Any Owner Operators willing to let me pick their brain?

Absolutely they do. Depending on what/where, (I'm looking at you, New York) it can get pretty ludicrous for these guys.

 

PA pike is insane and out of control! I mean insane man! By far the most expensive road a truck can be on....by far...no one is even close as far as I know.

Then of course the New England in general tolls as well as bridge tolls.

And they all still want MORE! LOL.

 

If people knew, they'd blow a gasket.

Those tolls get rolled into the cost of everything we buy. Governments like this because the costs are hidden to the average consumer. The taxpayer thinks those greedy trucking companies are paying their fair share, when in fact, the squeezed truckers pass it onto the shippers, who build it into the cost of their products. The consumer ends up holding the bag.

 

How dare you sit over there in Ohio and throw stones at us!!! LOL

 

If you are bored tool around on the PA pike toll calculator website.

Use class 8 truck and 5 axles

I can because Ohio is extremely reasonable with tolls with all new concrete and nice truckers only bathrooms/showers!

The downside is our troopers are cranked up to full volume all day every day -vs- PA never bothers us at all except Feb 1st to check IFTA stickers.

 

I do and I get sick. I run the pike a lot from New Stanton to York. Company truck but I still get angry over it.

 

I never knew trucking was this hard what was I thinking?

 

Here are some starter questions.

1. How do owner operators get loads to move? What are some of the resources out there to find work?

2. What does a broker do? Why use a broker? How much is their fee? Do brokers put together partial loads into one big load so the trucker doesn't have to mess with that?

3. Is a load board essentially an online broker site that lists loads that need to be moved, and the trucker negotiates directly with the shipper?

Thanks

 

To the average schlub, trucking doesn't seem hard. You drive. Everyone drives. Easy schmeazy.

When you look closer, it's incredibly complicated, competitive, and takes brains, skill and experience to make it work. The average joe doesn't see this.

 

You either go solicit your own shippers or rely on brokers. I prefer brokers because I don't like seeing the same freight....ever.

Motivated brokers may build loads for you if they have the time/interest but for the most part they are trying to move 1 load. That is more the job of a dispatcher.

I never look at load boards. I merely use DAT to make my presence known and build long term relationships with brokerages/brokers.