Finally got my own truck

the white knight · Mar 23, 2017

You are my hero! Ive dealt with tql and other brokers... great job!!! Now, how do i contact you personally? I will be doing the same thing but instead of having a boss I'm personally going to work off the boards. My name is Dan and like you I have no bills, no rent, no kids, just me and my silly cat. 15yrs experience as well... I'm probably going to do it cheaper tho. My mother knows a used truck salesman who buys large amounts of trucks from Prime, Swift and so on then he sells them to others in bulk. I can get a cheap truck under 50K (with 15K down) with less than 200,000 miles, so why not take advantage.
But nevertheless, I would luv to speak with you. I want to know why you are using the leased company as your boss when you seem to be doing just fine on your own.

BoyWander said: ↑

What has four eyes but can't see?

So I emptied in Atlanta this morning.

Lots of loads and lots of calls! I posted my truck and posted NC SC GA AL MS TN and Minimum Rate $950. Got calls almost left and right. So after we discussed details they either asked "what would you need for this?" Or they just told me their rate. On both instances I kindly pointed out that my minimum rate was listed in my comments section. "Oh...I didn't see that...But now I do....Well thanks anyways..." click.

One load I even went so far as to book it to the point where she was going to send carrier packet. And during a lull in the Convo, I asked "So... You can agree on my posted rate, right?"

"Ummm..."
"$900" and at this point I lowered my rate a little.
"I only have $500 in it!"
"Oh...Well I can't help you then today...Sorry!"

Story of the day. Lots of loads, lots of trucks, must have taken 30 or 40 calls over a 3 hour period, and made about 20 myself.

Ended up taking a TQL load that they had posted 17 ways to Sunday. 72 empty, 332 loaded, to MS for $825. Took me 2 hours to get this load. They posted it, I called, only wanted to pay $700, then they called on my truck later on, asked me $750, then the load disappeared for about 45 mins. Then it popped back up. So I called again. They had a whole group working on covering this load. Calling everyone in a 100 mile radius. I guess I ended up being the sucker. I said look, I've called on this twice and you still need a truck. I can do it for $850 no less. They went up to $800, I said look, meet me at $825, man. And they did. I REALLY wanted to twist their arm so badly on this one knowing it was already well after lunch, but I knew they had resources, the manpower, to cover this in time for their rate or close to it. So they win but at the same time it wasn't that bad. I told tons of people $1000 today. Trying to put some upward pressure on these rates. Got a lot of $400-$500 quotes. Had one guy with a load to Nashville wanting to know how it costs me $800 a day to operate. I'm not a local company, I don't have piece of #### equipment and I pay myself better than a local driver, and my service is of considerably higher quality.

Oh well. Best day I've had on the phone really getting my ears wet with these clowns. Most all of them were polite. Landstar never called me, though, and I didn't bother calling them either. I had fun today doing it. Little frustrating, because there's always that chance that I'll leave myself out in the cold. And then I sometimes feel my boss breathing down my neck wanting me to book but I rejected the 3 that he found for me. Our dispatcher was on vacation for couple days so he was alone trying to book 5 trucks.

Anyways, I'm at $3175 for the week on 1500 all miles. Think I might try for St Louis tomorrow from MS then to FL from there.

@rollin coal likes to talk about load volume. There were like over 1200 listings within 100 mile radius at its highest point. But there were probably a lot of trucks, too. High volume highish capacity keeping rates from breaking the ceiling. It will get there, just not today.
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the white knight · Mar 23, 2017

Why did you sign on with someone? Why didn't you work the boards by yourself? IF you don't mind i would like to personally contact you. I'll be doing the same as you. Thanks!

BoyWander said: ↑

Long post, so bear with me.

So after a few years of studying this forum and learning as much about the industry as I can, I finally jumped off the cliff and got a truck.

2017 Volvo 780, D13, I-Shift. Had 632 miles. Checked it out, took it for a spin, gave Lone Mountain the $10,000 down, signed for it and took it home.

It was the most nerve wracking decision of my life. I'm 34, and got my CDL back in 2005.
I'm going to be stuck with this truck until / if I pay it off. Here's hoping that I do. No wife, no kids, no house payments, only really need to pay myself $500 a week to live on. Everything else going right into the business account.

Leasing on to a small company with a good % pay. Option to find my own loads if I want for an extra couple % points, if and when I want to learn to do that, which I plan on getting my feet wet in eventually.

