Best trailer for Owner/operator?

There are plenty of places you can control your home time , running areas , etc and being leased on . If that's your reason for going independent I would go that route just yet I'd still lease on first . The thing you got to remember is : it's your truck you control it .. I also like to be home and I'm a leased on to a company. Just gotta find your groove

 

I don't know what base you are at but military life teaches and encourages the use of consumer debt, which is bad. You can walk off any base and within 100 yards, finance anything. Heck, even on base you can finance anything and if you get too deep in debt, programs like AER will loan you money to pay your bills. I haven't heard yet that you are the type that squirrels away money and you have a nest egg you can tap into. And starting out, you don't want to use all of it either.

I don't know where you live but you MUST have experience with freight lanes, seasons, etc. or you can get upside down quick. You also better have mechanical skills to work on your used truck or you'll be paying someone else to. You need to have at least 6 to 8 weeks operating capital so you don't have to factor. If you're going to flat bed, you better be good at load securement. If you're going to pull a reefer, you better know how to load produce. I could go on and on but hopefully, you get the point.

Old saying... You don't know what you don't know. It takes more than just access to start up funding to be successful. Most importantly, it takes direct customers and you need to be able to carry A/R for 30 to 45 days. Most pay better but you need to be able to cover it if they don't.

If you are going to get your own authority, many brokers won't touch you until you've had at least a year, some will want to wait until you're off new entrant status.

I've harped enough. Bottom line, you need to get educated on this industry and the particular segment you'll be operating in. Like any other education, you'll pay for it. Good luck with it Soldier.

 

Almost forgot, have you ever driven OTR before? If you haven't, you might want to do it for a year or two and see if you like it. If you jump straight into a truck and find that you don't, a used tractor won't make a good daily commuter.