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fuelofire · Sep 21, 2010

katieadams said: ↑

So you are an I/C? He would love to get into an o/o situation but I dont think that's the best thing to do right off the bat. There are so many costs associated with it I would be afraid he'd get in over his head & then my kids would suffer due to $$ coming in.
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katieadams said: ↑

the trucking industry scares me because there are so many "unknown" things that could come up.
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Becoming an o/o is not wise right out of school. it will end up costing him more money. It's cheaper if he just pretented he was an o/o with a company truck for 2 or 3 years. I posted a pretty good breakdown of what I think people should do before jumping into O/O status. in the "ask an owner op section"under the thread "truck and trailer financing"

fuelofire said: ↑

1)find a good company to work for

2)practice running your business from the company truck, it's hard to tell what they're getting paid for so just figure $1 per mile and maybe $.30 per mile Fuel surcharge. Please don't tell me I'm wrong people, this is never going to be accurate every company is different, every broker is different, and every load will be different.

3)While you're running a company truck, save, save, save, save. When you think you've saved enough to buy a truck save 10% more for when that truck breaks down. Even if you bought a new truck, I don't know of one warrenty that covers towing. If you do have some type of insurance that covers towing then you'll need money for the deductable and how are you going to fund your existance with your method of earning a meager existance in a repair shop? some repairs could take multiple weeks? you gonna sleep the whole time in the drivers lounge?

4)find a good company that treats you fairly and stay with them.
This applies to both leasing on with a company or if running under your own authority try and stay loyal to a few freight brokers. running cut throat is a way that can eventually cut your own throat. Treating those people fairly who treat you fairly has been proven since the dawn of time. Not everytime things will fall in your favor that is why you saved that extra 10% and when the things don't fall in your favor your continued loyalty will tilt the deck of life in your favor in the future.

5) When it comes to locateing a truck, buy what you can afford. Don't get in expecting a cadilac truck and putting everything you have saved to geting it. It's better to have CASH!!!! and that even goes for after the sale. In business the more cash you have for future operating deficits the more financially sound your business will be.

6)The older the truck you buy the more problems you may have, make sure you make up for the cheaper older trucks with more money saved, also, California is doing really crazy things with limiting the age of trucks that operate inside there state. In 2014 you can not operate a truck that has a 2002 or older engine (any pre-EGR engines). I also believe that as other trucks hit 12 years old, those will also be prohibited from entering the state. I think this will be this way untill they have only the newest emission trucks. 2010 was the last in the EPA's change that I'm aware of untill the Science and Technology changes. The only thing that will change now is other mandates by the government (I think the Stopping distance of a truck is now in the cross hairs of the Fed's). California might use this to keep pushing older trucks of of it's road. I'm focusing so much on this because other states that don't care about small trucking firms are looking at california to mimic there statues and I see little hope of the Feds stopping them. Look to NY, OR, WA, AZ a sleu of North Eastern States and even FL for the next round of Owner Operator Punishment. Buy a truck that you know you can run in the State that you live and make sure the state you live isn't looking into the possibillity of doing what california is doing and if it is, make sure the truck you buy is going to pay for it self if it did get outlawed in your state of residence.

7) Get really familiar with the laws. The longer your out here the worse it will get. Have you seen a state repeal anything lately? NOPE? I didn't think so. The laws will only get more complicated and harder to understand. This is how the lawyers we elect to public office maintain job security for all there friends that didn't run or lost their election. The quicker you catch up on all the stuff that you don't know, the easier it will be to keep up with all the changes that are happening and will happen.

8 ) Run legal, with the CSA 2010 standards it's gonna be real easy to find yourself looking for a new career because warning tickets are going to count against your commercial driving record. Very big no no for owner ops because you might have a $50-150K wager on you being a trucker and if you loose your privalege to drive a truck then you'll be out a whole bunch of money.

9) This may be the most important thing you do which is why I put it last. You better do alot of thinking about becomeing an owner operator. It's like a crime family, once you're in you're in, but it can be crippling and painfull to get out. better do alot of talking to your friends and family because those relationships will change even if you're already a driver. You might have to go out for a month or more before seeing the house. You have to do what you have to do to pay the bills (this is why haveing a boat load of cash saved up gives you freedom and why you want to keep on building on your cash savings). You have alot more costs riding on your own trucks tires. You need to do what it takes to survive or else you might find yourself in a financial pinch. Having a #####y wife won't help either and might exacerbate the problem which is why you'll need to make sure your family is prepared for you becomeing your own boss.

