oh man! O/O not by choice. HELP!

I would strongly suggest getting a year or two experience before going on your own. BUT if your determined to take the free truck you can make a go of it if you try. Insurance will be very expensive. It's going to cost a few thousand to get authority, plates and what not. You'll also have to have some way to pay for fuel. You can get a decent van fairly cheap and haul off the load boards and make it. Again, if you have no cash the chances of failure are very high. One breakdown or even a blowout could kill you if you don't have money to pay for it but it can be done. Again, I'd bite the bullet and put in at least a year at a mega training company so you can save some money up.

 

Agreed

 

good luck

 

Yes... we do! Grammar Nazi!!

 

Hmm. I have never taken a road test except the first time I got my cdl. transcorr, landstar, admiral merchants, sunco, and now Mercer. None of them required a road test.

As for qualification file, the only thing REQUIRED to be kept in that file is hire date, last annual review, the long form for your physical, pre hire drug test result, and mvr record to prove the drivers license is valid.
Possessing a valid cdl is all the "qualifications" you need. Obviously we all know that getting the license is stupid easy and by know means makes you a good driver, but the sad reality of it is that in the eyes of the law, if you got the license, you are a qualified driver. Simple as that.

 

He's giving you a truck.... You would be a fool not to take it..

Give 101 transport a shot see what you can work out with them. They might even help you with Registration or even insurance etc.

 

Horrible advice. Work for someone else first and make mistakes on their dime. Learn the industry inside and out and then make the huge step to becoming a business owner

 

Yeah let's throw the opportunity of starting on top and work our way up like horses with not even 1/4 of the money. He's getting a truck from a family member. Must mean that they are in business already. He's got somewhere to turn for help..

There is a differences in having the money to throw away on a truck and risking failing or being given one and making the best out of it. I don't know why so many people have this idea in their head that you have to start from the bottom of the barrle and work up like there is something to really learn You can drive for 20 years and still learn something new each and every day if you're not stubborn.

My opinion is remember my opinion. Take the truck lease on pulling trailers until you can buy your trailer and open your own authority where you do what you want. And you get 100%. Of the load that you book and not give anybody 10 15 20% for something you can do on your own. I've learned this long time ago.

 

I agree with smd with one big exception. Having your own authority is not the gold mine a lot think it is. In my case, I will gladly give Mercer their 25 percent in order to have access to better paying freight. For example, boeing, the department of defense, Lockheed Martin, Siemens, I couldn't get their good paying loads under my own authority.

Many times 75 percent of x is greater than 100 percent of y.