As far as how I feel, well for one, it's easy to sit back and read this forum and imagine yourself doing it and succeeding. Crunching the numbers, reading about other O/O's hitting jackpots with good loads here and there, and thinking it will be all rainbows and flowers.

I'll tell you one thing, it wasn't until I actually arrived at the airport that the weight of the responsibility really hit me, and I seriously considered just going back home with my tail between my legs. But I decided to take the road less traveled. I hope it will make all the difference. I'm a bit nervous, excited, anxious, etc. I owe a lot of money on the thing. I'm gonna have to be out there running hard to make what I decided was what I needed to make to justify the risk.

Truck is under warranty, and of course lease gap insurance, but I guess my biggest fear right now is getting into an accident. I have 7 years OTR with no accidents, but people still drive like a-holes. I did get a dash cam. Actually, Santa Claus brought me a dash cam.

I bob-tailed it home, and man it drives nice. Was getting anywhere between 10.2 and 11.2 mpg depending on terrain and wind, going between 55-65. Once I got it home to MI, I felt a lot better. Especially when my dad greeted me with a tear in his eye.

One issue i did have was that it seemed like it was eating through fuel at twice the rate that it was showing! I was thinking, OMG, there's something wrong with the fuel system. Something is terribly wrong. Did I have a major fuel leak somewhere???? It's showing I'm getting 10.3mpg at the time, so what was going on?? I had put 130 gallons in Tifton, GA (plus DEF). And then I put 60 gallons in, in Florence, KY. 250 miles later, the fuel gauge is on red, the LOW FUEL light is on, and I'm wetting myself. Stopped at a small fuel station in Whitmore Lake, MI, just a half hour from home, worried I'm gonna run out of fuel, broke a large twig off a tree, stuck it in the driver's side fuel tank, it's almost empty. Went around to the passenger side tank. It's almost full. I had suspected that maybe they hadn't opened the valves on the one tank. Sure enough, the valves were shut. So I opened them. Put a couple more gallons in the driver side tank, and it was fine. Just chalk it up to a learning experience.

It's a huge responsibility. Biggest undertaking in my life. I feel like the weigh of the world is on my shoulders. But I suppose there are others that have that worse than I. I'm responsible for everything. I can't call up dispatch and request road rescue, because I'm that guy. I can't drive it to the company shop and have them fix something or do a PM, while I go sit in the driver's lounge and wait.
I have to drive it to a dealership, and pay the money out of my own pocket for the PM. Even for warranty work, even if I don't have to pay a dime for it, I'm still sitting there losing potential revenue, and the bills will keep on coming. Or I have to get on this forum and explain an issue, and beg for good answers so I can diagnose my own problems and fix it for a reasonable cost.
With a company driver, you don't have bills piling up on your back. You might have a crappy paycheck. When you're the O/O, you'll be further in debt. So yeah, the realization of that kind of responsibility and risk is a bit daunting.

I thought to myself, I should have done this 5 years ago. But then I think back and realize I wouldn't have been ready for it. Now I think I am. And I know that if I had flown back home and never have done this, I would have regretted it. I don't think there's any shame in trying and failing. It's worse to have never tried.

So as for my beliefs. the truck isn't mine. It belongs to the Lord. Well as far as law goes, it still belongs to Lone Mountain, being a lease-purchase and all. But may the Lord do with the truck and myself as He wishes, and may His will be done. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

I'll link to a blog once I start rolling, if anyone happens to want to follow it. I probably won't include a lot of rate info, or a lot of personal number crunching, but I'll try to update my stories as often as I can.

If anyone had been thinking about following suit, let me know. I get a referral bonus from the salesman if you get a truck from him, so let me know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading.
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Diesel Dave · Mar 23, 2017

@BoyWander, I don't do the cowboy boots(while working) and I don't smoke(even though I always thought the Marlboro man was the coolest). I'm a Carhartt/Dickies man. My hats off to you, your character is what's keeps me watching this thread. You keep getting knock down and you keep getting back up over and over. Takes a lot of balls. But I still don't agree on hauling cheap freight which you have done to stay above water. You been told by a few here specially from @rollin coal how the system works and you keep letting it slip by you. I'm in an all different category. I run local skateboard, home every night and off usually weekends. I work to live not live to work. What at times gets me with your post also is, these newbies or wannabe O/O follow you and seem to want to follow in your footsteps not realizing that hauling cheap freight is not the business way. With that being said, I glad I'm in a complete different category and I don't ever plan to be in a situation like yours. To much stress will send you to an early grave. Not worth it. Be there done that. Maybe @nax can give you some pointers on how to run your business more successfully, he seems to have the right ideas "as a businessman", but one doesn't really know exactly what happens or is gonna happen until you "Physically own a piece of equipment".

