How to make it as an owner operator

Thanks Gunz444, appreciate all of your valuable info tips!

 

Hey Gunz - read through the entire thread and have to say you are 100% spot on. Especially about feeling out the urgency of the same loads/lanes throughout the week. It does change from Monday to Friday, and that was some good advice. I worked for CHR for a couple of years (please don't shoot me y'all, dont work there anymore and don't intend to return to the broker side) and I preferred talking with anyone who was professional, whether it was an O/O or dispatcher. Also, I always took care of "my guys" and paid regular carriers (esp o/o's though) more due to the relationships that got established. That is the truth. I knew some great carrier reps at CHR that have established some extremely loyal relationships with their core carriers and it was truly a win/win for both sides.

Sadly, for every great relationship that has been established, there are probably 5 that have been burned due to unprofessionalism mostly on the side of the broker. One of the reasons I had to hang up my hat is due to the overwhelming stress of trying to make margins that were ridiculously unrealistic, and this in the end hurt the O/O. Anyway - If you are able to hook up with a fair and honest broker, it can turn out to be a good and profitabel move... And Gunz, I am not even going to tell you what branch I worked at because I am sure I've talked to you at some point..... bottom line, I respect drivers and without y'all the world wouldn't move.

 

Great thread, 5 stars.

 

As far as weekends are concerned. I prefer to have my truck parked at the house empty over the weekend. I get calls in the middle of the night 7 days a week and am more than willing to work on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night. I have prices for that and they are not cheap. I haven't "warehoused" a load over the weekend in about 5 months now and likely never will again. Most guys already have their loads at set times during the course of a normal day or week. Everybody wants miles over the weekend and everybody tries to get loaded before about 2pm in the week. I'm patient and don't care for long haul loads over the weekend. Everybody has their own system mine is to never, never tie my truck up on anything for more than 24 hours.

 

May I ask what kind of truck/trailer do you guys have? We're only using ITS right now and it seems like most of the loads are for 18 wheelers.

 

Do you pull a van or flatbed?

 

A person has to be leary of weekend freight available in some areas. I would not be hauling beer or anything of that sort - no money in that. The weekend loads I'm mentioning sometimes get posted up and sometimes not. Depending on if the carriers they offer the loads up to accept them or not. I found it on loadboards and in short order moved to the top of the call list,again not because I am cheap,just because of the service I provide is dependable and a known quantity. Guys will tell you there is no money working load boards and hauling freight just for brokers. They'll say you have to get direct freight. That is not true at all. A customer is a customer be it direct or spot. You can do very well working a one truck show if you can set yourself apart and network developing relationships with whoever. Networking is what will make an operation or break it.