yrs on the motor, but the turbo is not a part of that warranty, the turbo is not considered a part of a motor, but an accessory thereof. Its not covered on the warranty. Western express tried to make me sit till my warranty ran out so I would be stuck paying for the bill. So I quit them cus I was not making money. I was with them for 2 months and only worked a total of 2 weeks. That's how much sitting I did. After I quit, they returned the favor by applying an "abandonment" on my daq. Tried to rack up a bill of $6,000+ stating that I owed them that amount. Its a poorly ran company with no communication at all by the dispatchers. The attitude of the whole place is rude. Also fulse advertisement by saying no forced dispatch. I have tried many times to request a different load and they made me sit and basically refused to find another load. I would ask if another load was found and they would comm me the same load over and over. I wouldn refer that job to my worst enemy.

 

western express sucks. The deal may sound good but trust me, its the total opposite. I was with them for 2 months and only worked a total of 2 weeks. It was a constant break down and sitting. It took 2 weeks to get out of the shop for a simple service on the truck. Plus they breached the contract by letting me sit for 2 weeks while my warranty ran out cus of a turbo that went out that wasn covered under the international motor warranty. The turbo is not a part of a motor, but an accessory thereof. After I quit, they tried to pin $6000 on me sayin I owed them. And they did put an abandonment on my daq.

 

I have an answer TaylorMade and I am not sure you will agree or not but here is my take. When you work for a paycheck, dictated by what the person writing that check says your worth, you get exactly that, nothing more. You get a raise when the check writer feels charitable or you saved them a ton of money and they want to show some love.

As an O/O, your in business. Your no longer a company driver. You no longer have someone paying the bills for the truck, the fuel, etc, it's all on you and the success or failure of your business is on you. You can have a 2017 tractor that gets 9 miles to the gallon, but unless you know how to manage that truck, you won't make any money.

The problem I see with new O/O's is that they can turn the wheels, make some good money on the gross side of the P and L Sheet, but then do stupid things with the money they get to keep, like buying expensive toys, buying a nice expensive car they will never drive, because they are gone all the time, buy a expensive home by putting down a decent down payment and signing for a large mortgage, for a home they will seldom see.

They fail to understand that there will come a day when they can no longer drive and have no plan B. They fail to realize that they may get sick and be forced off the road and have no plan B for how they will make the truck payments.

This is why unless someone has the capability and mindset that once they go O/O, they are no longer employees but the boss and not everyone can manage this and they will fail and sometimes when one fails, it is devastating.