Good and Bad Companies for O/O

I wouldn't touch any one of those companies with a 10' pole.. JB, SNI, Werner are all training companies. They pay milage and you have to run your butt off to make a dollar.. Why work harder? Why not work smarter?

Everyone seems to have their head wrapped around miles, miles, give me more miles. That is the company driver mentality. As a O/O you want to drive the fewest miles for the most $$.. That means less fuel burnt, less tire wear, less frequent oil changes..ect. Just crunch some numbers and see which you would rather do.... Drive 3000 mi. # $1.40 a mi or 2000 mi. # $2 a mi.. figure 6 mpg for fuel to make it easy and $3 a gal fuel..

$1.40 per mi. and a 3000mi week gross revenue is $4200. You would burn 500 gals. fuel.. That equals $1500 in fuel leaving you $2700 net

Now $2 a mi and a 2000mi. week gross is $4000 right? Fuel would be 334 gals # $3 a gal... equals just under $1000. Your net is $3000. What would you rather do??

If you are serious about wanting to be a O/O I would first look into what type of operation you would want to be.. Reefer, Van, Tanker, Car Carrier, Household goods, Flat, Hopper bottom, End Dump, expedited, munitions, ammo, explosives, radioactive ect.

Team or solo operation, HazMat yes, no?? OTR or regional? And do you have a truck or are you going to match the truck to what it is you are going to do? (In example, if your running flatbeds you don't need a huge condo.. maybe a mid roof will be better?

Age and wheelbase will limit you on where you can go in both what companies that'll put your truck on.. Some have limitations.

Stay away from lease purchases and the companies like JB.. Your compeating with those company trucks for the good loads, and they often arn't verry patient # dealing with a O/O.. Some get bent if you turn down loads, they "forget about you" bacause they are used to telling drivers where to go.. Not a O/O who "chooses" his loads.

Look at O/O companies like Landstar, Bennett, Mercer, ATS, Pacer, Lonestar, Oakley, Dart, Panther 2, Grabel van lines, Horseless Carrige, Passport, Boyle, Keen, to name a few...

 

SNI now has a O/O percentage deal. I've heard some good things about it. But I do agree stay away from the Lease Purchase scams and mileage pay!!

 

JB Hunt has a percentage deal also for O/O.

 

you'd be lucky to average that at Landstar, Schneider, JB or any of the % pay contracts right now. Rates are in the toilet...worse than I have seen in my years in and around this industry.

 

thanks for the info Gonzo.

 

Glad I am where I am. Leased to a company and this 2 stop load from texas to carolinas paid 3100$

 

Prime pays O/O's 80% (if you have your OWN authority).....72% if you run off of theirs....PLUS 100% of FSC, and any accessorials.....not to mention DEEP fuel discounts....

I don't care what these other guys say.....it's a good company to be involved with.

Just ask Englewoodcowboy......he just moved his 3 trucks over there....and now that he sees how much he's gonna save on fuel.....he's considering a 4th truck.

 

Getting 1.31 a mile is not that bad depending on what you are getting on the side... like deep fuel discounts, discounts on parts and tires, base plates and tolls being paid, etc.

Sure, on the surface, $1.31 sounds like a rip off compared to $2 a mile, but if you are never sitting at the truck stop goofing off waiting for freight, not having to put in the time to dig up the freight, and you are saving a hefty amount of change on the things you need to keep the truck running, etc you may be doing ok getting that $1.31 a mile. It all depends on how your net income looks. The current fuel surcharge and rate I am getting will never reach that $2 level, but I could really care less. My net is such that I've got a pretty decent '06 truck, an '06 Jeep Liberty Diesel, a 40 acre chunk of land with a nice ranch home, 2 car heated garage, a work shop large enough for the truck, a '05 New Holland tractor I paid cash for, etc. I run pretty consistently and I am home for all holidays, weekends, and family events. And no... the wife doesn't work to supplement anything or have that lucrative company paid health insurance plan. We do it all with just one truck and a lot of diligence. All the bills are paid, we pay for our own BC/BS health insurance, and we are doing ok, even with this down economy.

If you run it like a business, you would be surprised how well you can do. You got to work at it.

Oh... I'm not with one of the big carriers. Just a nice midsized family run outfit that treats me nice and makes sure that I am successful. Can't ask for much more than that. But some of the big carriers are not that bad. Just got to be careful who you do business with, no matter the carrier size.