FCC--Fremont Contract Carriers

Great advice, with record fuel prices, buying a brick that gets 6.0 mpg an a good day will put a first time truck buyer out of buisness even quicker.

 

You are also paying for the fuel! I love the W-9''s, 379's, ect, also. But 8 MPG makes the plastic trucks look a lot better when you're trying to run a business and watching your bottom line.

 

Couldn't agree more. I do pretty well here and make a significant amount more than I did as a company driver. But, it isn't as simple as just doing the same thing you did as a company driver. There is a lot of management that must be done. You have to keep the empty miles to a minimum, sometimes a load might look great, but you have to be planning ahead to the next load, would accepting this load put you in a lane where you'll have a lot of deadhead miles to get the next one? Also with the current fuel prices, fuel management is extremely important, when, where and how much fuel you buy can make a huge difference on your weekly settlement, something you wouldn't think of as a company driver

 

You have to have a business mindset as well to be an owner operator. You cannot have a company driver mentality… Being an older operator is more than just driving a truck. You’re operating a business and like running man says stated the way the shops are going right now and the parts shortage pack it easily make or break you instantly also, with the Cost of fuel, you can bet your bottom dollar your Cost of fuel cents per mile is going to be astronomical even with the discount the company gets and such… And thinking that you want to become an owner operator because you want to make an extra thousand dollars that is not the way to go about it. A lot of drivers fail because they think while I’m getting paid this much more per mile I’m gonna make this much more money again as running man stated you have expenses and right now. Many expenses are through the roof also, the other issue right now is the used truck market is still way too high on prices this is not a good time to jump in to be in an owner operator. If you haven’t been one in the past, or have no business experience.

 

Please be careful dipping your toe in the O/O L/O pool… there is a bit more “potential” to make more money but that extra “potential” comes with a lot of risk and headaches.

Make sure you look at all the numbers and not simply the “extra $1,000/mo” … there are so many more things that can go sideways on you in the big picture. Not just truck issues/costs but things like health insurance will cost you an arm and a leg since you aren’t part of a group of employees getting discounts and looking at options.

I wish you the best and if one can be successful as an O/O, starting that path at FCC would be a better option than other places for sure.

I’ve looked at it myself a few times but just keep shying away for a few reasons… but I’m not the biggest risk taker either.

good luck and seek out other O/O’s that might be willing to mentor you down that path.

 

did anybody tell you what truck to buy?

 

I doubt it. He was smart enough to do the homework himself.

 

I think it was only an opinion.

 

Nope, just giving advice from my experience. I’m not in business to look cool in a hood truck going down the road or buy “my dream truck”. I’m in business to be as profitable as possible, and deposit as much money into my bank account as possible each week.

I have a friend that went out two years ago and bought his “dream truck” a brand new Pete hood with all the bells and whistle’s. Fuel was low, and rates were at historic levels. Even then, I warned him that things always change in this industry. Well fast forward two years later, he’s barely getting by and trying to get out from under that huge monthly payment, and terrible fuel economy. So now he’s going broke, but hey at least he looks cool doing it.

 

lol