Closing up shop or thinking about it? The latest…

@Old_n_gray Why I can't fit a lift in my garage! LOL

 

Wow, I'm surprised some of the more senior members here are falling off.

No change for me, full steam ahead. Just bought a 21 to replace my 15. Almost same miles as the 15 when I bought it, paid 10 grand more for the 21 than I did for the 15. Got 45% ROI on the sale of the 15. No complaints.

I'm probably looking at $50k less gross than last year but that was last year. For the 3-4 day weeks I've been doing this past year I can't argue with the money. I'd like to keep doing this about this level forever.

Not sure how some of you lifetime truckers can think of retirement. I have all sorts of hobbies I enjoy and I love to travel when I'm off work but after a few days at home if nothing is going on I'm ready to load up the truck and go somewhere.

 

For me it really had nothing to do with the market or the money and more to do with my growing hatred of owning and driving a truck and authority i.e doing everything myself from quoting and billing to maintaining crumbling relationships with mechanics and painters and brokers.

The mechanics are slammed, the sand blasters/painters are old and getting out and hate it.

A few of my good brokers are gone and I never wanted direct customers or even the same freight twice.

If I had a flush handle on my head I would push it and forget every single thing about this entire industry.

 

so Stacydude sold my Ex-truck ? You let the cat out of the bag…… . I need to have a talk with him, hope is doing ok. Now I see why he’s been absent on here lately.

 

Best of luck to you and your future adventures.


This thread is really kind of depressing

 

Depends on what your doing. Mine is a 6mpg truck....but its also a dump truck and most of the old iron are doing 3.5-4.5 doing the same job or at least the company ones i used were. Still fuel is getting nasty. Im expecting $10+ by election season or shortly after. Between the middle east heating up and so many diesel plants here in the U.S being shut down ontop of most of our former exporters wanting nothing to do with us....i just see fuel getting insane.

Lot of less secure owners are going to lose their shirts. Im sure glad i did my worst case business plan back when with fuel at $10 and 1/2 todays rates.

 

Some of my freight dropped off, some picked up. To young to retire, to old to go back punching the clock for the man. Plus bought a new to me home. Gonna have to keep working for now.

 

1st load today for a potential new customer. He found out about me from a friend of his I’ve hauled for.

He was telling me he has occasional problems with trucks showing up when they say they will, waited 28 days on a truck and had to pay a storage fee since it was to be moved in 10 days after auction closed.

My biggest customer was telling me he had people looking and wanting to buy, but, they can’t just drop $100K or $250 grand in cash. Said interest was hurting him more than anything right now, folks not wanting to pay all that extra $$…..

 

Took my usual trip from Omaha to Havasu AZ to visit family in the car. Now I don’t get out much anymore since selling the trucks a few years ago. But Jesus it’s frigging dangerous out on the super slab hwy 54 across KS into Tucumcari is a death zone waiting to happen. But cruising along about 65 to 70 the whole trip. Big large cars and others just blowing doors off like I was on jacks. Trucks cutting each other off. No courtesy anymore. It was getting bad a couple years ago but #### it’s like a #### free for all anymore. screw that road trip crap I am flying from now on. I can see why you’re fed up.

 

I'm listing it in the truck paper tmw night .