Thinking about getting started?

The most important thing to know is work for someone else for a at least a year before buying your own truck. Most dealerships wont even let you buy a truck without two years experience. Besides, dont you want to learn the business while destroying someone else's truck? Just think you will be getting paid too while learning. Remember this too. Would you go buy a jet and start a charter company before getting your pilots license? Out the door a tractor fully set up with insurance, permits is going to run you about 4000.00 a month. This doesn't include fuel and maintenance. This also doesn't include a trailer. The market is currently flooded with these beauties so selling it for a decent price is out of the question. If anything went wrong(and it will in the trucking industry) it would sour you good from the trucking industry and probably financially ruin you. Take my advice and hopefully others will back me up on this post, run company for a year and pretend you are making all the payments. See how this pans out and then try it.

 

Most people starting out with no experience or trucking knowledge and buying their own truck end up losing their shirt . First of all getting insurance would be impossible . You will have to change your plans . I'm not going to say forget it . Your best bet would be to find an O/O that lost his truck due to circumstances beyond his control due to divorce , bankruptcy due to medical bills , etc . It's a longshot though . He could drive and teach you what you need to know .
I wouldn't buy new . The condition of a used truck doesn't depend so much on mileage as how the truck was maintained . Ryder has a good reputation for selling well maintained used trucks . Peterbilt also has their own leasing company and has trucks coming off lease available .
For loads you can't compete with the megacarriers for general freight . You need to find a base customer that will provide regular dedicated runs .
I don't know what your net income expectations are but I think trucking may fall short of your expectations .
I'd just do some research for the next few months . The last quarter is the worst for freight and not a time to get started . The first quarter isn't much better .

 

Think very carefully before you purchase a truck. There is a reason there are so many newer-model used vehicles on the market lately....the trucking industry is in a slump. Yes it will recover, but it's going to take time.

And before you buy a truck, learn the business...get your license, drive for another company for a year or two, and learn what it's all about. There are all kinds of expenses that you (probably) won't even consider when you set up your first business plan. Here's just a few of them:

Truck payments, trailer payments (or leasing fee), fuel costs, scheduled maintenance costs, unscheduled maintenance costs, fuel surcharge, driver salary (even if you drive yourself, you still need to pay yourself), insurance premiums for your truck, insurance premiums for your trailer, road tolls, yard fees, advertising costs, accountants fees (if you're running your own business, let a professional do the bean counting), meals, lodging, recruiting costs (if you want to have someone else drive)...the list goes on and on.

Yes, you can make money driving truck, but you HAVE to know what you're doing.

 

now most will tell you starting out in this business with no expeirence is a sure way to go broke , i did just that but that was over 45 yrs ago things were a lot different back then its much more complicated. BUYING A NEW TRUCK? well let me put it this way, if you buy a new truck your payment are going to be about 2000 a month depending on the down payment then your going to have to get insurance thats almost as bad as the truck. then if you get it youve got to make a choice either lease the shiney new truck to a company or buy yourself a trailer and start out on your ownif you buy a trailer your payments just went up buy about 600.00 to 800.00 dollers a monthnow youve got about 2700.00 a mont in payments only, now you have to figure more insurance and if you decide to go it on your own you have to buy authority and dont forget the permits please dont forget the states bllod money and they will try to squeeze you dry.
now do the math and i havent even mentioned fuel and maintenence.
now you really want to spend that much money hauling freight for a dollor a mile by the time you get around all the cut rates out there that is usally what you wind up with.
i survive because i have my own authority i dont ever lease my equipment to any company thats a sure way of losing your truck and i rarley use a truck broker but it takes time and learning to get in this position i didnt do it overnight .
give it a lot of thought before you go in debt for a new truck a used one will make as much money and mine looks as good as new but in fact it is not.
good luck my friends . SOUTHERN PRIDE

 

Good advice but you're replying to somebody that made one post 5 months ago and never posted again .

 

I retired last year at age 57. I have wanted to drive a truck for quite a while now. Strange as it may sound, I think I'd prefer flatbed to van or reefer cause it would get me off my butt some. Ask me about that again when I finish tarping something in 25 degree F snow. Serious business....at my age, what are my chances? I'm in reasonable shape. Exercise daily.

 

I work with 2 drivers who are in the 70's and in excellent shape. At 57 that IMO is still young to get into the business. As long as you get your CDL from a good school, and can pass a DOT physical, then your chances are just as good as a 21yr old.. But if you do decide to do it, now matter how good they talk, stay away from company fleece programs, and just be a company driver..