taking advice from people who have FAILED in the trucking buisness?

Redwolf, you are right. You are good if you learn from your mistakes. If you learn from other's mistakes, that is worth so much more.
Catalyst of people. d55

 

I was driving from 1999-2003, and I am looking into going back on the road in a year once I get back from deployment from Iraq and get out the Army. I seen the lease deal that all the outfits are running and I dont get a good feeling on that, correct me if I am wrong ( would not be the first time...lol) but that program looks to me that you are paying that company to drive their truck and cover all the other $$$$ that they dont have to. seems like a good way for a company to make money and not the driver.

So I am not going to mess with the lease deal.

I drove for to companys Lisa Motor lines and for a o/o at National Carriers
The o/o i worked for at NCI had a fleet of over 30 trucks and was great person to work for. I know he was doing very well untill the fuel hike and what I heard is that he has lost most of his trucks. I feel real bad for him if thats true.

Now to the point.... I am thinking of buying a truck finding a outfit to run with. now I have looked at what some are paying o/o in the range of .86 to .90 I know there are some that pay more and less. with getting .90 how can you make good off that and having to deal with fuel cost, tax etc.etc. It looks like that I may be better off as a company driver.

So any light that someone can shine on this would be nice to help me out. with me having a wife and 2 kids I #### sure dont want to put them in a hole and could not dig out.

 

In this economy I suggest trying to get a decent company job with benefits. If you want to be an owner op someday then save your pennies and do ALOT of research in the meantime. Finance your truck or better yet pay for it with CASH. Owning the truck can shave .20 to .25 cpm off your operating expenses.

Forget about the lease purchase angle. It really is not worth it when you factor in all the costs vs the benefits.

 

Geeze man, I hope that things are going better for you now. It sounds like it was a really rough ride.

 

Things are much better now that I do not have the stress of worrying about the business end of things. I get good pay and benefits which was something I had to live without while I was a lease op (with the exception of medical insurance).

Here is a list of the things I could NOT afford as a lease op that I now get as a company driver; Dental, disability, workers comp, and life insurances, Discounted AFLAC insurance, vacation pay, sick pay, paid personal days off, breakdown pay, layover pay, congestion pay, 401k with employer match, plus I only pay half the social security and medicare tax.

Other things that I used to have to pay out of my pocket are now included at no charge such as truck payments, truck washes, pm's, fuel, qualcomm fees, trailer rental, and trip pak fees. Of course it is their truck and now I am a company driver so when the job is done I get to go home rather than worry about working on a truck in my spare time.

 

So with all of this, what are the benefits of being an OO?

 

For some it is the freedom to pick and choose what they haul, when they haul it, and where to.

For others it is the pride they have in the ride itself. Such as a classic styled (old school look) big hood Pete, KW, Western Star, or Marmon that has all the bells and whistles owner ops demand, non governed, more chrome than the local truckstop has in stock, and more "chicken lights" than the local town airport has on its runways.

Trucks like the above scream "look at me!!!" so it is a status symbol to them.

On the other hand company trucks are usualy stripped down, bare bones rides that have governed engines and minimal creature comforts.

Many years ago owner ops could actually make a decent living with their big fancy trucks but not anymore. The big companies have entered the field and with alot of foresight have specced their trucks for fuel economy, slashed the rates, gotten into bulk pricing arrangements for fuel, repairs, and truck purchases, and have a 3 year trade rotation to take advantage of warranties and fewer break downs. Add into this mix a balanced benefits package and drivers flock to them rather than try the o/o route.

The competition is fierce now a days and rates are cut to the bare minimum. In some cases freight is discounted so heavily that the carrier actually loses money on that particular load but is banking on forcing the competition out so they can then increase the rates and recoup the loss further down the road. Basic economics really. Walmart is a perfect example of this practice.

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Thats what I did anyway.

 

I'm surprised you've made it 11 yrs in this biz with that line of thinking.

 

Love the quote from T. R. he was quite an amazing man. He lost all his money in a cattle ranch in Dakota and it did not even slow him down for a minute. Just picked up the pieces and moved on to something else which led him to the presidency.

 

Ya, I drove for Arrow trucking when they were an oilfield hauler. I had the nicest truck in the fleet and kept it that way, quit 2 x when the oilfield went bust and ea. time they called me back and ran me some more. I keep my stuff polished and fixed.