O/O vs Company driver, which to choose? New CDL holder

30k is all you expect to make with your own truck..? oh please,stop it with that nonsense..your break even point would be many,many years out....

 

With your criminal record and your less than good MVR you really only have two options. Find a company that will take you and stick with them for a few years or find another line of work.

 

if you get your feelings"hurt" this easy your in for a world of frusration,anger,distain,loneiness,depression,& sleepness nights..because it appears to me the advice giving is REAL. !! Truck on then...

 

yes you can make money,buy your truck and charge the shippers 3 dollars a mile..

 

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This.

I strongly do NOT recommend anyone just starting out in the industry to buy their own truck. Even if you purchase your own truck you STILL need to either lease on with a company (and go through the SAME issues as getting hired as a company driver) OR you need to purchase your own authority.

Let's assume you have enough to purchase a used truck and buy your own authority and have at least $20K in your reserve maintenance account and about $20-25K in your operating account. Then what? Do you have any contacts in the industry, any relationships with good brokers? What load board subscriptions are you going to use and why? What kind of trailer are you going to get and what kind of freight are you going to haul? Basically you might know the rudiments of driving a truck (assuming you had a good school), but no real over the road experience and NO experience in the business.

It sounds like with a criminal record issue, etc. you are going to find some difficulty getting a top company to take a chance on hiring you. No offense (pun intended), but they have to hire within the bounds of the agreement with their insurance company and their customers. If the only companies that will hire you are less than desirable, and if you are really motivated to be a trucker, then so be it. Bite the bullet and get at least a year or two under your belt. The more accident free miles you run, the better your resume.

Then if you decide to get your own truck you have experience in the industry. Now you can lease that truck to a company if you want to be dispatched. They have the loads available and it's an easier step up from being a company driver. Then after a couple years as a leased owner operator if you want to purchase your own authority, then you know you have 4-5 years experience, perhaps some connections in the industry, and the knowledge that you already are running a successful business.

Folks here have been harsh. That's for a reason. Your situation is harsh in terms of being able to hire into this industry. You've got yourself in a position that you need to be able to accept what you can get.