Running under your own authority vs being leased is not always better!!

Exactly what I'm doing with Conway Truckload. OTR, load refusal, good support. Well, I admit I'm enjoying the corporate fuel discounts, $.50 - $.75/g. As for going back to company driver? Not in this lifetime, Reefer. I'm saving dollars, and plan to move into O/O when I can buy a trailer cash purchase. Not adding to debt because I want my next step to be an upward direction, not another step closer to the cliff.

 

You crossed my mind when I read that Trucker article. So it was you! Kdub looks white in your avatar.

 

Are you running for percentage at Conway? If not, it really won't be a springboard. Pricing is the number one thing you'll deal with on a daily basis. If you don't know what lanes should pay, how can you price them?

 

Your wrong!

 

I called around to some places that were looking to add O/Os. They wanted to keep anywhere from 16%-20% PLUS $100-$150 per week for insurance. I cant believe someone would agree to that. It is out there, beware.

 

I have my own authority and would not go back to leasing with a company. With my own authority, I spend less time on the road, make more money, and spend a lot less time waiting for the next load. My wife stays at home and does the dispatching and handling the back office. But we also use tripsheetsonline.com for IFTA and IRP reporting, which makes life a bit easier. The biggest headache she has is trying to find profitable loads and sometimes makes as many as 60 calls a day. I drive the truck, keep up on the maintenance and make sure loads are delivered on time and in good condition. I also keep in touch with the broker for each load to keep them informed of delivery times and any problems.

When we were leased to a company, it was load, deliver and wait. I don't like waiting and want to keep rolling, knowing where my next load is before making a delivery. My wife makes sure this happens and has our truck booked a week to ten days in advance. When leased to a company, my dispatcher just couldn't understand that waiting wasn't generating revenue. My wife and I work hard at the business, but we sure enjoy it better and as leased operators.