New o/o looking for advice.

Little about my career, been a driver for 3 years. I have been both a otr and local driver combined in the last 3 years has a company driver, Ive made good and bad pay as a company driver. I had always wanted to own my own rig since I was a kid. Long family history of drivers, it's in the blood. Through my 3 years driving company I got tired of the quality of the tractors I seemed to end up with and the lack of care about home time and figured if I got my own rig I would have more control over it. 3.5 months ago I walked into peterbilt and financed a 2015 peterbilt 579. I went new due to the warranty to help offset any major repairs that would pop up if I picked the wrong used tractor. Many will have their opinions on used vs new. I chose new with the sacrifice of a higher monthly payment. Now I've leased on to a small mom and pop company out of oregon. I live in the central valley of California. I run the I-5 corridor, 3 states. The company I'm leased on is a really good company to work for and I deal directly with the owner. The company is a MC for hire, we pull other companies trailers, most are drop and hook, but lately I live load out of Washington or oregon and drop and hook in southern California. I get 85% of the loads and I pay for all expenses that include baseplates, fuel, dot, insurance, everything. Most the company front up cost I pay back out of each check. Everything is laid out for me in statements. I gross 13,200.00 a month before the company's 15% then after all bills that the company pays upfront are reimbursed and the truck bills are payed I bring home between 3500.00 and 4500.00 a month. I have been looking in Landstar or Roadrunner as I've heard a person could earn more. But question is should I lease on to one of them or get my own authority or should I stay where I am at. I am looking to make more money as I want to grow my company. I need to be able to earn more to due this or is my take home a far average for an O/O? Thank you for any advice.

 

Thank you for your replies, I do have it pretty good here where i am at. Walked in the office yesterday and had a talk to the owner. I asked him if I found some good paying loads if I could run them and he was more then happy to let me. Also he discussed some new accounts he was looking into and asked if I would be interested running them which would take me off the I 5 a little. This is really a good place to be at and to learn from. Sometimes I just get these calls or see these adds that show more profit and I wonder. I am in a pretty safe spot. I know my tractor will get paid. will have to tighten down on some of the personal bills and let some of the toys go but in 4.5 years the rig will be paid off and my profits will double without even doing anything different.

 

Like I mentioned in my first post, I come from a long line of truckers. I know that there will be repair cost. With the warranty for the first 2 years I have no worries of major repairs and do have the means to make it through a down time. After the warranty I'll save on repairs as I've grown up working on everything thing from the ol Detroit turbo 6 to the isx15 that I now have. With family in the repair business I get access to a big savings on labor. However parts do cost. In 4.5 years if I have to spend 20000.00 in repairs in 1 year I still will make another 22400.00 in profit without the truck payment. Until then the truck payment does eat all the extra profit. A trade off I'll except. However if I do have a major break down after my first 2 years then I may break my bank. I look at it this way, I check and recheck everything twice a day, I maintenance everything at its scheduled time. For now that all I believe any good driver can do to keep their rig properly maintenanced. I can not predict what will be but I can do my best to prevent

 

3286 on average, 2 trips from Washington to southern California 1 trip from Southern California to Washington

 

That's Before fuel ,rd tax etc. Take home 8400.00 averages about 2.55 a mile.