I dont wanna be an Owner/Operator

Once you start paying for the repairs you get alot better at spotting them before they happen

 

Was on a wind farm in Arizona when I realized that one of my front wheels cracked at the lugs. Bought a steel front and went back to Houston. Went to a salvage yard and they traded me an aluminum for my new steel.

Head blew in AB Canada. Drove to Tennessee and had an inframe done for $6000. Had a rear end rebuilt for $600 in El Paso.

Had a tractor leveling valve go out. Went to a Petro and they told me that it will cost $218. "For a leveling valve????" That's less than $60 at the kenworth dealer and $40 at a truck parts place.

Found a good shop 40 miles from the house. When I go home, I write up a list, and they give me good cash prices. When I replace stuff like radiators and transmission, I upgrade. Have the stuff shipped to the shop. When I'm at home, I ride the motorcycle, not work on the truck.

I always recommend finding a shop near the house. But I'm in Texas mostly. I use a small independent shop in Houston, Laredo, and El Paso. They're all Mexican. They give better prices and faster repairs. They were recommended by other drivers. If you go to the TA and Petro, they're slow, may or may not fix the problem, and they will rake you over the coals. The dealer is booked up for days to weeks. Time is more important than money.

 

I'm hourly, could care less if the motor blows, my clocks running either way. O/O's have money aside specifically for that reason. Gotta really be up on your PM to eliminate as many issues as you possibly can.

 

Don't feel bad, there are a lot of drivers who don't want to be O/O's. I'm on of them. I treat my rig like it's mine, but I have zero interest in taking on the added expense and stress of buying it. Yet, I'm still relatively successful as a company driver.

If you want to remain a company driver, work towards a carrier that respects you and pays you fairly. Then sit back and enjoy the ride!

 

I would attend a diesel mechanics school before ever considering being a owner op

 

You would probably make more as a certified tech....

Anything you need to know you can find by researching the subject.

 

Owner operators are a dying breed, their the last of the cowboys, the last rebels. Their willing to go the extra mile for their freedom, so they can call the shots and be their own boss.

Definitely not for everyone, but for some, the only way to live.

 

Yippie Ki-Yay, Moth#####ker!

 

Definitely true. The logging industry was sheltered from "mega" companies for the longest time because of unions. Since the unions have pretty much been disolved by the forest companies the outfits with several trucks are moving in and cutting rates. Its to the point now where you can make more money and have less headaches driving someone else's logging truck.

 

And that's been the goal for decades. There was hope that the Dumb and Dumber Offensive would finally give them something that could compete, but they will realize that 2 idiots in a truck is actually worse than 1.