Fellas, I need advice..

So basically if you could find a team to run your dedicated run you would be where you want to get? What about the driver in your other truck? Can you switch him back and forth, like rotation of drivers to get a different route every other week? If you can get your own authority, get it and see if it works for you. If not you can always go back to the way it was before.

 

I think you need to do some serious due diligence on team opportunities that exist with you having your own authority. It just sounds like you're heavily dependent on that team run for the carrier you're leased to. Not saying authority would put that at risk, only you would have insight about that. On the other hand, it could open some other doors for you. For example, as a carrier you could have others lease to you.

I'd first be asking myself what am I gonna do when that team load gets underbid by 1¢ and goes to another carrier. Never mind all the other moving parts.

The other thing is more employee drivers that will (likely) never care for the equipment like you do. With you on the second team, you're probably never going to get eyes on the equipment.

Maybe on the second team idea you pay a bit more and put them in a Penske truck for a while and see how it works out. Turn the truck in after you're convinced to either buy one to replace it, or abandon the idea.

 

This is exactly what my calculations say as well. You just can't get enough scale until you're over 5 trucks to make it worth the risk and extra work. Not to mention the giant pile of operating capital you need just to get to 5. I had two trucks and drove one. I sold them both and bought a new one last year. I work less and make the same amount of money (or more) now with one truck.

 

I looked at work comp for mn for truck drivers, it was like $17 per $100 of salary.

 

Different states have different rates. Might consider basing payroll in another state, or using a payroll service based in lower rated places.

 

I doubt I would develop a fleet in a state know for taxes worse than California

 

Since I don't have to spend extra time finding decent loads for the second truck, doing payroll, doing payroll taxes, dealing with the issues that inevitably come up with a hired driver, dealing with the maintenance issues that arise with having an extra truck and reefer on the road I now have more time to work profitably myself. In all honesty I am working just as much but the truck I'm driving is turning $5000-6000 per month more revenue now than when I had the other truck and that puts the same or more money in my pocket as when I had two. I was only making (when there wasn't problems and I had a 2008 KW with a DPF Cat so there were plenty) about $800-1200 profit a month off the second truck.

 

Workers comp is outrageously high here in Texas. I was quoted $10,000 a year for two employees. That's another reason why I'm a lone ranger again. I didn't get much further than that and I know there may be others that have better information but from what I was led to believe that it wouldn't have been much more for 5 or 6 employees as 2.