straight truck newbie

Kinda difficult starting a local bussiness in a straight truck one would think. Unless of course you already have contacts that have steady work for you. What’s on your mind? What do you plan on hauling? Need to know specs of the truck to tell you the major expenses

 

Your biggest problem is going to be find trustworthy workers, you know, the ones who show up every day and give you a honest days work. There is many talkers anymore but finding can do workers is going to be your biggest chore. Pay them right and latch onto the good ones.

 

Sounds like you already bought the truck? I see red flags with somebody coming into a forum like this, asking questions to complete strangers that should have already been asked before investing in an expensive piece of equipment. You sound like you have no idea if you made a good decision, or how to go about earning a profit. I hope you can make it work out for yourself, but asking these questions after you've already bought a truck shows you have not done your homework first or come up with a business plan / model. That's not a good start to have a successful business. If you don't have any idea of what your expenses are before you start, how can you make a decision on whether it's going to be a profitable venture for yourself? This is business 101. Good luck.

 

with the off the wall post, I don't think the op has his eggs in one basket. There is just so much fail in all points from the post, im not so sure it was a real poster

 

Let me try to help you out. Your first mistake was doing this while not seeming to know how it works
Do you have a USDOT number?
MC number?
Proper insurance coverage?
Maintenance funds?
Fuel funds?

Depending where you're at, working a straight truck can be difficult. Especially if they are undersized. You're better off running a 26' or 28'. You can work a 24', but anything smaller won't be able to take much. Take it from me.

I started as a company driver. Over building my relationship, I wanted to run on my own. I got looked out for, he managed to give me most of my current contracts and brokers. These contracts and brokers are picky on who they let run freight. And a lot of it is rush order expedited or multiple stop distribution.

Look into FedEx, USPS, UPS, Amazon, call up Bolt Express, ask around. Go to warehouses and distribution centers.

Running a straight truck can be costly in fuel. With a 50 gallon tank, it's at least $100 a day to run. You need be able to generate revenue fast enough you can run the truck. I got around this lol first chance I got I slapped a 100 gallon tank on it. I try not to run too far in a day, unless I have too.

 

OP is probably better off asking these questions in the owner operator forums. Most of us are company drivers and probably can't give much assistance in running the business side of things.

The best you will probably see on here are the usual criticism and maybe a couple of virtual high-fives from well wishers.

Good luck .

 

I ran a 26 local, my brother started with one, now has 16. Run that truck day and night, family? You don't have one now, friends? Same. Fun? Same. I had a base daily i needed to make to break even, to make money i had to turn 650 a day in gross rev. No days off, truck costs money just sitting. Its a tough game in most cities, lots of local boys to under cut you. Find a base gig that covers the bills, keep em happy, then find side work to actually make money. Luck in battle driver.... your gonna need it.

 

That's how I have to run. Truck only gets 34 hour sets for maintenance and repair. I juggle local and OTR, I run with Amazon, USPS, FedEx, and other shipping services. I'm turning about 600 a day, but that's down to I don't have the fuel range to cost effective run many miles in a day. My current schedule is a 200 mile round trip with constant stop and start. $50 a night to run the truck, turn 300 a night. Still in the green.