Question for the Independents

It really depends on what your hauling. If you have or can get direct customers I think you are much better off with your own authority. If you are like most, get your authority and haul broker loads, you will be just as well off leased to a good company.( I stress good company on percentage)

Had a guy bragging to me just the other day. (I got my authority, I get 100% of the revenue, not 75-80%) He brokered it thru Mercer. I told him they took 20% off the top before they tendered it to him. They always do, so he actually got 80%. If he was leased to Mercer he would get 100% of the fuel surcharge, then 75% of the linehaul, and wind up with right around 80% of the total gross revenue.and have a lot less headaches , and not be paying 15,000.00 per year for insurance. A little light went off in his head , Hmm I never thought of it like that....
Im not lobbying either way here, just making a point. If you get some direct customers you will wind up with more of the pie. If you are only hauling broker loads, they are going to try (and will) keep 20% or more, especially when it slows down..

 

So where is that spare dollar..

 

The same three guys went to another motel on the way home,the clerk say's the room is $3000 so they each payed $1000 and head up to the room.when the clerk soberd up(he was high)he realised the mistake he made and that the room is only $25 so he sends the bellboy with $2975 to give back to the men.the bellboy couldnt figure out how to divide the money equally so he pocketed $2 and gave each man $991 back. Each guy paid $1000 but received $991 back so they paid $9 each.9x3=27 plus the $2 the bellboy kept is $29 where did the $2971 go?

 

A farmer who owned 17 horses is dying so he wrote a will to his three sons,the older son gets 1/3 the middle gets 1/6 and the youngest the 1/9 without killing any horse.can u help them solve this problem? Some guys will say anything to prove their smarter then their fellow driver but the fact remains we have almost no control over what we gonna do or earn tomorrow

 

I'm pretty sure the middle son gets a third? And I throw in my horse to make it 18. 1 gets 9 the middle gets 6 and the youngest gets 2 and I leave on my horse.

Some people simply are smarter.

 

And some are only pretending they know it all.a farmer sent his son to the weekly auction with a $100 and told him to buy a 100 animal to include cows,pigs and chickens and to spend the whole amount.when the boy got there he found the cows going for $5 pigs going for a dollar and the chickens for 10 cents.can u help him determine how many of each he needs to buy?

 

generally running as a true independent with your own authority you can net 10 to 20% more and if the carrier. Many times a carrier will get freight from brokers > You do bestwhen you can haul direct for the shipper eliminating both the carrier and the broker (pimp).
If you can operated on your own money and not depend on a carrier for a fuel card and are willing to look for your own freight being a true independent is great. As an independent you can pick and choose your loads from shippers, brokers and many different carriers, Being leased to a company you haul what they offer and haul for rates they arrange with the shipper,
Had a friend leased to Mercer,,they he sat for several days waiting for Mercer to offer him loads while at the same time loads from other carriers and brokers were available and paid more than Mercer was offering him but he could not haul them because Mercer did not do business with the other carriers or brokers or if he took a load from the other brokers or carriers after Mercer took their percentage the rate was too cheap with too many hands in the soup.
I many cases as a true independent you learn which broker has better freight and some shippers whom you hauled for will call you because you provided great service,,

 

IMO if you plan on staying one truck company, then it's better to lease. If you plan to add more trucks later, then it's better to get an authority. But again, it all depends on the individual and tons of other factors

 

I know some guys with their own numbers that shun direct freight. I know some that haul a lot of it. They'll both tell you good direct freight is as difficult to find and keep as good brokered freight. There's no clear cut "this way is better than that". Circumstances. For some authority is the way to go and they do well with it. For some who go that route they'd be better off leased on to a carrier with a solid freight base on percentage, or a flat mileage rate, or dare say even selling the truck quitting because they don't know wtf they are doing anyway. There's a number of guys in here who have had their own authority, with direct freight and sometimes even several trucks, who will tell you they profit more currently in a good percentage lease than they did as independents. And some who do really well with their own numbers. In my situation if I wasn't where I'm leased currently, under the contract I have, I would likely opt to go with my own authority.

I do know of a couple of small companies that I might consider leasing on with but definitely wouldn't lease on with any large carriers out there. I run pretty much like an independent already anyways. Have never taken a cash advance, at one time was even waiting on my money for an extra 3 percentage points, and also fronting my own money for fuel. Anymore I just opt for easy street and take 3% less and use their fuel card/money for great discounts at the pump. That would be one of two things I'd miss the most about being leased on here. The fuel discount and the guerilla marketing of my truck that the office staff does 7 days a week 365 days a year. I don't really know your particulars Oscar but suspect you are one of the guys who would probably be better off with your own numbers. I know you had them and have also been leased to carriers on percentage. The freedom and control of an operation one has means a lot and you are just not going to find it with most of what is out here. And you will never be happy without it. Or at least I know I wouldn't. I could never work for a boss again, or a carrier that had me cornered in their chosen freight, or one that told me when to jump and how high.