Owner Operators Beware

Hello.......when you are leased to a company you do what they want you to do. You just own the truck but run under their authority. If you run under your own authority....then you can dispatch your own truck!!!

 

Wow.....I was not whining about anything...just letting people know what is out there but it seems as though the people who look at this type of blog don't care. Truckers are not like they used to be years ago and I think I am speaking to some of them. Yes, I am aware of the deductions that are to be taken at the end of the year. People don't seem to know the difference between a o/o leased to a company and a o/o running a load board or setting up his/her own runs. I've done both. I've ran a successful business for many years. I did reimburse my drivers (whether o/o or company) for their tolls. After all, it was my loads they were running but that is just how I felt it should be. I stopped running my own trucks and hiring o/o because I just seemed to be finding people that did not want to run but wanted to make big money. By the way.....I did pay deadhead mileage also. Again....different time than it is now. What I have been seeing out there now for the most part is dangerous. Truckers have no respect for one another let alone for others. Truckers should also not have their leg up on the dash watching tv while driving also...again..then they wonder why they are in a ditch. There are still some good ones out there and those are the people I hope would not deal with the company I have mentioned.

 

That is not true. I am leased to a company. I negotiate my own loads and rates.
It's a lot of work, but I'm pretty good at it.
Any other questions are welcomed. (Without the sarcasm.......)

 

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Are you kidding me? The only thing I have gotten so far is sarcasm..... The only remarks I've gotten is that I am either a new driver or I cannot read a contract. The company I unfortunately leased to does the negotiating of the loads. They make it clear that they are their loads so no negotiating on my part is allowed. That is a mistake that will never happen again. You are fortunate to be able to negotiate your own rates if you run under someone else's authority. When I ran under my own authority...I negotiated my own rates and made a great deal of money. I too was good at it. It's not hard to do and you can make a lot of money. The company I am speaking about claimed that the loads were their designated runs and they were not. I think they did nothing more than look at load boards and grab loads to give to the owner operators leased to them. There was no discussion. You were just told where to pick up the load. Bad deal all the way around. Really.....just trying to warn people about them. They lied from the start. Their contract stated you were running their loads at no lower than $1.60 a mile. Most of the time it was to be more (approx $2.40 in order to cover the costs of the high tolls) but I never got to the $1.60 and gave up on ever seeing more. If you were wondering...I stopped running under my authority due to the high cost of insurance rates even though I have a very good driving record. I'm saying this because I'm sure someone out there will say if you were doing so well why stop running under your own authority. Anyway, went back to the company I was with before that does pay good rates and most of the tolls are reimbursed. I am also able to get home every other day. Good deal all the way around!!! I only tried out the other company because they promised the world and delivered nothing. Like they say...if it sounds too good to be true it probably was. But then I reimbursed o/o and my drivers for their tolls so I thought maybe there was someone like me out there but I guess I was wrong. Just not like it used to be.

 

There is a lot here for sure, but my only comment is on where you go or how you're dispatched. No matter where I was leased, that includes mega carrier, the truck does or goes where I say it goes. If that is unacceptable I understand and immediately part ways, that day, that minute.

 

i financed a used fleet truck from a dealer and the dealer got me a truck payment of around $700 a month so i was able to pocket $3000 a month after overhead expenses

 

Exactly, and thank you.....that is what I did. However, I gave them almost two weeks before doing so, my mistake. The place I've been with so many years I'm leased to them and I am on a dedicated lane. In this case it is solely up to them what lane I have and I've negotiated it through the years to get the lane I wanted in order to bring me home every other day if not daily. I was hoping to make more money before I retire but glad to be back where I've been so long. Guess I got spoiled and this company pays like I used to pay my people. Hard to find these days.

 

Thanks for passing it on.