Do you need to own your own trailors

You can lease a trailer, You can buy a trailer or you can lease your truck to a company and pay them more money in percentage for their trailer than it would cost you to buy your own.

If you're running under your own authority...You need your own trailer.
I actually have one customer that supply the trailer with their loads but I won't pull their trailers because I don't know how well their maintained and I like pulling MY trailer...That's why I bought it.

 

As blackw900 posted you will need your own trl. with your own authority. If you lease on you may not need your own. Some companys will not allow you to pull yours. If your going to pull open deck trailers most companys will also lease your trl. So it depends on what your going to do. In most cases your trl will make you between 7-10% extra gross money.

 

I prefer to pull my own trailer for a number of reasons....Including:


Have you ever looked at a large fleets trailers? Particularly a large flatbed carrier?

Talk about beat to death!

I hate torn up equipment! I refuse to use it!
The guy I pull for has a bunch of trailers in his fleet and every now and then he asks me to use one of his trailers for a load...I usually refuse.

If on that rare occasion I do take one of his trailers out I put a kingpin lock and a gladhand lock on mine because there's no way I'm lettin' one of his idot company hands pull MY equipment!

Most of his trailers are years newer than mine and look like their ready for the scrap heap...Mine still looks as good as new other than normal wear and tear.
It's best to have your own trailer for another reason too...

I grossed a bit over $200,000 last year and if I was pulling his trailer and paying the extra 10% for it, That would have added up to $20,000 for one stinkin year!
I bought my trailer used for way less than $20,000 and all I have to do is put tires on it every now and then, Grease it and keep good brakes on it.
That costs a HELL of a lot less than $20,000!

I'll take the money...Thank you.

 

There is alot to be said about owning your own. Years ago I was debating buying my own and wasn't sure about cost vs net gain. An old O/O sat down with me and got his calculator out and explained the numbers. His theory was if that company lost money on O/O's pulling a company trl you would have to buy your own. I bought my first soon after and have never pulled a company wagon again.

 

Off topic: Man I love the picture of that truck. Was it yours? Do you have more pics? And we ##### when the A/C doesn't work or the radio lol.

 

With the exception of my last carrier I've always pulled my own trailers..flat, van or reefer.

The last outfit paid me 75% and I pulled their trailer... that operation didn't lend itself very well to having your own but a few of our O/O's did... except during harvest.

Generally it costs way more to pull a company trailer than it costs to own your own. I know of guys who pay a $350.00/month rental AND get 12% less revenue to drag a company trailer... not me.

 

No it wasn't mine...I just have a buttload of pictures of "old iron" and I try to share them here from time to time.
I usually change them out every now and then....So keep watchin'.

 

I have no trl, been pullin dry van for this company that pays 80% linehaul and 100% fuel surcharge. I have my own authority, been doing this for 2mo so far so good. obtw its not JB hunt......