OTR

Basically you will be running your own business but your carrier will be taking a chunk for operating under their authority, leaving you with minimal profits.

Or you'll be a company driver that has the overhead of an o/o.

Don't mean to sound discouraging, just want to prepare you for the reality of it.

They are out for themselves, for example, they offer you crap load after crap load. Either you take them or they stop calling you because they assume you don't want to work. Highly unlikely you will hear " hey, we got a money maker for you" and, if you do, it's a trick to get you to take the load.

Just be careful, trucking has never been tougher and, I see guys hauling stuff where their fuel cost is well over 60% of gross. That is just plain retarded. I keep my fuel cost down about 20%. anything more than 25% and I say no. Last year I was at 12%, I was stoked to say the least at the end of the year. The drawback to that is you don't get nearly as much work.

The good side is when I do work, I'm rolling down the road as proud as can be because I know I'm making good profit. My overhead has dropped dramatically and, I have more time to work on the truck, do book keeping and all the other things you pay other people to do 'cause you don't have the time to do it yourself. It has become sort of a viscous circle in the opposite direction, I am keeping much, much more of the money I make.

Hang in their brother and never ever get complacent with a carrier. always strive to keep what you make and pick the brains of independents who seem relaxed and not wound up, That's my advise.

 

Oscar is right as rain IMO!

I'm leased to Sammons, own my truck/trailer, & love it! Sammons does NOT have forced dispatch of any kind. We have "agents" around the country like L/Star has (tho not as many) & we have "dispatchers" in Missoula. 98% of the time our "agents & dispatchers" offer me loads. I don't have to take them.
If I don't like the rate for example, I can find my own load and run it thru Sammons. (pays me the same either way) Point is that I choose what I haul, where I haul, how much I'll haul it for etc. myself.
If I sat and waited for someone to "tell me what to do",,,I'd starve to death!

 

I think you're giving up too much in these style of transactions. When you book a load through an agent the agent gets his comission for getting the customer and the loads from the customer. When you book a load on your own there's NO comission to be paid so in essence you should be getting the comission which translates to some where between 5 and 7%.

 

Agent gets there cut then sammons gets theirss...

Its business everyone has to eat, some just eat a bigger slice.

 

On the loads that the O/O books there is NO agent involved therefore no comission should be deducted from the revenue.

 

Pick up the phone and start calling brokers.

Have an idea of the rate you want and the markets you are in/going to.

 

Im sure Sammons still gets their 24% + the broker you got the load from.

 

These statments above are all right to a point.
When I find a load on the net, I hand it over to a Sammons agent of my choice. That agent contacts the shipper/broker & makes the best deal (rate) they can. Then the agent calls me back and offers the load. At that time I can take it or leave it. If its too cheap I say no. I don't mind giving Sammons their 24% of the linehaul rate as they front the fuel (comdata) pay all the liability/cargo ins w/o a charge back, and pay me for my freight bills every Friday. Sammons earns their 24% as far as I'm concerned. Some guys think that Sammons shouldn't take a percentage on a load I/he find but that's wrong! It's still fuel, insurance,billing,etc that Sammons paid for up front or completely, that hauled that load. They deserve a cut.

I learned a long time ago that the 25-30% a typical company takes from an o/o is a fair deal to the o/o considering what hes getting for that money. JMHO.

 

Don't get me wrong guys,,,I'm not saying that Sammons is the best company out there, BUT it's the best for me I know about.
It's the little things at Sammons that make the differance to me over other companys. For expmple...on that broker load I found, I get 100% of the national FSC out of the agreed on rate with the shipper/broker. Sammons gets 24% of whats left (linehaul rate) then the FSC money gets added to my 76%.
Great people that know who I am, answer the phone every time or call me back when I leave a message etc. It's home for this old trucker and I'm thankful to be part of the family! I get plenty for that 24% they take.

 

I wasnt implying they were a bad company at all. I just just making a point.