Questions from someone starting out.

Do what you're gonna do. Just keep in mind (first and foremost), that EVERYTHING that makes a truck run, move, and legal is very, very expensive.

 

Hell yea go out and buy a super sleeper truck with shower,toilet,couch,recliner, about $250,000.00 and then buy a new reefer unit with all the bells and whistles , and make sure you haul all $1.00 a mile freight you can its big money ,you can drive 120,000 miles a years and if your good as you think you are you can do 200,000 miles a year . and eat steak for every meal and lobster, ect.

Your family will suffer your friends will not see you, your kids will not know you.
$200 a week to eat every meal in a truck stop x 52 is $10,400 plus tip $12,400 ,
miss birthdays ,weddings, funerals, no play time, no fishing or hunting, and when you get home the wife has a list of stuff you need to do now before you leave back out in 34 hours after your home break. And the tickets ,and the rude drivers trucks and four wheelers, rude recievers after spending all day not making any money ,now your tired but you got to run. the scenery is great from the windshield of your truck. The cops hate you ,the dot,hates, you, the four wheelers hate you ,the truck stops hates you, the shippers hates you the dispatcher hates you,the broker loves you if you only will do it for less money this is all i got in the load he says.
It is a industry full of liars cheats and thieves ,
Good luck in the industry Don't take it personal ,it the way it treats all drivers company,owner operator, , it was a great industry 35 years ago.Not so much anymore

 

From my very limited knowledge on this subject it seems that the main reasons not own of the bat are lack of experience and knowledge, lack of customer base, and high insurance costs. A have a feeling all the experience and knowledge i need could be learned right here before im even certified. obviously with no customer base i would use a broker at first. I would find out what insurance,fuel,repairs,maitenance will cost me on the high side, and figure out what if anything is left for profit, reinvest in my truck and build customers as i went. but of course you guys are all right and without the actual miles under my belt any number of things could go wrong and bankrupt me. I guess i have to start somewhere. i just like working alone which i guess i could do driving for someone else. The dream is to NOT have a boss someday.

 

With respect,if you have to ask questions like these then I would strongly suggest getting exp first.

 

Study the OOIDA.com website for the business end of being an owner-operator.

 

You go right ahead and dive in. As the lawyer adage goes, "Anyone who represents himself has a fool for a client". And anyone who jumps into a lease purchase with no clue about industry tricks and traps is 99.999999999999% guaranteed to fail miserably. Even with 20 yrs experience as a trucker, there is only a 23% success rate. And by success, I mean the percentage of people who complete the lease and end up owning the truck. In other words, 77% of lease purchases FAIL even with an experienced driver behind the wheel. If you were to dive in with no experience and succeed on your first lease, that would be a Pulitzer prize winning stunt in my book. But don't let me, a 23 yr veteran with 3 failed leases under my belt, discourage you. By all means please show the rest of us how its done!

 

Take a few years just to learn the ropes and SAVE money towards a down payment. Buying your own truck is always preferred to over paying for a lease/purchase truck you get to pick out of a company junk yard.
New drivers have so much to learn, it is much more than sitting behind the wheel and going to the next address. What routes are safe, efficient and a good run? How do you maximize your hours for the best income? How do you eat healthy and affordably? Where can you sleep tonight safely and legally? How do you find a shipper or receiver that has a bad address, won't answer the phone, and dispatch has no idea either? Can you run legally with a tire that looks like that? Is it safe?
Learn for 2 years, put 20% of your earning away for a down payment, study best business practices, and don't go off half coc*ed. Make a plan, do the hard work and stick to it! The results will be much more profitable!

 

It takes time to learn all the in's and out's of the trucking business. I was in it about 3 years before I even considered owning. There is a huge difference between being a company driver and a O/O. I had the luxury of meeting and becoming friends with many O/O's and small fleet owners. I used to pick their brains all the time, and they were always happy to explain things and make suggestions. I pretty much knew what to expect with.........(settlements, mechanical, Insurance, maintenance costs, emergency tire and break down escrow, taxes, cheapest fuel, maximizing routing scenarios, etc. etc. etc. I felt pretty confident that I wouldn't get blindsided by anything. Well....... Guess what??.............nope! ....... I had at least a couple dozen "palm to forehead" moments my first year. Most all were over minor things where I could have saved a few bucks here and there, but a couple others were real eye openers regarding taxes.

My advice.......... would be to drive around on the "company dime" for a few years and talk with every O/O that will listen to you. They have a wealth on knowledge, and are more than willing to pass it on to you if you don't come off acting like a fool.

If you go the O/O route right away.................I think you will find the business about as friendly as a prison shower.