Looking to buy truck and hopper bottom

If you dont want to hear what some of us experienced owner ops have to say, then dont ask for advice anymore. Just go buy a rig and do it on your own and quit looking for someone to coddle you. You will find out within the first 2 years if you will make it or not.

 

Let’s say you want to open a pizza shop. How much help will you get from the pizza shop down the street whom you will be competing with once you open?

Local grain hauling is a niche market and there’s only so many pieces of that pie. You may have to run your truck dedicated to one or two places for a while until you get your own contacts and can branch out on your own. You’re going about it the wrong way when you expect people to share their piece of the pie with you.

 

Great explanation. The only thing i can add to that is, i dont know of any local contracts.

 

Ever hear of competitive colaboration?

As time passes everyone loses its competive edge and colaboration makes more sense. The other way to look at it is pigs gets fat and hogs get slaughtered.

If you are struggling to understand this concept you never will and will always be competing on cost and cost alone.

 

Before i comment any further, do you mind if i ask you what you do to make a living out here? Do you run local hopper? Otr hopper? Whats your backround?

 

I am not a driver. I have one truck that I own that I hired a driver to run. I have another truck I use as a personal toy. Both trucks are 07 379’s.
I am a sales person and I consider myself to be very good at it. I NEVER compete on price, which is different than being competitive. In every business you have to be competitive but you should never stride to be the lowest priced.
I have been following this site for over 10 years and see the same thing over and over again. New driver/owner wants to start their own gig and this site is littered with folks telling them they will never make it and go drive for a mega.

 

So you dont know the local hopper business? How can you give solid advice on his situation then? I never said he wouldnt make it, i actually told him how to successfully set himself up to succeed In this business. Your the second one thats said “go for it” without even being in the business. How exactly does that help the op? Local is just the same as otr, someone will always haul it cheaper eventually. NOTHING is written in stone. Then what? You got bills rolling in, and no work. But i can guarantee you that load you declined will still get moved, regardless if you hold to your “price” or not. I agree you can pick and choose your price on loads once you've got everything paid off, but just starting out, you will have to run all you can run just to make ends meat.

 

One thing to add of insurance... it can vary by thousands depending on what state you live in and miles travelled.

 

It’s not about price or someone new coming in. There’s not unlimited loads. That’s why local guys play their cards close to their chest. The farm to market stuff is slowly going away as farmers buy their own trucks and trailers, and it’s only going to get worse with the government giving them .5% loans for 7 years to go buy their own trucks. When it comes to local stuff the pie is literally only so big.