New driver as owner operator ???

YeAH!
We're pretty proud of ol' Brickman around here.
Not much, if anything, slips by him.

As far as insurance goes, no problemo, amigo ---
all ya gotta do is post a million dollar bond.
How hard can THAT be?

Which companies do you think you'd be interested in driving for?

Keep us posted as to your decision?
We're rootin' for you to succeed.
I think you'd like drivin' a Big truck OTR.

 

old wrench I'm sure you'll be good at whatever you decide to do. you have the right attitude and the knowledge. And i'm not kidding if I had a truck I'd put ya in it.

Mabey you could find an owner operator to run team with for a year

 

WoAH!

AfterShock just had an AfterThought!

OldWrench --- would the small company that offered you a drivin' position go for ANOTHER investor buyin' and maintaining a Big truck, but not actually drive it?
Who would drive it?
YOU.

Maybe get a year's experience at a starter/training company, then jump into what would be driving for an owner operator who is leased to a smaller fleet.
Might even be partners.
I don't know if that would get'cha by with the insurance situation.
Maybe Brickman does?

A friend of mine pulls a refer for a family operation in Iowa.
Dad owns the company and a few Big trucks, but has Independent Contractors lease on too.
The owner's son drives as an I/C for his dad, and the son also is a small fleet operator, leasing Big trucks to his dad's company. He fills the seats of VERY nice Petes with VERY good drivers, who tend to remain.
My friend fills one of the son's seats.
Pretty good gig, as I hear.
It's just hard to remember who to salute.
So, they don't require that.

 

personally I always require saluting!

 

YeS SiR!

YeAH!
The more I learn, the less I know I know,
doncha know.

I was born and raised in SoCal, and except for an occasional trip to the local mountains, I hadn't experienced snow or ice drivin'. I was probably overly cautious when I first encountered those conditions in a Big truck, but I made it through over a decade of winters.

Also, when I first started my driving career, it was team driving for around 2 years, and then a driver trainer. The company let me run solo inbetwixt trainees. As I reflect back, teaming taught me a lot I may not have learned had I run solo right outta the gate. And, although I MUCH prefer solo, I'm glad I had the team experience.
Would I consider runnin' as a team again?
Sure.
If the right gig came along.

Teaming, for one thing, taught me to drive as smoothly as possible so as not to disturb my co-driver, --- who would be driving next while I slept. I sleep better knowing my co-driver had as good a rest as possible.
Little things like timing traffic lights so y'all don't have to come to a complete stop, (which also improves MPG's), not turning sharp quickly, running in the smoothest lanes, and NOT slamming doors upon entering and/or exiting, sure help a team get along well.

Usually, a team will consist of drivers who have strong and weak points. Don't ignore those things. Make a deal.
If one is better at driving nights, while the other is a better tight place backer, don't fight reality, --- flow with it. Be fair.
A GOOD team isn't unlike a successful marriage. Give & Take.
Be considerate of each other and cover each other's backs.

When I was a driver trainer, I had mostly female trainees, and I learned REAL quick that they were better at handling shippers and receivers than a male driver. I've even had hand UNloads where the dock workers, and SEVERAL forklift operators helped, just so they could flirt with my trainees.
One female trainee caught their attention when we were unloading by singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariette. (sp)
When the dock folks asked why she was singing THAT song, she replied "Because it's the only slave song I know."
Immediately thereafter, we had no fewer than five additional helpers, laughin' and singin' in the back of the trailer.
Pretty good acustics in that trailer, too.
HaiL!
THEY even provided the coffee --- free to them, but not to the drivers.
How cool is that?

 

it definatly take the right two people to make a sucsessful team operation.