Seriously Thinking Of Buying a Truck...HELP!!!

I don't recall having a "don't think you can do it" mentality. I just stated out of the gate that you need to have a real desire to run a business. The truck and driving it is only part of that equation. Not that you are in that camp, but many just want a truck to strut around and say they are an owner operator and mount 18 thousand lights of the rig and burn up fuel like it is still .50 a gallon.

I have to take some issue with comments being made about you can't make much money leased on with a company. That is only partly true. I would agree that seems to be the case with most of the mega outfits, but there are some darn good smaller carriers that actually make sure that their owner ops are making good. But it takes two to tango. They are not going to give you everything and it is not going to be like a kid in a candy store. You have to manage things well on your side. And you have to also look out for the carrier that you are in business with like a partnership. If they don't have that same philosophy, join up with someone who does or go out on your own. If I didn't have such a good relationship with the people I pull for, I would probably seriously consider doing that.

I am leased to a smaller carrier. Not much money? Been in trucking just shy of 3 decades..... have 68 acres of prime Iowa farmland (paid for), have a 2005 New Holland ag tractor (paid for), various implements (paid for), have a 2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel (paid for), 2006 International 9400 darn near paid for. Heated shop for working on truck and other stuff (paid for), Only real debt is the mortgage on the house. And I am just completing a roofing job on 2 buildings and the house... that job paid for without a loan or using a credit card. Don't let that $1 a mile rate crap fool ya. If you have a good package deal, then it may not be that bad. For instance, my total fuel cost on average is 7 cents a mile (when fuel was thru the roof, it was actually less per mile), I get reimbursed for MY baseplates and all the IFTA taxes are paid for me (not filed for me... paid for me). No cost for permits. Got a BC/BS HSA major health policy for wife and I, with $5 million payout.... $356 a month. Got that one on my own thru an independent agent. My total truck insurances cost me $117 a month including cargo insurance.

Was it peaches and cream to get this far along? Not on your life! I have tweaked the numbers and done all I could to minimize costs over the years, and busted my chops quite a bit along the way. It can be done by anyone, even in this economy. But you have to be a bean counting fool with a desire and drive to succeed.

And don't fool yourself, Longshot, you ALWAYS work for someone else unless you are only hauling freight that belongs to you. Trucking is a service provided to a customer. You may not work for a carrier, but you do still work for someone else. This so-called "independent" idea is just that... and idea. Whether you pull under someone elses authority or under your own, you still have to keep the customer satisfied.

 

An old song reminds me of this. " Garden Party ". I played the corporate salary for a little while but not way up. I can fully understand wanting to get out of a building and into the open roads. Glad your enjoying life.