Help Before Bankruptcy

Let me rephrase... Just to be out in the open. What I meant with my comment is that it is unfortunate, but very true that in this market a lot of carriers take advantage of drivers. It is more so true that they try to pull a fast one on drivers/ owner ops, if they even get a slight feeling that English may not be their first language. I suppose anything flies in this industry and it truly is a shame. Learning a new language is difficult (I've been there, done that) and I lost count of how many times somebody tried to pull a fast one on me.

More power to the OP for trying to make this all work out and coming on here to ask questions about what to do. "The only stupid question is the one that was never asked in the first place".

 

I think generally long haul to a GTA operator is 8 to 12 day hauls to Texas or West coast. There is no shortage of this work and it can pay pretty good. Out 2 days is regional at best and is popular with some people but a little less available.

I wouldn't advise anything, only you know your capabilities, and I have no clue about them, but if you're not happy to push your comfort level you should follow earlier advice on exiting your lease.

I knew as man from Guelph who worked very hard at Trans 99 on 5.5 to 6 day weeks and earned great, and others at HGC running to west coast who also did well though they were also working hard. I really dont think theres a shortage of that kind of work so I cant really get a grip on where you're coming from.

 

What I meant is that your payment is not too high. $1,500 is not crazy expansive IF you're making money. It sure is a lot of money when the work dries up. 2 months of no work and you didnt lose the truck- I assume you had a rainy day fund set up. That is always very smart to do!

Personally, I would take anything and everything at this point. Only you can make that call. I never did OTR but if I was desperate enough due to the money situation I'm sure I wouldn't flat out turn it down.

Try the long haul if you can. Better that than nothing. At least it will pay the bills for now. Just dont stop looking. When something better shows up, jump on it . That's all I can say.

PS. I know it's bad out there hut I sure as hell had no idea it was THAT bad up north... Now I'm just a little bit worried...

 

Less freight and many, many more trucks competing to haul it. This lowers the price.

What choice do you have? You may love long haul.

Brokers have many dirty tricks to keep the money. I only speak english and have been fooled by sneaky brokers. The big risk for you is that when they hear your accent, they start using words you dont understand to convince you they have a good load or a good price, so you book the load and it ends up being a bad load. Maybe too heavy or extra stops, long wait time, etc. Or the rate confirmation ("ratecon" is what we call them, a one time contract that makes up the freight "spot market" which is advertised on load boards) might have fine print rules about sending immediate delivery confirmation or not getting paid. If you have difficulty with english there is a lot more risk of being tricked. There are always brokers going bankrupt. When a dirty broker knows he is going to close, they sell a bunch of loads that they never even plan to pay the carrier for. They take the shippers money and disappear. A sneaky broker will be more likely to target immigrant drivers for this scam because they would have a much harder time understanding how to make a claim against the brokers bond or bring a lawsuit against them in court for the unpaid invoices.

These are the dangers i worry about setting you up for if i suggest you go out on your own. It would probably be safest for you to learn the ropes, and especially the scams, from another person who has been trucking longer that is also from your country so that you can get a full explanation in your native language. It would be better to give back the truck now than to run it for 3 months on credit and not get paid! No one knows what the future holds so we must weigh the risks against the returns.

God bless you as well.

 

@vandambaghdad , have you checked with Schneider choice to see if they run out of Canada. It is point and click so you know what you are getting without the need to negotiate.