Company Driver to O/O. Is it workable right now?

Define going o/o. Are you planning to lease somewhere or get own authority and use loadboards? What kind of freight are you planning to pull?

 

how much seat time you have

 

No wait a bit, rates are not getting too much better any time soon.

 

You need to learn all aspects of trucking.

Not just driving 10 months here and there.

There's a lot more to owning a truck then just driving.

Like breakdowns.

 

Remember you live in a great country with great opportunities. Do your research and let it ride. I hope all the best for you on your journey. Everybody situation is different what may work for you may not work for me. You're in the growing stage. If the numbers work out for you with Schneider learn all you can & then move onto doing your own

 

Get on a lease program where you can rent a truck (new one preferably). Do it for 3 to 9 months. If you like it and can make it work, then buy a truck. Do NOT buy a truck yet. So many people don’t understand what it takes to be successful. Take it step by step. Some people (not you) want to buy a truck and get own authority when they only have 2 years as a company driver. If the 2 years were as a contractor, then buy a truck, and continue climbing.

 

The idea of jumping on the Schneider lease program then paying them $1000 a week for a nice truck and being limited to their own load board is not the same as buying your own truck and making decisions as to what to do with it. I think this is a trap, unless the op is talking about leasing his own truck there which most likely, rate-wise, is not going to be that much different from the spot market the way it is now but we're hoping for another good 5 minutes which over there will never come.

I am against leasing to any mega carrier for the simple fact that operating in a kolkhoz - like environment stinks and is against the very notion of being your own boss. For instance, If I wanted to, I could disconnect my ELD now and nobody would ever find out... but at Schneider, they would make a federal case about it.................. or I could scold a shipper/receiver clerk like they were dogs, which in some cases they are, and nobody would fire me, except perhaps a broker putting me on their black list, in which case I could scold them like they were dogs too.
Just kidding...well partially.