Team O/O's With Own Authority

Like I said, you are wrong! A lease purchase, sponsored by a carrier, is what you are calling a lease.

The contract you sign as an OWNER OPERATOR, leases YOUR truck to the carrier, and is called, wait for it................. A LEASE!

An INDEPENDENT OPERATOR, is someone who runs under their own authority, which is what Optimus will be forced to do because of his wife's driving record.

 

I'm not saying I'm the end all be all of trucking knowledge. I learn stuff every day. However, I've been an o/o since 2001, ran under my own authority from 2003-2009, had 3 trucks and had an owner operator LEASED to me, had a brokerage for two years that I never had time for, was an independent driver recruiter for a few months for 16 companies, and for the last two plus years, have been leased to Landstar.

I do all of my own work on my truck that is cost effective, I've been spanked by IFTA/IRP, and I'm always looking for a better deal that allows me to work less and make more (thinking about buying a RGN now). I started on a shoestring, you can read my post in that thread, but I was single with no liabilities what so ever. I don't speak out of my ### when I give advice here, I speak from my real experience. If I think someone's plan has a fault, I'll speak up, because I'd hope someone would do the same for me.

 

With your wife's driving record you will probably not be able to find a carrier who will accept her due to her driving record. Most carriers will accept 2-3 moving violations in the 3 previous years. That comes from their insurance companies. If there is a 15 mph over the posted speed limit, that will usually kill any possibility of leasing to a carrier until it drops off your record. To tell you the truth, I would expect it to be next to impossible to get insurance coverage with as many tickets as she has received in such a short time. You need to get her to slow down and pay attention. What she does under your authority can impact your CSA score and your safety record will impact your ability to get the better paying loads. I have gotten a number of good paying loads due to my safety record and reputation.

If you want to drive as a team then I would suggest you consider pulling either a van or reefer. You don't need to only look for loads that require teams. I would look for longer runs and then work on getting a shorter delivery time. There are some who post team loads on load boards. Once you make some contacts and demonstrate that you are reliable you should start to get calls on team loads.

You can run your business off load boards, but you will need to learn how to be a good negotiator. I rarely post my trucks or use public load boards unless I am in a bad freight area or heading toward one. I mainly use my personal contacts. That will come with time. I have people with whom I have done business for many years and have a good reputation with them. I just booked a load yesterday that will pay me very well. It is from someone that I have done business for many years. He called me before posting his load. In fact, I doubt that he ever posts his loads. He has a list of people like me whom he has dealt and will usually be able to find a carrier before he has to post the load. With the rate he pays he will be bombarded with calls if he posts them.

You can use quick pay or factor loads. It is a good way to get started. I would be careful with whom I used quick pay or factor. Some quick pay brokers will charge as much as 8%. I won't usually pay more than 1 1/2-2%. The factor that I use charges 5% for non recourse, but I rarely use them. At one time I used them a lot. I use them to check to see how a new company pays, but since I limit those with whom I do business, there is little need to use them. If you get good rates you should do better on your own than leasing to a carrier, but that will be totally dependent on your negotiating skills and business acumen. Some do better leasing to another carrier. I understand that is not an option in your situation.

I primarily deal with a few companies for most of my freight. It takes time to build a relationship. Once you get some experience you may consider making some calls to see if you can find some direct business. I would not recommend direct business until you gain some experience running your authority.

 

Optimus- my father and I are currently leased to roadrunner as team, the only reason they accepted me is because I had a school certificate. Prior to being able to drive they had asked if I had any driving experience or a school certificate, I sent in the certificate and they called the school to verify and was hired.

We plan to get our own authority sometime this spring, my dad has/had experience in the industry and had three trucks back in 2006 when he was gonna get his authority but was diagnosed with cancer so couldn't. We planned on driving for a year save as much as we could and get our own authority, anyway A LOT of people on here are helpful and what they say makes sense, we gotta build relationships to be able to book those loads, and be good negotiators! Good luck !! All of us will need it

As for all you other cookies on these forums- thanks for your input, learned a lot and learning some more each day =)

 

I am sure you can learn a lot from your dad if he has been in the business for several years. It helps that he has owned trucks previously so he should know what to expect. I am glad that you and your dad plan to put money back before getting your authority. You can weather some bad times when you have money set aside.

 

Where do you get your team loads?