I'm sorry if I left anything out, and even sorrier that I couldn't make this responce any shorter. I'm sure other drivers will chime in if I forgot anything but I think I covered most of what you'll need to know.
Good luck with what ever you decide to do.
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as for your fears... HONEY, THAT'S LIFE. you could get plowed by a mack truck hauling cow ##### tomorrow. If everybody lived there life thinking about tomorrow before thinking about today, nothing would get done. I hope ur husband wises up or stays wise, makes good choices and that includes the trucking industry and faimly life (they're parrellel roads that ocasionally cross in this industry). Good Luck

katieadams · Sep 21, 2010

chompi said: ↑

Stevens runs alot of miles. If Swift is paying .40 a mile but you aren't going anywhere where does that leave you. There are over 450,000 trucking companies in the US. You are just going for the easy pickings. You couldn't pay $5.00 a mile to deal with these guys! There are plenty of other companies that will hire your husband you guys just have to do your homework. Don't you find it a little strange that a company has to spend millions of dollars in advertising to get you to work there? There's a red flag in case you guys are color blind! This is not advice from a disgruntled driver, just someone who has seen these companies constantly take advantage of people who are new to the industry. Do as you wish with this info but I guarantee you will remember this post down the road!
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I dont think you are disgruntled. I think you are honest & blunt, and I appreciate that. When you are referring to the company that pays $$ for advertising which are you talking about? I don't know much about this industry...hence why I am on this forum. There are about 10 books sitting in our office right now that my husband has been looking at. I have glanced over some in my spare time, but what I am seeing are companies that require experience. I log down every truck I see while out driving so the website can be reviewed at home. Same thing with truckstops. Are there other methods you would suggest? I welcome any tips, advice, etc that you may have! Trust in that! I knew that Stevens runs a lot of miles but the major concern was being kept out on the road for 6 weeks AFTER training before there would be any hometime, if there isn't any loads to SC, and how you are guranteed 1 day of hometime for each 7 days ran. Any thoughts you have on this?

katieadams · Sep 21, 2010

@fuelofire: thanks for putting your other thread in there! Great information! Never thought about running the company truck like a business! AWESOME information! My husband is wise in areas but does lack in others, god love him. He has a lot of concerns like I do, as well as any new driver I would suppose. Ultimately I just want him to get the best training & experience he can get so it could possibly open other doors in the future, get miles so he can make $$, and be home a few days a month so he can have a good relationship with his children. I dont expect him home every weekend...shoot even every other weekend. But I do expect the rule of 1 day for every 7 days ran to be upheld when it comes to hometime. I do understand things come up but going 1.5-2 months on the road and being home for only 2 days....that's not going to work when it comes to the kids. He used to be in the Army so I we are already used to the lifestyle of being away but it's not a constant thing like trucking. So I know there are MANY hurdles coming our way and we just gotta roll with them, but I want to make sure he gets in with an "okay" company that he can stick with for the experience. I am so torn over Stevens & Swift I wouldn't know which to tell him to attend.

ac120 · Sep 21, 2010

feulofire's posts here are the best advice to newbies I've seen in a long time! Read and heed, people!

My only concern is that a company driver won't know his company's costs for the truck he drives: what the rig originally cost to buy/lease and the carrier's financing costs; what the carrier actually pays for fuel, maintenance, parts, tires, insurance, permits, etc.; what the overall operating expenses are; what gross and net revenue are; how surcharges vary -- there's a lot, and some expenses an owner-operator won't have (employees, facilities (shop, office) upkeep. Whew! Tons of stuff.

None of my business, katieadams, -- I know a little about Swift and nothing about Stevens -- but if your husband might have a better chance of getting home (you said Swift's Greer terminal was close by) with Swift, maybe Swift would be better.

I'd like to add that seeing carriers as evil is setting yourself up to have an unpleasant experience. One simply has to start somewhere. BOL and I hope this works out for ya! It sounds like your husband has a real good help-mate.

katieadams · Sep 21, 2010

ac120 said: ↑

feulofire's posts here are the best advice to newbies I've seen in a long time! Read and heed, people!

My only concern is that a company driver won't know his company's costs for the truck he drives: what the rig originally cost to buy/lease and the carrier's financing costs; what the carrier actually pays for fuel, maintenance, parts, tires, insurance, permits, etc.; what the overall operating expenses are; what gross and net revenue are; how surcharges vary -- there's a lot, and some expenses an owner-operator won't have (employees, facilities (shop, office) upkeep. Whew! Tons of stuff.

None of my business, katieadams, -- I know a little about Swift and nothing about Stevens -- but if your husband might have a better chance of getting home (you said Swift's Greer terminal was close by) with Swift, maybe Swift would be better.

I'd like to add that seeing carriers as evil is setting yourself up to have an unpleasant experience. One simply has to start somewhere. BOL and I hope this works out for ya! It sounds like your husband has a real good help-mate.
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I agree with what you said about fuelofire! All the other information you put in there....well that made my head spin! I told my husband I may need to go back and get my Accounting & Business Mgmt degrees if he does o/o because it seems like A LOT to keep up with. Whew!

On the "evil" remark....didn't mean for it to come out that way per-say. Every company can have an "evil" side to them but I do honestly feel that side only comes out with an "evil" employee. I know he has to walk into the company eyes WIDE OPEN and take everything he can as a learning experience. There will be bumps along the way but its how he learns from those bumps that will help him get a lot further in this industry. He knows he can't walk in there claiming to know it all b/c he will fall flat on his face. I think he will do fine wherever he goes. Both Stevens & SWIFT have terminals near our area (Stevens: Greenville about 4 hours away from home) (SWIFT: Greer about 2 hours away from home) so that was a tough one. However, we see more SWIFT trucks out this way than we do Stevens. We have seen 1 Stevens truck since we really started looking in July. I told him to follow his heart & I will support him 120%, but I told him he has to "roll with the punches" and know that he is a newbie and will need to respect the road & the truckers with a lot more experience.

