Becoming an o/o

then she was never worth having.

its been a little rough since the first of the year, mine stuck by me, and because she had her job with insurance we weathered the storm fine. These drivers need to get away from the mentality that the women should stay home and take care of the kids and let the man be the sole breadwinner. in my opinion, you're just setting yourself up for failure

 

My fiance is planning on coming on the road with me. She's on disability. Won't be O/o. We're figuring to put my income away and operate OTR on her "check" for our road expenses. It "should" allow us to put 40k+ a year away.

 

Please don't take offense, but living out of a truck is not easy for people without disabilities.

Do you have a backup plan if living on the road is too troublesome for her?

Without knowing the nature of her disability, it's very difficult to say anything, but it raises red flags. Not all truck stops have handicapped parking. It does exist, mostly at major name truck stops with more than 50 parking spots.

 

She has PTSD and some other issues. But not a "wheelchair" type disability. So facilities won't be the issue. We've talked about times she might need a break. Grabbing her a hotel and meeting me...etc. But if it seems not to be working we'll simply get a place.

Mostly when she's having a bad day she needs to just rest. So the bunk would be her home at those times. She's RV'd in the past w/her ex. So she knows a little bit of road life. Plus her uncle is a long time, now retired, trucker.

 

My quick advice: DO NOT LEASE A TRUCK, save money and buy a used truck outright with 500k miles or else. Freighliner DD13 or DD15 to start with. They are everywhere and parts are cheap. Run for a straight 3-4 months and you will have your money back. Pre plan your loads smart and you will make money. Dont listen to many of the naysayers on here. In my first month running I have $8k in the bank in the black. My plan is to get my own authority but that will take some time, cause yuo will have to build relationships and avoid the brokers.
I plan on having 3 trucks by years end. It can work if you take your time and do your due diligence.

 

I don’t like being a naysayer and am really happy you are doing well. I’ll just say don’t get over eager and ambitious. Take your time and get some more miles and months under your belt before you expand so quickly. 3 trucks just allows you to make mistakes 3 times quicker. Trust me.

 

The only reason would be because you want to. A Truck isn’t an investment. One could argue, it’s an investment in yourself. But being able to save the amounts you are, as a Company Driver, invested in a 401k or some other Roth, mutual fund, whatever, would probably pay off very well. Especially if you’re under 35 yrs old. It should be the # 1 priority, before anything else. It hard to imagine now, but run some numbers, and see for yourself. Investing when you’re young, makes all the difference. Even if there’s times between Jobs, that you don’t contribute. What’s invested will still grow. No headaches.

 

If your main goal is money then find a good company job. If your main goal is to make a decent living while having control over when and how much you work, or starting with a single truck and building that into a company so you no longer have to drive, then buy a truck.

 

Most people want to do o/o more for the perceived freedom. You can fuel where you want, when you want. You can set your own hours, as long as you make appointments on time. You can say no to things a company driver can't.

Those freedoms though, not all people can handle them.

A lot of new o/o (or newly self-employed business owners of any type, really) start taking too much time off. They get lazy, and miss appointments. Without that guy or gal in dispatch poking them, they lose their motivation, and eventually they go back to being a company driver, or stop driving.

That's probably the biggest thing that causes new o/o to fail. Lack of self-motivation.

But if you do have the ability to keep a strong work ethic without someone looking over your shoulder, being an o/o is worth it, even if the money is about the same.

Eventually, after a couple years, and paying off a truck note, the money can improve dramatically - but you gotta get there first.