Username:

Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;ohandy1, post: 11734487, member: 318688&quot;]I was surprised to see this thread revived, but I&#039;ll take the occasion to update my unqualified decisions.</p><p><br /></p><p>I bought a 50 yd steel dump trailer.</p><p>I bought a 1999 International.</p><p>I have a broker and friends in the local C&amp;D transport market and have been working for a couple months running demolition debris to the landfill.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m making 2X+ what I had been running at $0.65/mi AFTER expenses.&nbsp; I already have my emergency repair fund funded, and it&#039;s growing.&nbsp; I&#039;ll own everything outright and be in the black by summer.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;m home every night.&nbsp; </p><p>I&#039;m happy, even excited to go to work every day.</p><p><br /></p><p>This isn&#039;t the direction I expected but that&#039;s life, we have to be searching for something to find anything.&nbsp; I was searching for my potential and found my next step.&nbsp; Reading through I remember being angry at being told I shouldn&#039;t expect success as an owner.&nbsp; The negative replies about trailers and trucks being too expensive to earn a profit.&nbsp; Repairs would destroy me. Oh, and I had to drive years before I could claim to know how, my personal fav.&nbsp; There was no point in doing more than work as a company driver for 5 -10 yrs and maybe then I&#039;d be good enough to reach for more.</p><p><br /></p><p>I did get an &quot;attitude&quot;, but I still think for cause.&nbsp; I didn&#039;t get honest answers warning me about risk, I was given a scolding for being so brash as to think I could start my own business as an owner within a single year of getting a cdl.&nbsp; Well I did it.&nbsp; Maybe the next guy who thinks to believe in himself enough to dream of more will get someone to inspire that dream rather than try to grind it to dust.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>New drivers need the experienced drivers to help them muddle through. I had been a business owner before, so I already have experience in dealing with the challenges of running a business.&nbsp; Most new drivers don&#039;t, but they don&#039;t need to be told they can&#039;t.&nbsp; Even warnings of pitfalls can be given with a positive attitude.&nbsp; This is what offended me the most. I didn&#039;t need the answers to come from here, though I had hoped, but the negativity was unexpected.&nbsp; If I got it, so must others.&nbsp; How many believe the &quot;can&#039;t do that&quot; attitude and give up?&nbsp; I witnessed it at another forum too with a young new driver, by a moderator no less.&nbsp; Told the kid he was stupid, for what I don&#039;t recall, and called it &quot;tough love&quot;.&nbsp; Got myself booted from that one when I called him out.</p><p><br /></p><p>Many years ago I let an Army recruiter and a disgruntled FBI agent dissuade me from pursuing my dream and settle. I made that mistake once, that was enough.&nbsp; To new drivers I say don&#039;t settle, to the old I say be helpful, not spiteful.</p><p><br /></p><p>Safe Travels[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your username or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?