Should I buy a truck!

Wasn’t just Texas. South Dakota required intrastate authority into the 90’s. Kansas still requires it but it’s rarely enforced. The worst part about deregulation was the birth of the mega carriers.

 

New Rule
You can't have more than a thousand trucks per carrier..

 

The worst thing is they can self insure no matter how many ppl they kill . They put cameras, gps devices and sensors all around a truck all while limiting speeds and than have the nerve to try and get 18 yr olds driving them . They lobby (bribe)big Government to force small carriers and o/o s to play by their rules because they know we drive circles around the kids they put behind the wheel. Screw Megas

 

Like starmac sez ( thx) after deregulation, it was mostly fair game. You had a truck, quoted a better( cheaper) rate, you were trucking. There were things called "trip lease"( do they still have those?) you'd wheel into a truckstop, there was a "load board", usually blackboard or notes on a wall, with a brokers name and phone #, most the time , they were right there, find something that might be going back, and you always got an "advance", ( sometimes it was the only money you'd see and you'd make a note not to use that broker again, but they were all crooks)tape your phony name signs from the broker on the door ( most blew off in the rain) load and go. No muss, no fuss, no log books, or electronic crap telling the "man" where you are, tired, took a nap, come to think of it , it was a LOT more open. Yeah,( thinking back) THAT, my friend, was truckin'.

 

I figured other there were probably other states as well, but Texas was the only one I had to deal with (outlaw) as it had a lot of instate loads, and they even controlled dump trucks.

 

I became an O/O for one simple reason. Maintenance! "Fleet Maintained" means slap a bandaid on the problem, get the truck (or trailer) through until trade in, and screw the driver in preventable DOT fines or downtime.

Now I run my own game, and my own maintenance. Am I stacking cash? No. But I AM making a small profit now, which will increase over time, and I trust my equipment to pass a DOT inspection AND reliably work every single day I'm out running around.

As an added benefit, I can stick by my business philosophy of truly saying "NO!" to cheap freight. I am in business, which means I am NOT running a blasted charity here. Of I can't find the rate I'm looking for, I bounce out until I CAN find the money. So far, it's working for me but your experience may vary.

My truck gets paid first, then my taxes, then my house. If I'm good, I might even make enough to pay myself a bit. But trust me when I say that paying myself is the absolute last priority I have right now. I just started this venture last month, and still have growing pains to get through. My current high point of pride is that right now, my business is breaking even with a very small profit. And that profit margin is ever so slowly starting to grow.

People discuss the needed qualities to be successful in business. A solid plan, a solid base of capital to start, dedication....hardly anyone ever talks about PATIENCE. A solid business takes time to develop. You need time to build successful relationships, time to get over the initial road blocks, time to deal with the unexpected issues that WILL pop up.

If you do not have patience (and an ability to adapt to changing market and business conditions), you are placing yet another point of failure into your new business venture. Something to consider before you jump in.

 

That’s exactly right.

 

Anybody can self insure, commercial or not. Thee thing about it is you also have to self pay, so even them megas do not like their drivers messing up, and can only afford so many screw ups.

 

You have to show the ability to pay. I don’t have the ability to pay 1 mil.

 

If you are committed to working hard and detailed, I believe you will be successful. Remember that life is full of ups and downs. Be prepared.