THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE - DFO gets a truck and hops on Schneider's IC Choice Program

And on that note, I'm going to sleep because I'm getting a little loopy. Goodnight!

 

Nice dream...lol

 

24 inch rims? You some sort of momma's boy? You need at least 40 inch wire rims WITH the spinners. Don't forget to chrome the frame rail and get the "la la cucaracha" train horn.

In all seriousness I tell my trainees that want to go be ICs, wait a year and make sure you REALLY want to do it. During that year, talk to a bunch of ICs. You also need to save very penny you can while RECORDING EVERYTHING YOU SPEND MONEY ON. Everything from the big things like rent, car payments, groceries to the 25 cent gumball. You need to know how much you spend on YOU before starting a business so you can have 6 months of living expenses saved up. That should give you a nice cushion to cover all the "unexpected costs" that will occur. I say "unexpected" because when you tell your horror story every one is probably going to say something like "didn't you know that?".

I get a lot of guys who come thru my truck that have NO money management skills. Every single one of my trainees get's taken to a grocery store before we leave. On the way over I talk to them about things they should get (lunch stuff, soda/water, individual packaging may cost more but are more convenient, etc). I am constantly amazed at how much some guys will spend at a T/S on soda, candy, chips, etc. I am also amazed at how much money they leave in the truck. Over the last year I kept the change that students leave in their cubby/bunk/let drop into my bed separate from my own change (if I find it before they leave the truck I do make sure to give it back to them). I had 28 guys, I just cashed in $56.35. Nickles and dimes may not seem like much, but they do add up. The more you pay attention to where you money goes, the less money will "disappear" from your bank account.

DFO is spot on with the whole "work on your own stuff" paradigm. It's a big reason why I haven't gone the IC route, I don't know enough nor do I have the space/tools to work on my own stuff. Not to mention I live in GB where it takes a special kind of stupid to work outdoors from November to May. Were I to go the IC route I would need a much newer truck. That need has always made the numbers not work for me. But for where I live, how much my DBL works for me, and the training pay my pay as a company driver is pretty darn high (.45 cpm to the hub last year counting bonus, after taxes and insurance). If I average $1.50 a practical mile to the truck, but had costs of $1.05 I would break even. Not worth the risk. But not everyone is in my position. It is very important that you run YOUR numbers for YOURSELF. There are a bunch of guys on here that are very open about their costs/incomes. They're great resources and starting points. But make sure to do the math yourself, knowing your needs and wants.

 

Could not agree more. Before making the decision to buy another truck, I ran MY numbers combined with some other folks fixed numbers (insurance, tags, etc...) I also estimated MPG and used a very conservative figure. Once I ran the numbers and checked them over 100 more times, I made the decision. Being a O/O more of a job than being a company driver. You have to willing to accept the risk, financial obligations, maintenance requirements, time to do your accounts payable/receivable, quarterly tax payments, find your freight, time/cost to preform maintenance, cost of breakdowns....the list goes on and on. I would strongly encourage anyone considering buying a tractor to do as much research as you can and run those numbers before you take the leap!

 

I've said it before, but I want to reiterate. You guys are awesome!

You're more than willing to share personal details to help others, give your opinion on various options, and offer sound advice that maybe some don't want to hear (but definitely need to hear!)

Thanks again for sharing!!

 

Is the requirement for ic doing otr for 6 months in the van division? They won't count indermodal or bulk division?

 

If you have less than 6 months with the company you may run into difficulties with your manager allowing you to transfer. However, the corporate growth strategy for this year is to increase the IC capacity. So in a sense, if you want to become an IC it may be doable. The IC side of the house will give whatever division your coming from a $7K contribution to their P&L; on the other hand if you were to resign they would be faced with a $5K deduction from corporate. But from reading your other post, it looks like you are fishing for money. Be sure you know what you are getting yourself into...

 

Hey mickimause, are you in a truck yet?

 

Leaving here (home) tomorrow, not sure if I'm going to Gary or GB to pick one up. I figure by the time I get to the airport (1 hr), back home to pack the rental (1-2 hrs), and drive to wherever (4-7 hrs), it'll be Wednesday before I get a truck. And I won't hear from Patty about where until tomorrow morning. She did say she would call by 8 a.m., CST (9 my time), so that means a fairly late start anyway. sigh...

I'm excited, and nervous, and anxious. Can't wait to start this new direction, but a bit antsy about actually starting it!

Sorry for hijacking your thread, DFO...

 

Chew on anyone's ear here, we're all here to help
I bet you end up going to Battle creek or woodhaven, gary don't have any GB trucks there