Recommended Amount of Experience

About 4 years minimum

 

1 year might be fine, but you would need the other skills as well. Perhaps the cash to buy rather than finance, land if you are looking to take the truck home daily/weekly etc.

The one biggest thing you dont know (presumably since youre asking now) is what rates actually are and how they function. Ie, what the current market is, how its cycling. hint, buying now isnt the right time, not without a good plan. Truck prices are high, trailer prices are high, rates arent that great.

If i had the land, a shop, and a decent company at the moment, i might try buying a dirt cheap truck for cash, working on it for a year on weekends while continuing employment elsewhere, maybe get regulatory stuff in order, but just get READY to go on the next boom cycle (if there ever is one) what i would NOT do is try and start now from scratch with a big truck n trailer payment and rates down

 

@wattcc, rates are down; fuel is sky high (and going higher).

Thus, the timing for such a plan, for the foreseeable future--is terrible.

This gives you PLENTY OF TIME to rack up some experience, to do so when things later improve...down the road (pun intended ).

In the meantime, you might be well served to know about the following opportunity (if you don't, already):

USA Truck Introduces Self-Dispatch Program - Drivers - Trucking Info

This position/opportunity gives you load board experience (what you'll need to be successful on your own, anyway), while you enjoy the security of being a company driver--without all those headaches/risks that you would incur if you started on your own now--or in the foreseeable future.

While you're doing the above--learn as much as you can about the business--especially what everything costs (or can cost).

Hope this helps....

--Lual

 

I am inclined to say 4 or 5 years minimum. I think thats when you really start to learn the good, bad and ugly of trucking. That would apply to most, but some drivers learn faster and are students of the game. I think it depends on how you immerse yourself in learning the business and driving side.

 

Started out with school experience right into the truck of my own. You have plenty of driving experience. What more do you need to learn on how to drive a truck?

 

Give it a year, maybe two, equipment is going down, not much but it will, freight rates are going down, no need being stuck with high truck payment and low rates having you run super hard for no/little return on money.

Keep your eye out for a deal, but not to much of one, to good to be true usually is, but say someone retiring and wanting to sale until the year or so when prices return to somewhat normal.

 

Load securement ?
You mean strapping down the cargo inside the trailer ?
Or finding the loads ?