buying my own rig??

well you never worked your way up from the bottom so you'll just be starting where you left off....


Go get more Exp!




American Trucker

 

I would agree you should pick up where you left off. However if you choose to get your own truck leasing on with someone like Great Wide, Landstar, Ace Doran, CRST Malone(very important Malone not Van Expidited might as well lease to BJ Hunt at that point) or similar and that only if you have some business successful business experience.

You could lease onto a carrier at their$ .92 a mile crap but that would just be a company driver with headaches IMO.

Now here comes the other shoe. Most of those better leasing companies are not going to sign you until you get some experience.

Full blown O/O with own authority, insurance and the like? Unless your sisters son runs the shipping department at a local company that can keep you in profitable work I wouldn't recommend it. As stated you'll need at least $15,000 on top of your down payment to get through the first month wich is about the time you can expect the check from your first load to clear. Factors will cut that time but with profit margins as tight as they are in trucking giving up 5-10% can be the difference between profit and loss.



My $.02

 

As far as owner/operator some time as a driver in this economy would be a good plan. Check out these threads for ideas and information:


http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/146942-how-to-become-an-owner-operator.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/147854-what-would-experienced-o-o-buy.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/125507-what-estimated-operating-costs-o-o.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/148340-keeping-track-o-o-operating-costs.html

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/ask-an-owner-operator/134211-no-experience-but-getting-authority.html

 

I think you should go company for at least a year. You have lots to gain and nothing to lose by doing so. If you go and buy a truck right now you are setting yourself up for failure. If you go and lease to a company you will even be worse off. While you are driving company use this opportunity to pretend you are an o/o and make all your mistakes on their dime. Keep track of everything you do and see how you make out. Also take as many courses or learn as much as you can about the trucking biz and also running your own biz as you can. I have owned a lot of trucks in my driving career and it really takes a good business person to succeed. Practice refining your driving too. Brakes, tires, equipment, and burning fuel will make you or break you. Good luck!

 

My advice is a little different. I started truck driving when I was 50. After 6 months as a company driver at Swift, I bought a high mileage tractor and financed it thru a outside leasing company. My lease payment was about $200 a week ($819 a month). I became a L/O at Swift. I owned the truck outright after 3 years.

Owning your own truck means a lot more control over your own life.

What you need to learn to be an o/o won't be learned as an company driver.

If I was in your shoes (happy to 50 again!!) I would go back to Werner, do the time required to be eligible for their used truck purchase program, and get a truck that way.

It sounds like you were doing ok at Werner. Being a L/O at a major carrier is an easy life if you are ahead of the money curve.

I would probably try to rent the house, rather than sell it.

 

i have to agree with you there. I want to eventually buy my own truck as well. Through con-way im getting some experience now, but with work being slow im also looking for other work. Although im not looking to buy a truck for OTR, im more looking for either tanker deliveries or even with a dump trailer. As of right now i cant afford to do either or even buy a truck.

If you want to be a o/o u can also look into fedex ground or custom critical. fedex ground is run by all o/o, i used to work there. Friend of mine drove for fedex custom critical, he said that he made a lot of money, but wasnt crazy about it since he was never home which he didnt like. I even thought about if i buy my own truck to work for ground again, but for wutever reason a lot of the guys all have sleeper cabs.

hope this helps and good luck with wut u do