Thank you for the compliment about the help-mate. I try to do my part. I dont push him in one direction. I just show him the pros and cons of each and tell him he has to pick from there. Only he can decide what would be a good choice & there are chances that it may not be the right choice. But life is a gamble and he just has to "bet" wisely.

ac120 · Sep 21, 2010

Not to worry. For starters, he'll be learning the nuts and bolts of steering and gearing and handling dispatches and HOS. As a company driver, he won't have to be concerned about the $$ side of the business. He can learn the O/O stuff as he goes along, if he wants to. He may, in time, find a good local company-driver gig that satisfies yours and his income/family needs. Lots of possibilities. And you've got lots of folks here to answer your questions.

chompi · Sep 21, 2010

There are literally over a half a million trucking companies in the US. Yes the good companies are going to require a little extra work just like any other good job. Look at careersingear or bigrigjobs websites. They list companies and their requirements. I would really stay away from the mega-companies though. I am not bashing them but your chances of success are going to be much greater with the smaller companies. It really depends on your dispatcher as to how you are going to succeed. These big companies dispatchers are responsible for at least a hundred drivers per person. This makes you a number in a huge pile of drivers looking for good loads. The smaller companies DM's usually handle 10-30 drivers. They will actually answer the phone when you call and know your name. Try to find a company with at least ten trucks or so. You don't want to be hunting down your paycheck every week either. South Carolina is a pretty good state to live in and there should be plenty of good companies to pick from. Also keep in mind the school he went to gets paid to recommend the mega-carriers to their students and usually has their recruiters come and talk to them while they are in training making it sound like this is their only option.

katieadams · Sep 21, 2010

chompi said: ↑

There are literally over a half a million trucking companies in the US. Yes the good companies are going to require a little extra work just like any other good job. Look at careersingear or bigrigjobs websites. They list companies and their requirements. I would really stay away from the mega-companies though. I am not bashing them but your chances of success are going to be much greater with the smaller companies. It really depends on your dispatcher as to how you are going to succeed. These big companies dispatchers are responsible for at least a hundred drivers per person. This makes you a number in a huge pile of drivers looking for good loads. The smaller companies DM's usually handle 10-30 drivers. They will actually answer the phone when you call and know your name. Try to find a company with at least ten trucks or so. You don't want to be hunting down your paycheck every week either. South Carolina is a pretty good state to live in and there should be plenty of good companies to pick from. Also keep in mind the school he went to gets paid to recommend the mega-carriers to their students and usually has their recruiters come and talk to them while they are in training making it sound like this is their only option.
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I totally didnt even think about the school making $$ by having recruiters in there! Dang...how'd I let that one slide past me. I know one of his instructors is HIGHLY against SWIFT but only because he says they push a lease on people. However, I find that hard to swallow because if the driver can't say NO then they have a problem. But now that I think about it....they did only have big companies in there. Dang...I dont see how I missed that.

Thanks for those 2 sites, I will have him check them out! I have been trying to go thru the books but with a 4 month old and 7 year old my time is limited! He has been helping my stepdad at his construction company until orientation time comes up, so he is pooped by the time he gets home. *I know, that's not an excuse.*

Thanks again for the honest advice! I do appreciate it.

katieadams · Sep 21, 2010

ac120 said: ↑

Not to worry. For starters, he'll be learning the nuts and bolts of steering and gearing and handling dispatches and HOS. As a company driver, he won't have to be concerned about the $$ side of the business. He can learn the O/O stuff as he goes along, if he wants to. He may, in time, find a good local company-driver gig that satisfies yours and his income/family needs. Lots of possibilities. And you've got lots of folks here to answer your questions.
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Local job would be nice but he also wants to run the roads, and I am cool with that as long as he is home a decent amount of time especially since our son is so young. These are the important times so its gonna be hard. I don't mind him being gone....I think it makes the marriage stronger to be honest. I just want him to get his experience and find a place to call "home". That could be the 1st company or it could take a few...who knows. I just want him to be happy....that's all.

Yea I can see there are quite a bit of people to help with questions and they give great things to read. I just dont like how everyone is so "hateful" to someone that works for SWIFT and/or any other company they dont like. It's childish in my opinion and I dont understand it. I have even read about people talking like that on the cb, especially to the SWIFT drivers. I dont understand it, probably never will, but one day those guys are going to run into a SWIFT driver that is going to show them a few things....then they will feel dumb. Everyone has to start somewhere and being harrassed like that....its just so small-minded.

ac120 · Sep 21, 2010

Well, I've heard negative comments on the CB about most every carrier. Easier said than done, I guess, but just have to let it go and not take it personally. non illegitimi carborundum.

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