Looking to make a change. advice needed

My advise would be to head over to the flatbed section. The guys there, as a rule, are top notch and will give unbiased advise based off actual experience and not internet BS.
Do some reading over there and see what looks like it may be a good fit for you.
I have been doing open trailers for too many years to bother adding it up now, and wouldn't do anything else. There are LOTS of things to learn, and lots to remember if you get into pulling the oversize stuff, but the rewards are worth it. I cant remember the last step deck/flat bed I pulled, but that is a good place to learn the ropes. Machinery is where it's at IMHO.
Best of luck.

Martin

 

Being in Cali is the only complication I can see. If you get a truck with a top notch warranty or maintenance place, I can see getting a new truck as being feasible while still being semi 'new' to the 'business'.

I recently bought my own truck,. I had enough money to get my own authority, but I chose to lease my truck and run under another O/O, allowing his dispatch to find me loads, or if I see something I want,.. I have the option to run what ever I want. I give up 20%, but everything except my fuel, tag/registration and bobtail insurance is paid for me.

I had $50k to start with. $30k of my own money and $20k I borrowed from my mother inlaw. I paid $20k for my truck and held on to the rest to cover the (What If's).

Personally, I'd lease on with a flatbed O/O or smaller company that will allow you to run how and where you want, while still allowing you to walk away at any time. Thats how I'm set up. I can leave at any time for any reason. I'm not forced to stay for any length of time. I just happen to like how things are run where I am, I like the freedom I have to do what I want, when I want and how I want. Within reason of course.

I dont know what kind of relationship you have with your family. But back when the internet boom was on full tilt I went into business with my brother. There is a saying that goes, "After 3 days, Friends and Family begin to smell like fish". So unless you have a rock solid relationship and know exactly what kind of terms you'll be running under. I think it might be better to keep your existing truck and maybe temporarily try flat bedding to see if you even like it. Its not for everyone, and the 11 western states have a lot of dead areas where unless you are good at negotiating and know your freight lanes,.. it can be disheartening for someone just starting out.

Flatbed in and of itself is pretty easy. Tarps are not mandatory. I know guys that refuse to book tarp loads and they do just fine. Find something you are good at or something you like. If you can make money doing it, then you will be that much happier. Running flatbed for the sake of trying to make more money is not going to work out well for you. There is considerably more labor, effort and sometimes BS involved.

Its not for everyone. I mean how hungry are you? Are you married? Do you have a steady girl? Young babies? Planning on starting a family soon? Being away from home can take a toll on family life. I quit trucking back in the mid 90's and pursued a different career path while my kids were young. It wasnt until I ran out of options that I got back into trucking. And personally, If I could have my old job back, I'd go back to making 1/2 what I earn now just so I could enjoy being home more. Thats why my goal is to get 4 - 6 drivers and earn enough to be able to dispatch them myself from home. Though, I have had guys tell me that its not all its cracked up to be either. So what do we do? Its the unknowns that scare us. But, unless you try it, you wont know.

Took me a long while to finally get this truck. Sitting here looking back at what I went through to get here, I feel I made the right choices. I learned how not to run a company from working for a bad O/O, to finally working for a great O/O and now here I am, finally able to give out my own little bit of advice for what ever its worth.

You have to weigh the pro's and con's and then only you can decide if its worth it to you. If what your doing now is safe and pays the bills, and you like where you are then that might be where you need to be. The grass always looks greener on the other side until your standing on the other side looking back.

Hurst