Who has the answer? Does the O/O or the Company Driver

O/O's can do whatever they are smart enough to do whereas company drivers can only do whatever their company will allow them to do. Of course a good company driver that has made the right kind of deal can make enough money to retire early or start their own business. It all depends on the deal you have secured for yourself. You will never achieve any greatness driving for the likes of Werner, JB HUnt, Schnieder, Sunflower, Martin,US Express, etc etc. They exist to pad their own pockets and leech off of driving schools. There are many good companies out there that pay their drivers well, but they are hard to find because the drivers there aren't talking to anyone about it. That is job security.

 

3,5,7,10 yrs spoon fed Company hands jumping into O/O thinking they got all the bases covered usually crater in the first year. Some make it to 3 years,get greedy and or over confident and down they go.

 

I wouldn't trade being an O/O for any company job out there period. Now that's just me. It's about managing your money. I have been in this debate in truck stops,cb radios,drivers lounges etc. I knew O/O's that grossed over 100K a year and couldn't pay for a tire. I know O/O's who gross 100K a year and pay cash for everything and still have money in the bank. Can an O/O make more than a company driver hell yes, but that's not what it's really about. It's not how much you make, it's how much you save! I am old school so that means you save save save and it's not easy. It takes discipline. There are comments here about you can make this much as a company driver and have these benefits and so on. I guarantee you there are company drivers that make 60-70K per year and live paycheck to pay check and there are company drivers who make 40-50K or less and have a savings account with money in it. It's all about you! I like the freedom of going where I want to go,taking time off when I want to,and frankly I kind of enjoyed telling a smart A dispatcher "I ain't gonna do it, find me something else". Being an O/O is not for every one, but I would rather try and fail then not to try at all. I made a #### good living as an O/O and wouldn't trade it for any company job.

 

Congrats on success and happiness to you and all of the other O/O's in this post. Beautiful truck BTW, but I have to ask what kind of freight are you hauling that is 24,000lbs or less and pays well enough to pay for that highway mansion? Please don't take me wrong I am not being a smart ### just curious.
Great information by all of you, very helpful.

 

I worked for a bullhauler, he went broke, went to Reefers and did it for 3 yrs didnt liek it or the treatment I got, had to rearrange a restaurants reefer to put in new product which wasnt my job, went to a dry van flatbed op hauling bombs, rockets, missles and farm products. They went broke supposedly but really the owner just santed to retire. Went to the oilfield, it bankrupted. Went to school and got a lisc to work on airplanes, retired and bought a Peterbilt with all the bells and whistles. Now 1.9 million miles since the start, all I have is a sore butt.

 

OOPs, forgot to answer the Q. You have to reinvest the money in a new truck every 400,000 mi and write off everything and run team and run 3 wk and take 5 days off. Get a big truck, never turn down freight unless it pays a negative amount. Plan ahead, run to NE if it snows in NY run to Seattle if it snows in NE and go N around it. Run the S route Jan-Feb. Keep your equipment immaculate, wait for a load, polish the truck or clean the inside, it's your home.

 

There are all sorts of loads that are light and in need of special handling. They vary from deceased people to high value electronics to team expedited loads. The truck is only your home if you throw your money away and don't manage it properly. The best way to manage your money is to do your own repairs or work exclusively with mechanics that you trust. Dealerships are snakes and should only be treated with caution.