Some numbers for new O/O

The good thing about posted rates are when you see a rate less than 1$ a mile you know you don't have to waste time calling.

 

Oh...I misunderstood. I thought that by a base rate you meant what shipper pays broker rate. My bad....
That base rate - the take it now rate is not non-negotiable. It is just their "I wish you took it" rate You still can call them and make them pay higher.

 

While it's true everything is negotiable, if someone is even attempting to move a load assay such an insulting figure of a buck a mile they aren't worth calling because you will never negotiate up to a profitable number. Sure they may come up a few pennies but no where close to what you need it to be to be a profitable load.

 

To me a posted rate is a time saver versus calling on loads to hear a broker with a ridiculous rate that someone will take eventually. It needs to be a lot more efficient and I feel it’s heading that way.

Even simply posting pick up times, delivery dates and times would save a lot of wasted calls, much less the rate.

 

Careful what you wish for. History has shown us that every time this industry gets more efficient or streamlined it lowers rates paid to the truck.

 

Some of the *better* (relatively speaking here) brokers do post weights, times, and product info on their own websites. Sometimes there are even posted rates. But I disagree with you entirely on posted rates. Posted rates are a scourge. I prefer no posted rates on any load. Just give me every other load detail and we'll figure out what works or not for a rate.

 

Greetings folks. I am a new trucker but my aspiration is to be an OO as soon as I can. I have read this long thread with great interest. I have been researching OO numbers on social media and youtube channels and I wonder about some of these OOs. This forum seems more on par with my research. Though I am new to trucking I come from business ownership background FWIW I am highly educated but a new trucker now.

One the ones that I crunched and said to myself how does this idiot make it was the infamous Chad Boblett that regularly writes for DAT load board. Honestly, after reading his article on DAT I was like these numbers are so bad that DAT should not have let him publish it. I came up with $35k a year net at best for his authority. I even chatted with him on his FB group and he sounded pretty ignorant and I was like that is why and let's leave it at it.

I am still of the opinion that being an OO could be very profitable if done right but I am too new to know the answer to a few questions.

If you leased on to an existing carrier and got 85% of the haul. What type of savings would that offer you? On Insurance? Maintenance? Any other savings that I am not aware of? Is worth giving up %15 and not have to deal with your own authority? What are the gotchas that I am too new to see?

Sticking to short-haul so the area that you work is familiar to you and when you break down you know where to go not to get stiffed in an area that you know nobody. I was thinking about sticking to DFW/Houston area. I live in Dallas and there are always loads coming and going in this lane. You can easily do a half a round trip and a day for about $900 on the spot market. That is close to the $1100 a day 5 day a week @DUNE-T correctly points out as your target daily revenue and you are home more often.

Other cost savings ideas I have but I need clarity on what it entails are...

What about roadside assistance to make your towing and minor breakdown cost more manageable?

Keeping the cost of your truck down so the $1500 a month is not only your truck payment but also the cost of depreciation. I know a guy got a 2014 Cascadia with about $400k miles for less than $30k at an auction and runs like a charm.

I am making a lot of assumptions here and really need to nail down the details, but from my inexperienced trucker point of view but as a numbers expert it seems doable if all the chips on my assumptions fall into place to clear over $100k a year working about 40-45 weeks a year.

Please pick my assumptions apart and tell me what I am missing. Do any of these assumptions or blanks in my solopreneur game plan have a chance?

 

A real life example: A turbo on a ISX Cummins 08 ( the newer type that needs actuator) fails and you are stalled on I-80 OH turnpike.

local tows: (they require both units to tow separately): $1300
turbine + actuator : $3600 + $1200 = $4800
labor: 6 hours for $100 = $600
other rip off shop items = $400
total bill: $7100

With skills and tools, someone could replace it himself paying just for the towing to a place where the replacement is possible...but the savings would be no more than $1000 on parts and labor. Besides, how many carry a spare turbo and actuator in their trucks?
It makes you feel that everybody around you wants to prey on you.

The above bill takes pretty much two week worth of profit (after fuel, tolls, equipment payment... other costs). So here is the perspective what an imbalance there is between what a load pay is and the cost site.

 

So that means buy a pretty emmisions truck ????!?!?!?!?! Lmao I'm gonna leave it at that before I get in a fight again lmao

 

Pre emmisions not pretty stupid phone