How to get work as an owner operator

I went out and sought customers before I purchased my truck.

 

Any finance company that's worth dealing with will want you to have work before they sign off on the loan

 

you can try to find a company with a good fleece......errrr lease program. Are you currently in the transportation industry. Trying to start a business and buying a truck without customers is like buying a trailer without a truck they will both sit there and cost you money then you will fall in to the cycle of taking any load that comes down the pike getting farther and farther behind. You will need a business plan and a good financial head to make it work. good luck

 

If you are financing a truck than first you should start applying to places where they will finance you for whatever amount you need
Second, start looking for work.
What do you want local, regional, OTR. and than break that down. Dry van, flatbed,container, tanker
Once you figure out what you want to haul than you start applying and cold calling companies that you are interested in and see if they are willing to hire you as a OO. After that's done you start looking for a truck you want

 

You want to own your truck free of the company your hauling for. In case it doesn't work for you and you need to move on and try another place. If you lease your truck for who you haul for they can starve you out. Also emmisions trucks have more issues, but those are the ones banks want to finance.

Look at this section for like three or four months you will have a better idea. Also freight is slow right now.

 

Can't you buy a truck and lease on to an established company with customers?

 

I know a guy, walked here from mexico...somehow got papers, got free gov paid trucking school, drove for swift, saved his pennies for years, bought a crappy ol truck for 20k with 3 mill on it w/rebuild..leased it on to swift, ran it awhile, hired a team to drive it, eventually bought another beater, has two guys in it
He got hired onto Central Transport, ran there 6 months, bought a beater, leased it on, has one guy in it...
He says his 3 trucks making around 2k a week profit each..Hes giving drivers 1k, keeping 1k...
He sits at home screwing making more duplicates of himself collecting 3k a week on them trucks...
He does his own mechanical work on them...Does fluids and inspections daily...mostly to escape the 7 or 8 kids he already has...Also, he (30ish), and all of his kids all have braces
Wont forget him...

Just another possible path...

 

Ive lurked and studied here for a year now, and I can say LP is crap...skip it
If your good enough to complete an LP, then your good enough to get a regular credit union loan and do it much cheaper
Second would be getting the letter from a carrier saying they'll put you to work...Bunch of places will put you in a truck

Arrow truck in Phoenix, has supplied 3 of my friends with trucks...5k down, 1400 a month...Good fleet trucks with 300k on them..just need the letter