Update on becoming O/O

my score dropped from above 700 to lower then 600. (maxed out credit cards at the moment). my 1997 auto insurance went from 250 to 1000. every 6 months. the story i get is becuase of a speeding ticket that i got LONG before i even signed up. and drops in 6 more months. needless to say, i'll be switching to allstate for 450 in the coming days.

now watch the naysayers come along and say there's more to the story.

SORRY, but that's the story. my score goes up. my rate drops. my score goes down. my rate goes up. and unlike years ago where the increase was only a few dollars. now it's a few hundred.

 

They have been penalizing for low scores for 10 years now, nothing new. Just another way to suck money out of your pocket.

 

• ≥800 Excellent Credit
• 
  750-799 Very Good Credit
• 
  700-749 Good Credit

• 
  650-699 Fair Credit
• 
  600-649 Poor Credit
• 
  <600 High Risk
• is it Ok and easy to get loads YesI recommend you get someone to load you @ first before you start trucking. you need to know more a bout getting loads & what kind of loads to look for & if the loads are worth hauling.U need help Bad dude U R Fixin to put the family up for Auction.Driving trucks is bad enough. Driving your own truck requires a lot of knowledge.Because you have to beat Lucifer "Brokers" in Their own game Are you sure U R Ready 4 This?
• "and not have DOT inspect ya alot cause of no qualcom?" that don't make sense

• Also best to do own paper work and what programs best and worth to use for everything? How much trucking have done so far?
• Or is it better and smarter to have my own satellite so brokers load me easier ? who R U Talking to ? or getting advice from?

 

Qualcomm has nothing to do with the dot and inspections. Qualcomm is only used by carriers as a communications device between the company and their drivers. New authorities might be more of a target for inspections, but more likely it will be those who have high CSA scores or poor safety scores that they will target. Some just look at your equipment and if something looks out of place, you get an inspection. Sometimes, they just inspect every so many trucks. For instance, they may check every 6th truck. You may never know why you were pulled in for an inspection.

Most brokers use a fax, computer and cell phone to communicate with carriers and owner operators running their own authority. You may want to get a lap top and an all in one printer for your truck. You can pay for both in a very short time with the back and forth on new contracts. You can get an air card for your computer or use the WiFi found at most truck stops. Some can use their iPad or other cell phone to send and receive faxes and rate confirmations.

 

Sounds like someone gave you a half axed explanation of how a QUALCOMM would keep the DOT off your back. Electronic onboard recorders tied to your ECM that log everything your truck does almost exactly as you do it are what have the DOT wave you on through. They know, or at least think EOBR's don't ever lie. Right now they're the in thing for mega carriers to force on their company drivers and o/o (many of whom probably wouldn't have the courage to stand up and say no to being co-erced into running way past human limits anyways) and those guys praise them and love them. You can spot these kinds rolling thru a truckstop parking lot at 35mph, almost running over pedestrians who get in the way, trying to make up for lost time because they're against a timer. Or blazing thru a 45mph construction zone at 63mph for all their governed truck is worth, again making every minute count so they don't run out of hours.

They might be required by law at some point in the near future but in the here and now they're not. So no sense in hampering yourself with an unnecessary babysitter telling you when to do what. When/if the time comes we are all forced on them either adapt or quit. The megas are trying to get this imposed by law on all trucks out here in order to stifle their competition. Who's more nimble and better able to serve than they are. As far as Qualcomm or any satcomm on the truck that is the craziest thing I have ever heard? If you're an o/o leased to a mega carrier and they're holding your hand, yeah, you'll probably have a QUALCOMM. I have never heard nor seen of any broker out here who requires the truck to be sitcom equipped. If they want instant load tracking options there are much better ways (smartphones) than hardwiring a big plastic dome on the roof of your truck.

 

Driving the truck is the simple and easy part.

Getting paid for driving the truck is the hard part.

Learning the, "how to", in getting loads and rates is what makes and breaks O/O's.

Most O/O's fail, not because they can't, or don't drive the truck, but because they can't generate profitable rates.

There are a lot of brokers out there that will keep you loaded and running......

Whether you'll be making any money or not, that is the real question.

You can get a load paying $1.40 a mile easy.

Try getting somewhere between $2.75-$3.50 a mile on a load going 2500 miles.

Not trying to be a bummer, just trying to help you in an area that you really need to be concerned about, and where I think you may not be focused on....