how much do owner ops make an average week

I think I will leave my truck parked for a while more until rates go up.

 

Crap, I knew I bought the wrong color truck. Yours is probably faster too.

 

I gas I'll have to go the same road, get the tools, have zosome knowledge and experience wrangling, just don't have a place and willingness to do it

 

It may not be realistic everywhere,but here in south dakota its not too hard to find. My shop fixes tractors and farm equipment,classic cars and trucks. 75 an hour. They do pad a bit id say,but not much and i keep em honest. Im very anal about my equipment and make them stand behind their work and products when needed without issue.

If you cant find that price at least find one good shop and dedicate all work to them. This talk about putting your truck in 5 different shops constantly getting upsold and then hung out to dry when they didnt solve the problem you brought it in for is crazy to me.

 

Exactly right on that one agreed 100%. Relationships are more than just the people who load our trucks.

 

@dlstruck I've heard some horror stories about Freightliner dealers. They local shop I use (also a fleet owner) sent a truck to the dealer because of wiring harness issues. It literally sat for 6 weeks before they ever got to it and then suppository replaced the writing harness. Thing is, the shop marked the harness before sending it and it turns out it was never changed.

So far, I've had great luck at the Mack dealerships when I've had to use them. My local one gets backed up sometimes, but I've had breakdowns on the road and had great experiences.

I personally use 1 shop the majority off the time. I like having someone I can call when I need a question answered. I do have a back up shop that I'll use when my main shop says he's too busy, go ahead and take it to the other shop. Both shops are $80-85/hr

 

In beginning I've started taking my truck to one my local shop, paid $80 for the labor, it was going ok, but once I had urgent need to have them finished up my radiator and fan clutch replacement on Saturday, and to make them work on Saturday I had to offer them a $1000.00 over the bill, that's when the relationship ended, after that they start constantly overcharging me.
Also all the work done outside of Denver (the home city ) was done there cause the only other choice would be towing it back home.

 

That final part, will be your undoing...

not having a place is excusable....but unwillingness???

and you spend $100K on repairs???...wow, just wow

 

Never, ever, ever show desperation....

Part 1 of negotiation, keep calm...., have options

You could simply have rented a truck from Penske for that $1000, complete your load and keep it moving, or could have found someone to re-power the load (assuming you were loaded) and that would keep the shop from sniffing out your desperation (self-inflicted wound)

 

@superTrucker77

Remember also, just because **YOU** are in rush, does not mean the shop has to "rush"...

Look at it from their POV. Your extra $1000 could come back to haunt them, if the job ends up being shoddy, and you blow your engine...

In my shop, any customer that comes to rush me, ends up with 2 options...i.e. take a chill pill, or call a tow truck to move their car to another shop...Usually it's the latter...

I've always found these customers to be more headache than the rest...