I need advice from an experienced owner operator / please help?

With the right intermodal deal you can do OK for what it is (most guys doing it want the home every night gig - and that keeps rates down). But given the numbers that you posted it just doesn't work.

And as with most companies that have a commission sales person giving you information you can expect that to be on the high side.

 

now just how does wanting to be home every night drive down rates? i drive the port put a grand a week in my pocket after all expenses.work 5 days a week home 95% of the time at night. off every weekend .

 

Well, it was a learning experience... I was promised the world, and got mexico instead... I was dealing with what turned out to be a very shady operation

 

What kind of rate were you paid on REAL miles? Cans are cheap. You'll work for nothing just to go home pulling cans. A grand in 5 days of work???? That sucks. Hopefully you didn't turn more than 1,000 miles to do that.

 

Drivers are willing to trade home time for money. You act like this is news. And what you make supports my point.

 

You put a grand in you pocket a week after expenses? Now that is after fuel, co. deductions, taking out the proper taxes, and setting aside maintenance money or is that just the money after fuel and the co. deductions that come come off of your settlement. I myself pull cans outta the port on va. With my average settlement a week after fuel and 100 worth of insurance deductions that the co. take Im at 1200 to 1500. Then you figure that I still have to take taxes and maintenance money out of that so you can figure that rest as I really dont like to bc its rather depressing. I would assume that your in the same boat as me pay wise. The co. that Im leased to has a terminal down in savannah and from talking to my dispatcher the rates arent any better down there for the most. At least not good enough to put a TRUE grand in your pocket after fuel, co. deductions, taxes, and maintenance fund although you could have something special and very well be doing that.

I had alittle bit of something special as in 98% of all our work came from one steamship line and the only plus to that( work and rates direct from the steamship lines is the bottom of the barrel of can work) is I could take a load out and DH 50 or 60 miles and reload the can to go back to the port. Which turns the normal crappy .90cpm average into a 1.80 for the day. So, there have been weeks that my net settlement(before taxes, maint.,but after fuel) had been 1900,2200,2500, and heck a gem of 3000 something that I did once. Those weeks however have for the most part been few and far apart. Thats actually what got me to buy a truck. MY dad is leased to the same co. and talked me into it. I actually looked at his settlements and he had a solid 5 months of net settlements not lower than 2500 and bout the same time I got going all that stopped and its mostly been the same ole cheap and super heavy .90cpm bs that cans are.They are simply a losing situation. I really dont understand how people think its good money or how they are doing.I do 95% of all the work on my truck(done radiator, king pins,u-joints and so on) which is a big factor in keeping me going and the fact that with what I paid for my truck and the money I put down my payment is 300 a month. Yet, its still not good money and Im not looking to be a millionaire.I try and run my truck just like a business and a successful business is what I want to accomplish from owning my own truck. Then when it comes to home time, yeah the weekend time is good.Im home friday afternoon and leave 2-3am monday. During the week yes Im home everynight but after making the run, load/unload, sitting in the port Im 12-14 hours everyday, with more time that not right up on my 14. So its more like come home, eat, shower, and go to bed. I mean its nice sleeping in my own bed every night with my girlfriend instead of the truck, but Id rather haul good paying freight, making a profit, and achieving my goal of owning my own successful business. The only positive in hauling cans is getting to roll with my old man a couple days outta the week. Otherwise,thats really all there is.

I wish that I had found this site before I had bought my truck, and not after it because I seriously doubt that I would ever had bought my truck. I put more faith in my dads words that I should have. Love the man to death but didnt take me long once i had my truck that he is a horrible business person, and it pains me to say anything bad about the man. One heck of a wheel man though. Seen him do things with a truck that have amazed the crap outta me, but even though it consumes the most time, driving is far from the most important. Every day I wake up I count the days till nov when I will have a solid document-able time back in a truck so I get the eff outta hauling cans. Id like to get into flatbed work. It appeals to me bc there is more to it than just driving the truck. Which puts mercer and landstar at the top of my list.I feel they offer the best value for what you get outta their leases. All the tools for someone to be successful with it only depending on the individual as far as the degree of success of subsequent failure.I like mercer more because they will train securement and the ability to get right into a flat and they had coordinators if you need alittle guidance, where as landstar is like the wild wild west(as Ive seen it referred to as)which I can understand the value in that as well.Also at LS Id have to tote a van for 6 months before I could make the switch. One more company that is on the high list but I highly doubt I could go there now. Reading alot about it I feel IM not quite cutting the mustard yet. I know Id be meeting the minimal recs for mercer or landstar and Im trying to go from A to C while skipping B.So far in life I havent failed anything Ive been thrown into and I have the upmost desire to make my business work. Which is why I love this site. Spend obscene amounts of time here reading and learning what I can from those that are inclined enough to share their knowledge for those of us willing to listen. So hopefully when the time comes I can apply where Id like to go and see how it works. Worse thing that can happen is they say no and I have to go co. drive to get things to par where I need to be butId rather not go that route if I dont have to.

 

Every time I see those trucks duct taped together I think that their rates must be on the low side. 90cpm? Just enough to fill up and get more duct tape

 

and with technology at our fingertips (these days auto-correct) it's very easy to make spelling errors and not notice you did unless you proof read every comment prior to posting. It's my understanding that the type of tractor/payment was hypothetical but if not than the other guys is correct about the cans being heavy. Your going to want a truck thats preferrably lighter in weight (not light weight), with a good turning radius and a good rear end.