Closing up shop, or thinking about it?

Understandable and not a failure. You hustled and put in the work. Just sometimes life sucks. I completely understand. Going through it now. More personal than business. But you ever wanna chat, I think you have my number.

 

I had the entire amount in cash. Took almost two months for install on a simple Series 60. The engine he was building for me wasn’t even finished when I dropped the truck off. Took 5 months just to get in because he sucks at running his business. My engine was so bad I had no choice. Couldn’t run it any longer. I had to live off my engine fund. It sucks. Sounds like you had it worse than me.

Don’t look at it like a failure. We can’t control what we trust others to do. And we all aren’t lucky enough to have piles of cash that can get us through. I did and still ended up in trouble. A failure would be if your equipment was repossessed or you lost your house over your business. Like someone else said, you have to know when to walk away. That point is different for everyone.

 

My brother was almost in that boat last October with his Cummins. Long wait for an overhaul kit, he got lucky and found a guy selling an X15 and ended up swapping that into his truck.

 

Just before she got sick….still got the bike too



Beats trucking every time

 

I ceased operations in March 2020. Sold the tractor March 2021. 2 million miles on the unit, 4.5 million on me. that was enough.

I have 5 friends still active.
Friend # 1. Leased to same company 15 years. Paid total miles, plus surcharge, plus stops. LTL furniture to IN to NW.
His business steady, maybe less freight in trailer, more stops. Insulated from current costs. running 15 year old tractor going to blow any minute. When it does he is out.
Friend #2 Leased to same company 20 years. Percentage plus surcharge time sensitive power only (entertainment) and empty trailers.
Waits longer than usual between loads, rates barely keeping up with inflation. Ancient tractor with 1.5 million no overhaul, when it blows he is out.
Friend # 3 Has his own numbers for 20 years. He and his son run 2 ancient tractors with no ELD's. All broker dry van and flatbed freight Alabama to upper mid west and back. Things are softening by the minute. Just stays home when rates really get bad.
Friend # 4 has his own numbers for 5 years. Just bought a 320" wheelbase house (2018 Cascadia 120" Bolt sleeper.) Hauls oversize loads western 11 mostly. Has 3 others leased to him, they quit like it is a revolving door. Says he is doing ok, but he only tells me about the great loads. Reading between the lines he is barely making it. that is, living in the truck 24/7 never going home, has absolutely no life outside of trucking.
Friend # 5. Has his own numbers for 4 years. 1 customer pays mileage plus surcharge, steady turn around Kansas to Virginia and back.
never did make any money, nothing has changed. Too old to learn new tricks. Ancient tractor with no ELD.

 

Joey, I'm sorry you are on the wrong end of Pa.

To be an old iron guy, you pretty much have to be able to do the repairs yourself. That's what you have to have in your favor. That's like your ace in the hole.

If not, then it becomes much more iffy.

 

How you been doing? Your only like 2hr south of me.

 

The first overhaul, most of the time was spent waiting on the kit. At that time there was no OEM overhaul kits to be had in the US. So the mechanic found an aftermarket one, but had to piece it together. Then he couldn’t find a turbo, that was another two week cluster.

The second 4 months, the mechanic was broke as a joke. He didn’t have the nuts to tell me that he just couldn’t afford to warranty the overhaul from the first time. So finally I had to pay for another head gasket just because I wanted to get it back. I don’t know if he’s still in business, but I assume not.

 

Everything happens for a reason. It sucks the same thing happened to you. From what I hear, those S-60’s are a pretty simple rebuild. It’s amazing how one person can do so much damage to a business. I’m sorry you were forced out too. Hopefully the oil field will be good to you when you get back to it.

I had a guy leasing my hotshot trailer under Landstar’s authority. The loads were getting slim, his truck kept giving him troubles so he just turned the trailer back in. He’s going back to the oil field in North Dakota. He signed back at $125k a year. He left there to truck and said he was making $115k. Said at the time the BS wasn’t worth the money.

 

I graduated high school in 1980
Carter America
17% home mortgage rates
Gas and diesel prices tripled
Inflation rates off the chart .

not a job to be found anywhere

 

You got that right.

If we were in a different economy I would stick it out. But with my luck, things would get much worse and I would never recover. Based on my luck alone I should have never tried my own business LOL. I don’t wear hats, the black cloud above my head blocks all the sun.