Some numbers for new O/O

Owner of a start up trucking company.
2 trucks, 1 daycab and 1 highway unit.
Highway unit just got out of the repair shop for new clutch, a few transmission parts. With discounted parts and labour, my total was $ 8,000.00. It so painful to see that figure and if I don't fix it immediately, the repair bill + tow could exceed $10000. Each month its something new with these older trucks.

 

How's business been for you? How new are you exactly to the O/O world? Do you have some operating numbers breaking down the profits and costs, maintenance, etc?

 

The company is a 2 man show at the moment. Both of us are owners. My partner has 20 years worth of dispatch, customers, operations etc knowledge and experience and I am new to the industry. Wheels started to turn legitimately in March of 2024 with our daycab. Later in the summer we picked up a highway unit for cheap knowing the risks and repair costs associated with it. Started to run our client relationship skills and got enough work for daycab and highway unit to stay alive... key words.. staying alive...

It is a major learning opportunity for the both of us with all the ins and outs of owning trucks to running a business. We make mistakes and we try to learn from them as we go along. Biggest expenses so far is no doubt fuel, insurance, repairs/maintenance and tolls.

 

Just don’t make the mistake to get rid of the old truck right after you’ve fixed/updated most of it…. I work on quite a few trucks and see this happen time and time again. I also run some of my own and have found 99 percent of the time the best way to get reliable older trucks is buy them right after something major failed and then rebuild the majority of it from the ground up. At the end you have more or less a new truck without all the new truck bs…..this might be tough if you’re paying for 100 percent of the work as opposed to doing the majority in house.

 

Hopefully a mod will be along soon and ban you.

 

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Looks like we can safely say, "Gottem."

 

Going out on the road is risky compared to local work no matter what kind of truck it is.

 

Previous owner gets scared of it and angry/frustrated after a couple tough events and just wants it out of his sight. I know, I've had to fight those temptations before too. Logically this is usually a bad idea and just turns into a ripping good deal for the next guy who owns it. It's just a bunch of parts bolted to a frame, but it can get under your skin when bad repairs and extensive downtime almost put you out of business. Punishing the truck by forcing it to leave your good graces is a tempting idea.

And then of course with used trucks you always have to ask yourself why it's even available for sale if it's just such a fantastic and reliable workhorse. I have always been very transparent with private party buyers about any vehicle I was selling where I had to look them in the eye, but not everybody will be. New is always less risky here. It was manufactured and shipped to the dealer and here it is for sale. Not much to hide or lie about, and it has a warranty. If its a car, it even has lemon law protections.

 

One thing I would never do is let anybody drive a truck that I owned.

Even letting an owner-op lease onto your authority is a risky idea if they have cowboy-ish tendencies in even the slightest way who will put your CSA score or insurance policy at risk. And if it's somebody as smart and careful as you are they probably don't need your help in the first place. Exceptions here and there of course. It's too dangerous and risky of an occupation IMO to trust really anybody but yourself out there. And torn up trucks will put you out of business. The billion dollar mega carriers can absorb a few broken trucks and unsafe drivers but average joe owner operator cant.