Becoming a independent owner operator is not for everyone!

There's some people out there that aren't even smart enough to flip burgers...

 

The school of hard knocks will take care of guys running 11,000 miles in a month for $12,000. They either figure it out or go out of business. Time to post something that will make people angry. That's why all the $1 a mile plentiful cheap freight out there is a good thing. It's necessary to cull the herd.

 

thats why i'll never become an o/o. i have absolutely no business sense. but even if i had any, this wouldn't be the feild i choose to go into business in.

 

Putting in my .02 (which will empty my piggy bank... lol) I've seen an increase in rates all around. I talked to a guy for probably 30 minutes, my brain shut off after 5, and he was saying how he pulls loads at $4+/mile, but after asking him how many miles he clocked on the odometer to how much he made from the loads, he barely had $1/mile. I like to just sit back polish my truck while most of these guys (can't say girls because perhaps they're smart enough to keep quiet?) talk about all their good freight, but quiet down when questioned how many miles they actually ran. Sad that people are jumping in and have no idea how their truck is operating...
It takes only a few minutes to do your paperwork at the end of each day. That in turn makes it easier to figure out your profit/loss at the end of the week. My opinion there's just no excuse to not know your numbers (I don't expect someone to know them right off the bat, but hopefully have them on a notecard or something).

 

Thing people need to know is when you're a driver there are people willing to put you to work. Okay ? Any questions there ? There are a certain amount of hoops to be jumped through, but it can be done. You get your own authority, that just removes restrictions for people to use you. Any protections you may have had as a driver are gone. Read this forum, lots of driver's believe their company is screwing them. Take that X 5 as an owner op. You need to change your mindset.

 

First thing the auditors will want to see is his random drug test results. He probably isn't signed up and doing them.

I saw a guy that bought a used single drive sleeper that had been used for household goods moving work, then found out no trucking company would let him lease on.

 

I've seen at least 5 guys come and go this year from the lot I park in. Pretty sure my neighbor at the lot is going to be next unless he has a pile of dollars in his pillow case. He has two trucks, one of which I haven't seen move in two months along with the trailer. Then he also has a reefer and another van he pulls around with his truck. Judging from his DOT number he's brand new, less than a year at it. I could probably pick out 3 or 4 equipment violations on every one of his pieces of equipment just when I walk by. EVERY time I'm home, I see him so he doesn't work much or it's just coincidence that we have the EXACT same schedule. I noticed he unhooked from his LOADED van the other day and was screwing around with something on his truck as his trailer slowly sunk into the mud. He had to have noticed it and should have known better since it's at least the second time it's happened to him.

I couldn't agree more with Bayou's title, some people should just lease on or drive someone else's truck.

 

maybe he figures as long as he does no drugs, no sense on a drug test