Has any one done this ???

Sounds like a plan.

 

Go to a truck school, and be nice enough to milk trainers for advice you can use. If not, keep an eye on those mirrors, they throw negligent truck drivers in jail when they tear stuff up.

Lots of junk yards prove we have really smart drivers. Sarcasm. Local runs yeah, long haul gets a bit more complicated, more competition. If you dont know DOT rules they will teach you with big fines.

No thirty min brk? $1500. Speeding? 3yr DAC points plus $100 per mile over speed limit (varies). 2nd offense double fines ( varies). Not a job for everyone. A trainer will tell you if you got what it takes before you spend cash.

 

I'd probably say it's not the smartest idea to do right away.

1) You need experience in the industry, you can't (or at least shouldn't) just come in blindly.

2) Yes, there are load boards and brokers. However, if you've got your feet wet....and especially if you have a customer base and repoire with certsin people or customers, it's gonna make your job as an independent O/O a lot easier in my opinion.

 

I hope you are joking.

 

LoL... you got replies from 2 of the most respected guys on here, man. Six and Cnsp know their ####.

 

Dude killer deal.
Although I would opt for 1970ish models.
Those got 55 mpg since the lead regulation took effect.

 

My '84 Pete takes a licking, and keeps on ticking. She's been reworked more than a supermodel....and stays as pretty as such!

 

You could get the CDL and then work for a Driver Temp Service or Driver Leasing Service. I think big ones that my company uses is Driver Solutions and Transforce. Those services are used for all types of trucking. It's a way to pick an choose or "job hop" without generating a record of changing companies. You get a flavor of types of trucking and can dip your toes into being away from home, but not long-term OTR.

 

Yes, I did it... and it worked out just fine.

My situation was a bit different though. Although in the eyes of the industry I was a relative newb, it wasn't quite true. I had previously held a Class 1 license as a job requirement working for oilfield service companies where I operated a wide variety of vehicles including picker and winch trucks in some of the worst conditions imaginable. I then did a brief stint as a regional fuel hauler, but then there was a very long period where I didn't use my Class 1. So long, in fact, that my I let my licence lapse, raised a family, started other businesses, etc.

I had just finished winding down a business when I was approached by a long-term acquaintance about getting involved in trucking. He had been working for a regional/line haul carrier for a few years and knew a guy that owned a successful OTR flatbed carrier and was considering selling it. The carrier purchase did not materialize, but since I had already started to delve into the industry and didn't really have anything else going at the time I jumped in.

I took a couple hours refresher driving with the owner of a driving school and then got my Class 1 again. After that I purchased a truck in the U.S. and leased it on, here in Canada, with a large produce carrier as a team operation with the aforementioned acquaintance, running Canada-U.S. I had to skid the acquaintance after a few months and although the carrier I was leased on with was willing to let me continue as a solo driver, I chose to lease on with a different produce carrier (again doing Canada-U.S.). I did that for a couple of years and then parked the truck for a couple years. I was making okay money, but then had another interesting project sent to me.

I returned to trucking after a couple years but in the oilfield/heavy haul segment (Canada-only initially, but then going into the U.S.). I got involved with another friend in order to spread the risk and workload a little as he was starting both a septic truck and tow truck business at the same time--no experience in either, either . I sold my original truck and rented trucks from the manufacturers (Idealease [International] and then Paclease [Kenworth]). We did extremely well for a while; we were up to six trucks on my side. We had our own authority, insurance, etc., but we were almost exclusively providing power-only to other carriers as we did not have any trailers. We didn't use load boards or brokers, but some of the carriers we worked for did.

After a few years, and for a variety of reasons (not the least of which was the oil price collapse), we wound down all the trucking businesses and got involved in other projects. Ironically, I have been involved in aviation for about the last year.

Nope, no prior experience in this either.

I did okay as I had been in business before (particularly contracting and businesses involving heavy equipment) and could watch the numbers, customer service, etc. I knew how to drive, take care of the equipment, am a quick-learner and not afraid of taking a risk as well as constantly evaluating the business and looking for opportunities.

So, to make a short story long... I would tend to second the advice of getting your feet wet on someone else's dime first. Probably six months at least, maybe two years. Although my experience is relatively current, it IS a different world and the regulatory, operational and various other demands of starting out with no experience are not for the faint-of-heart.

I would even go so far as to suggest that being a company driver is a far better option if you get on with the right carrier (niche/private vs. mega/driver-mill).

 

Ate a lot of good food. Nothing quite like living in a port city for fresh octopus and squid. Spent too much time in live bars and generally had a great time. Got along with the locals good enough. Kid turned school age so we came back to the states. Nothing I did for money there is of much use here. Trucking is my retirement plan. So far, so good.