Simple curious questions that most O/O should know please

I am home about every Friday sometimes Saturday leave out about Sunday or Monday
run about 3300 to 3500 depends on how much money I want to make(don't help matters I aint getting any younger)
as for website never used them
DOT just depends really what mood there in
most of my loads are pre-planned that is till something screws up
as far as not going to places you don't want to go....I do that on a weekly basis just part of the job very few places I wont go

 

Oh,ok got ya I would go for it has its moments though just like company driver but as you said you get to tell them hell no or I want to go here.
Sounds like your ready to make the change go for it only live once

 

Most carriers follow the rates, or should. I am in this business to make money. I tend to follow the rates. I try to stay out of poor freight areas and run those areas where rates are better and freight is more readily available. If you only run where you want, especially starting out, you will probably not do that well. For instance, I have known some owner operators who only want to run the left coast. They will take most anything at any rate to keep the wheels rolling so that they can run back and forth to the west coast. Some of them that I have known, have gone bankrupt. Had they changed the way that they ran, they might have made a success out of their business. Running your own authority also doesn't guarantee that you will be paid for everything that you do. For instance, if you pull a flat bed, you may be offered a rate that is all inclusive. The load needs to be tarped. You will need to decide whether the rate is sufficiently high enough for you to tarp the load and haul it. Some van or reefer loads may require driver assist. You may need to assist in loading or unloading or hire a lumper to do the work.

As an owner operator you do have choices. No one can force you to take a load, go to an area where you don't want to go or to even run. It is your choice. You also have a choice as to whether you want to run, sit or deadhead. If you own the truck and want to go home, it is your truck and your fuel so you can go home any time you wish. It only takes money.

This is an industry that is grossly over regulated. But, I still enjoy the business. There are some things that I don't like. But that is true with any industry or job. You can still earn a good living as long as you are willing to work hard and smart. It takes both.

 

From my view ..... Since you want to run less miles and enjoy life. Have you thought about running cars? My drivers give me a general direction and how long they want to be out and I run them as they please. Cars are everywhere, so you are not just stuck to rolling down the interstate. Someday you just drive another day you may load 9 cars in 4 different locations and unload 6 at 3 other locations.

This winter I had two lady drivers who hated the weather back home in KCMO, so they had me keep them in the deep south of Texas were it was warm. They would take off 2-3 days each week and get a cheap room on the beach.

 

the questions may seems simple to you, but answering them correctly is more difficult than you think.

1. you can find a load pretty much anywhere in 5 minutes or less. But is it worth hauling ? The challenge is NOT finding loads, there's all kinds of them. It's choosing the right one and it is part art and part science. I've been doing it for over a year and am still improving and learning every day.

2. you don't have to drive 3000+ miles/week to make a profit. Some choose to run long miles, but if you feel you have too, you're doing it wrong. But what you're really missing the point is YOU have to DO all the work that the office staff at a trucking company does for you. and/or hire someone to do it. you can easily put yourself in a situation where you are running 1500 miles/week and working more hours than you did as a company driver running 3000. I would say for every 10 hours driving and loading/unloading/fueling, etc... (the driver stuff) plan to spend 2-5 hours doing office stuff. The more money you want to make per mile the more of that stuff planning, bookkeeping, etc... you'll have to do. Don't ever think you buy a truck to do what you do for a company. It's 1/3 other stuff that you have to learn and get very good at if you want to be successful.

3. good DOT officers just go by random, I'm sure there are those who single out O/O's. I have had a couple that told me they specifically picked me to inspect because I was a new carrier. They wanted to "help me" make sure I was up to par and had my ducks in a row.

4. Everyone's standard of good pay is prolly different. Personally, my expenses before I get paid runs about $1.20/mile. Now I know I can get $0.40/mile as a company driver anyday, and I know that I spend about an hour doing other stuff for every 2 hours driving duty. So I darn well better be getting $1.20 for expenses + $0.40 driving + $0.20 additional work = $1.80. However, I also have over $100,000 of my money into this jive and a lot of risk involved I need a return on, so basically I figure I need to be averaging $2+ mile to consider this any kind of success. Usually I shoot to gross 5k/week and net 2k/week. Doesn't always work out, but that is a reasonable goal I think.

5. My company sends me to places I never would have wanted to go as well. Maybe some day I will be able to afford to run where I want when I want, but right now it is the dollar bill in charge, not me.

 

True if you are running a full blown 9-10 car carrier. But we operate duallys and 6 car haulers that are self contained. Even so having wheels is not a major issue in most places. I am legally blind and don't drive ...much. I can fly into most any place and find cabs or car services. Use to be in Vegas 2 out of 4 weeks and never drove, always used cabs for short trips or a car service for longer trips.

 

Blowing my own horn... But a good dispatch service can take care of all the "office work", billing and collections and let you do what you do best.....drive. And a good dispatcher will earn their pay and maybe more, as they are paid a percentage of each run.