A passing observation on Information.......

There is a lot of freight. There are a lot of trucks. IMHO, I don't have any competition besides my pickup/delivery schedule. I don't really care what other drivers are doing, I just hope everybody is doing well and achieving their goals. It would be better for commercial drivers to speak with a common voice, we could achieve better conditions (like more and better truck parking would certainly help) but that won't happen for a bunch of pirates like us. Brokers know that. There is plenty of work, which means plenty of opportunity for enterprising, independent people. Problem? What problem? Competition? The worst competition is drivers agreeing to haul for lowball rates, driving to pay for fuel. Hate that.

 

You know something, drivers? When a driver is a professional, represents his profession by driving responsibly and safely, he makes us all look better, creates a positive influence for an industry that could some positive impact. So that good driver is not your competition. It's the tailgating, speeding, fuel island blocking cowboy driver who's accepting lowball rates that's your competition. Those pro drivers are your best friends. My $.02.

 

Hi fortycalglock, great post. I was a company driver for the first 20 years of my career, never thought about my own truck, until a good friend, who was hauling RR cans out of Chicago persuaded me to buy my own truck. My first couple of months, I thought I made the biggest mistake of my life. I was totally unprepared for life as an O/O. But I was determined to make it work, and once I "learned the ropes", it was without a doubt, the zenith of my career. It was my baby, and for once, I had the final say-so in my decisions. When fuel and expenses rose, coupled to a deteriorating marriage, and an opportunity for a union trucking job, I sold the truck. I can't for the life of me, figure out why someone would do that today, but then remember how I felt as an O/O, and I guess it could still make sense.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4174420]Hi fortycalglock, great post. I was a company driver for the first 20 years of my career, never thought about my own truck, until a good friend, who was hauling RR cans out of Chicago persuaded me to buy my own truck. My first couple of months, I thought I made the biggest mistake of my life. I was totally unprepared for life as an O/O. But I was determined to make it work, and once I "learned the ropes", it was without a doubt, the zenith of my career. It was my baby, and for once, I had the final say-so in my decisions. When fuel and expenses rose, coupled to a deteriorating marriage, and an opportunity for a union trucking job, I sold the truck. I can't for the life of me, figure out why someone would do that today, but then remember how I felt as an O/O, and I guess it could still make sense.[/QUOTE]
Oh, there is still plenty of opportunity out there to be a successful o/o. The odds of success are far greater when you have a legit business plan BEFORE you buy the truck. Geographical location, type of trucking, capital, etc all are determining factors in a successful business plan. The numbers don't lie. As you found out, you could obviously make similar money with that good company job so the risk vs reward no longer made sense to continue being an o/o. I'm very happy I bought my first truck in 2001. It made financial sense. If it hadn't, I wouldn't have done it.

When I had my three trucks, paying my drivers .38-.40, my actual break even was $1.50-ish(varied based on fuel pricing, but fuel was similar to today's pricing). My trucks were 3 year old Freightliners and older reefers and flats. This was 8 years ago, when everything else like tires, oil changes, labor etc was a bit cheaper. If a guy tells me he's found a deal today making less than a $1.50 for ALL miles, I laugh. Most of the time it's just for dispatched miles anyway. Why would you be an o/o for less than a company driver? These guys get all pissed off, but they don't realize the real costs of trucking. They don't realize that 30 miles they just went out of route or were shorted has a real cost, even if they don't pay themselves salary on them. They don't have any clue how to run a business, but they know how to drive, so they buy a truck. The restaurant business is the same way. You get a guy that knows how to cook, and does it consistently, and all of a sudden he wants to open a restaurant. No business education or marketing help, he's going to show everyone he can do it all and not be a statistic. Six months later, he's broke, angry, alienated all his investors (typically friends and family) and cooking for someone else.

 

You can make it as an o/o but you better have a head for business and a tireless work ethic and a professional attitude and you better know a good mechanic and you better have a mechanical aptitude and NEVER EVER, figure how much you make per hour.

 

Just look at the statistics. Odds are that the wannabee in question is going to fail. We's just playin' the odds!

 

Ok, here it is from someone who is an O/O today, as in currently, and making money. I'm I making the same as a union guy? Don't know and don't care. There is a lot of freight, we don't really make consumer goods here anymore so someone has to get it to the stores. Just do s

 

Sorry fat fingers on my phone. Just do some market research on what kind of freight you want to do. Van, flat, tanker, hopper, specialized, etc. It you look into it you'll see that overall flats make more gross, but the downside is more deadhead. Dry vans pay the worst, specialized the highest grossing, and you can, and many people do go broke. Buy a truck wih pre-emissions if you can. Mine is older and I haven't broken down in about 5 years. Keep up on Maintence. I know some say that new trucks are great, but I see a lot on the side of the road. I run my own authority and I have my own fuel cards, I get the same discount as the big guys do. You would be surprised at how little they get. If your good with money, can do some light wrenching, and like to work, you'll do fine. Just make sure you don't sign on to a mega carrier with a lease option deal. I haven't seen one yet that was good. You'll need some money in the bank to get started, and you should have about a months emerency fund for personal bills before you start. It isn't for everyone, but I have been a teamster, worked for others, and have had my own authority for over 15 years. I would not have it any other way. Some years are better than others, but that's how trucking goes. Good Luck

 

I would encourage as many people as possible to become an OO. And not leased on. Get your own authority, and work for your self.

The worse competition out here is ¢0.44 cent per mile driver's making their company $3.00+ per mile.

 

I can assure you that ain't it. They're just trying to save you A TON OF EXTRA WORK.