Fed Up with being a Company Driver, wanting to be O/O.

Hello Brothers,

I had to switch jobs due to many changes in the company that altered my job of ten years rendering it unsuitable to continue. However, I am not a job jumper. I did not want to leave the old grind but it happens. I am now starving for work at the new job and entirely sick of waiting for an unreliable dispatch scenario to bless me with work. My plan was to work my old job for five more years then go O/O but here I am at another job and unwilling to wait much longer. I understand the economy is horrible and freight rates are low, fuel is high, trucks are expensive but does that make it impossible if you work hard and are fiscally mature? It's like I am waiting for permission or something because I have all the time in the world to find a truck at a dealer and get things going yet I don't do it. I keep looking at the state of things and shelfing the idea. Anyone ever find themselves just wondering what the hell am I doing?

 

Absolutely.

That's (part of) why I left my last 4 jobs.

Life is just toooooooo short....

-- L

 

Probably.

What chance do you have if there is little freight to be had, and that freight you can get pays low and comes at a high cost?
It seems to me that a large company can absorb the cost more better than a one truck operation.

If you buy a truck you may end up just relying on a big carrier to get your loads. But they might well send their own trucks the better loads, since they are paying to keep those company trucks moving.
Can you compete with a big company on freight rates?

 

Lease Purchase Program | United States | Greatwide Truckload

 

Just NO to the lease purchase model China. Just no.

 

If you went local. You wouldn't be waiting for freight.

You'd be working and making more money and be home every night.

I don't know why some of you feel like otr is the only option. I'd rather be bouncing local to local then long haul to long haul.

 

If you wait for the perfect moment, it will never come. If this is something you want to do, figure out what it is going to take to make it work, the good and the bad, set a start date, and stick to it. Good luck!

 

I would strongly recommend not to go O/O right now. It is an absolute #### show out there. Can you adapt to the changes at your 10 year job? I would try.

 

Vinny, I'm trying to get what this means.

I have been dealing with a lot of poorly equipped owners lately, many calling me or one of my staff for help and it seems they all come from the same place you are at now.

Looking at the stats, two things are happening, one is we are still overcapacity by 20%, which drives the rates into the crapper, and the other is the economy is slowing with a lot of business from domestic companies moving offshore. The auto industry is coming to a standstill thanks to the idiotic moves of labor while these three American-founded companies are trying to quickly move to EVs which means less parts, and less labor but more profits for them, which affects this industry as a whole. During all of this time, people are still trying to make the big bucks by buying a truck and getting an authority thinking they will make it on $1.75 a mile.

 

If you aren't opposed to it, I make more money as a yard dog, with OT and I have really good benefits, then I ever did rolling up and down the road.

LTL guys are never sitting either. Good luck in your decisions whatever you end up choosing.