Drake.r · Mar 23, 2017

Just wanted to leave a comment here to earmark the thread
I picked up a new w900 from lone mountain in Jan and leased on to a gas tanker company but I'm considering getting my own authority and switching to flatbed work one day due to the fact that there aren't very many gas tanker companies leasing trucks and I'm also just looking for a change of work

BoyWander · Mar 23, 2017

I hope nobody else follows in my footsteps.

Last week yeah I did really well. This week is going to be really bad.

Atlanta / Macon just took a dump. Just nothing out there today, except really cheap crap.

This week I'm not going to make much at all. Maybe $1,000 paycheck if I'm lucky.

And @Diesel Dave I'm not sure what you mean about me always taking cheap loads. Dry Van this time of year is cheap. I don't know what you think I should be getting, but there's just nobody paying $1200 for 3-400 mile runs unless it's going from like NJ to NH or some crap like that. And tolls will eat you alive up there.

BoyWander · Mar 23, 2017

the white knight said: ↑

You are my hero! Ive dealt with tql and other brokers... great job!!! Now, how do i contact you personally? I will be doing the same thing but instead of having a boss I'm personally going to work off the boards. My name is Dan and like you I have no bills, no rent, no kids, just me and my silly cat. 15yrs experience as well... I'm probably going to do it cheaper tho. My mother knows a used truck salesman who buys large amounts of trucks from Prime, Swift and so on then he sells them to others in bulk. I can get a cheap truck under 50K (with 15K down) with less than 200,000 miles, so why not take advantage.
But nevertheless, I would luv to speak with you. I want to know why you are using the leased company as your boss when you seem to be doing just fine on your own.
Click to expand...

Be careful about buying those used fleet trucks. They're not well maintained and the newbie drivers probably tear the living he** outta them.

I lease onto a company because it's not worth getting my own authority. I don't have to deal with billing, or factoring, or renting a trailer from someone, or get my own liability and cargo ins., my boss' MC# is good and I get calls when it's busy. If I got my own authority, I wouldn't be able to get any business, because a lot of brokers want 3-6-12 months in business.
There is a lot of headache and BS having your own authority and I know my boss deals with a lot. To me it's not worth it right now. I wouldn't make any more money than I do now.

Now if I did want to do that, I'd get my authority now and let it get older so that I can get business. But I'd even only do that if I was in a position to have 3 or 4 trucks so I could sit at home and dispatch, and I'd probably be making as much as I would if I were just a one man operation like I am now.

If you want to contact me you can send me a PM once you get enough posts on this website.

Drake.r · Mar 23, 2017

Freight other than gas or diesel is something I'm not familiar with I'd need to lease to a flatbed company for a while I'd love to get my own set of tank trailers but I'd never be able to afford the insurance I'm on the fence about getting out of tankers sometimes a different type of work seems appealing but there's a lot to be said for an easy day of hauling gas but that's why I read through the posts here and do my research in other ways too

BoyWander · Mar 23, 2017

If I had my tanker endorsement, I could probably be driving a fuel tanker locally where I live for probably close to the same as what I've been making out here so far, with a lot less on my shoulders.

Drake.r · Mar 23, 2017

Just for comparison reasons I'm running about 520 miles a day home most nights same 2 days off I'm grossing about 1100 a day besides my truck payment insurance and fuel I pay 800 a month for trailer rent and 1200 a month for cargo liability how about you?

BoyWander · Mar 23, 2017

Drake.r said: ↑

Just for comparison reasons I'm running about 520 miles a day home most nights same 2 days off I'm grossing about 1100 a day besides my truck payment insurance and fuel I pay 800 a month for trailer rent and 1200 a month for cargo liability how about you?
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You're making more than I am right now, I can tell you that. I've been averaging about $1,500 paychecks so far, before taxes.

Drake.r · Mar 23, 2017

Btw I'd like to say that I know I won't make a transition from tankers to flatbed and have the same pay and conditions
I've been hauling gas for over 20 years so the idea of doing something different is very appealing

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