HELP - Looking to go out on my own - Bakken Oil fields, ND

Hello, well I have been working at a company for a few months now and it has been ok. Due to some changes in management that I dont like, and a slow down in work I have decided to try and do my own thing.


Here is the situation:

One of the guys I work with is not a driver but has a good truck sitting around, I have talked with him about letting me drive it and he seems to be good with that. We would split it right down the middle, he owns the truck and I drive it, we split any costs. This seems like it could be a much better deal for me, and he can put his truck to work. He told me to see what the options are, and to let him know whats up.


The Problem:

I have never tried to do my own thing like this before, and have no idea where to start, who to talk to, how much I should be making, What I should haul, etc...


The Questions I have:

What should I haul? ( I would like to stay away from hazmat and all the issues that go with it, but Iam open to the idea)

How much should we be getting paid?

Do we want per load or per hour pay?

What "perks" should I be getting from the lease or oil company? (fuel, maintenance, use there trailers, etc.)

How often do the companies pay, and what do I do if they dont?

What companies do I need to stay away from, and/or What are the signs of a bad company?

How long of a agreement do I need to sign with a company?

Where do I even begin to look for a good company to work with?

Whats your best estimate on the cost to run the truck per day?



I am sure you all have stuff I forgot to ask, so please let me know what needs to be done and how I go about doing this. I have always just worked for a normal company and never tried to set out on my own or go into the O/O sector. I just know that after being out here for almost a year, all the O/O I talk to seem to be the ones making the real money, and seem to be much happier then I have been the past couple months.


Thank You,
Matt

 

Yes its a sleeper, its a Volvo, not sure what year but I would guess mid 2000's. The truck isnt a issue, he drove it for a few years OTR from cali to Boston, and it has seen some time in the oil fields when he first got out here. He has it setup for belly dump right now and we will prolly throw a wet kit on it so we can do anything we need to.

 

I was thinking about sand to, but not really sure what the going rate is or who we should talk to. When he first got out here he was getting $90/hr and they took care of maintenance, fuel, and provided the trailers. But his drivers were not the best from what he says, and the company he was going threw kept trying to change the agreement on him, so he got kinda fed up and parked it.

 

I was just told that we have access to a belly dump, the guy is asking for $1,400 /m to use it but I am sure we could talk him down from that. So does anyone know what the going rate for a O/O with a belly dump is?