Why should I become an O/O ???

Well......you don't have to miss your truck at all. When you get in off of the road, you get to have quality time with just you, your truck, and some tools. You don't have to worry about finding quiet places at home, either. You run your family out of the room so that you can concentrate on the paperwork. Don't like going to your kids ball game? No problem. You'll be all tied up and in a hurry trying to figure out where that bounce in the front end is coming from and why that new $300 dollar steer tire is cupping out already before you leave again, anyhow.

Your senses are going to get way better, too. I hear, smell, and feel things while driving now that I NEVER used to while driving someone else's truck. I don't remember turning the radio down while thinking "What was that?!?" so many times before buying a truck.

It's gonna make you more honest, too. I used to tell everybody that I drove a truck just like I owned it. Not that I was lying, because I even believed it myself. It wasn't until I bought my first round of parts and paid my first couple of thousand dollars worth of labor that I started REALLY driving the truck real easy.

On the plus side, I DO make a lot more money than I used to as a company driver, but there's a lot more hours to work outside of the truck, too. More responsibility, and more stress. I remember the good old days of placing a call and saying, "It's broke. Come get me." No more of that!

My favorite thing about owning a truck, though, and the real reason I did it was that I HATED driving something I didn't like. I HATED getting in my tractor to have to readjust the mirrors seat and steering wheel. I HATED it when all of those little things that I had lest in the truck just 'walked off' over the years. I HATED fighting to get things fixed while being told, "Well, we know it's not driving good, but everything is in spec. Take it out this week and see how it does."

I love being the only one to drive the truck. I love getting to choose the seat, steering wheel, and all the other things I like. My truck is old, a '96 model, but it drives like a new one. Everything in it is EXACTLY the way I want it and it stays that way. I didn't like the steering wheel, so I got one I like. Same with the seat. I added lighting inside and outside of the tractor to make my job easier, since almost all of my running is at night. I like owning a truck, but it does come at a price. It's not for everyone.

Owning a truck has it's advantages, and so does driving someone else's. No one can know if it's for you but you. When I started driving a truck when I was 18, I was told that it wasn't the time to get in the business, but it was the best job I ever had. When I bought my truck, I was told it was no time for buying a truck. It's been great, though. Now is the same. SOme will do it and make it, and some will fail. It's not easy, and it's no magic cure or silver bullet to make more money. It takes a while. I love it and I have friends who hate it.

Think long and hard and make sure you have access to a pretty good sum of money before you start. You WILL need it and if you don't have it you'll fail or struggle for a long time to get out of a hole.

Good luck on whatever you decide!

 

paddletrucker, everything you said is true,but i think you also missed a few things... the other thing you are able to do is pick an choose your loads, You dont have to ask "hey i'v been out for 5 weeks think i could get some home time?" also hey you dont want to go to New york or california, dont take a load there,! you dont likethe rate ? dont take it! But, one must remember these are choices you must make along with the repairs, the book keeping, you are a all in one trucking company fighting to make the almighty dollar! One must remember when things go wrong ,it is you and only you that you can blame......And some see that o/o with that big shinny pete or w900, and the man says it's all his w/no payments....once the payments are gone and you have it set up the wayyou like it and have the just the maint to worrie about, you must sit back and ask yourself, how much did that man sacrafice to make his life the way it is, did he miss his kids birthdays,or did he miss the weddings or the proms, the birth of his grandkids, or show up late for x-mas morning due to a bad storm from mother nature????? Being a o/o is not for everybody ! One has to remember, when you become a o/o your the buisness man,the mechanic, the receptionist, the secratary,the driver, the cook, the laundry lady......you are a man or women of many hats.......this is a carrerr about love,paition, pride, and dedication, and thet little sucker names murphy.....yes, it is in your control and the choices you make ,dictate how things will turn out, it is your want ,your drive, your inner motovation, that will make your choice for you as for where youwant your company to be......the question you have to ask yourself are you ready to make these sacrifices>>> if the anser is yes, go for it!!...i wish you the best of luck in your indevors...... dino

 

You said it. The added control you have can be nice. It can also be your undoing. Just do it for the right reasons and be ready. It can be the greatest thing you ever did or the worst mistake you ever made. Where are you gonna get a fairer deal than that?

You'll no longer be only a trucker. You'll be a business owner, too. One must not get in the way of the other. That goes either way.

 

The points Paddletrucker and Dino made are good. The most important thing is you must have a business sence. There are some very good company drivers that have no business sence and realize it and are happy and make a good living as company drivers. We never get in trouble when we know our limitations, only when we don't know them or try and exceed them. Keep records for a year as a company driver of all expences incurred by the truck: fuel, tolls, repairs, YOUR WAGES (add another third to cover payroll loading ie: holiday pay, vacation pay, mental-dedical, employee taxes etc.), insurance, (this will be high for you starting out),licencing, tires, etc. and add in costs of an attorney, CPA, cell phone, computer and it's air time, printer, fax machine. You should have a minimum of three months costs set aside.Figure if the truck you buy will be the same year and milage as the one you may drive as a company driver and compensate accordingly. Get a subscription to a couple of load boards and check rates for where you live and where you would like to run.

Most people starting a business make less than the people working for them for several years.

 

I accuse Paddle trucker & Dino of Plagiarism for posting the thought's that were in my head on this topic.

 

My name is on the door... that alone is worth something.

Calling your own shots is important to me... I turned down a good load to PA this week because I don't like running out there anymore... I like the midwest and south so I said no. And I deadheaded home to spend a few days with my grandkids.

I get to choose my loads, how much I make and how many miles I drive each week.

I also get to work on my truck while taking a break on the road... and doing more service while I'm home.

I've made $180K gross in a year and I've made $75K gross... just depends on how hard you want to work.

 

What are the advantages? My thoughts are if you have to ask the question, you'd probably wouldn't understand the answer. Each & every one of us have our own reasons to become Owner Operators.

Is it worth it? I'd say yes. But then again, each one of us have a different definition of worth!

I disagree. Sure, I do wrench on my truck. But only the minor stuff. The major stuff goes to the trained guys to work out. And most of my major stuff gets done while I'm shut down on the road anyhow. 34 hour restarts are good for putting the truck into the shop, getting a motel room, & getting some much needed R&R.

I know many will disagree with me. But I hire an accountant to take care of all my paperwork. all I do is drop everything into an envelope, send it to them. Then they return everything all sorted out, calculated, & give me a nice & shiney P&L statement.

I guess I'm the oddball then. Cause even when I was driving someone elses truck, I was on top of the maintnance like flies on ####. Like you said, I operate that truck on a daily basis. I know what was going on. And if something wasn't right, I wanted it fixed because I didn't want to be broke down on the side of the road.

I just wanted to highlight that one phrase & say that I'm in agreeance.

No! That alone is worth everything!

 

What Redd said. Two of my friends, an o/o with 18 years experience, and an o/o with 13 years experience mentioned similar points in the post above.

If I'm still around in the future, I might consider getting my own truck, but not before doing extensive research and talking to people who know what they're doing.

 

Everyone has their own reasons. I started differently & consequently shut down once. Tearing off the company name on the door was really tough. My company name has also been my screensaver since I started in '07 & seeing it scrolling across the screen while working a day job drove me nuts that I let it all go. The guys above that mentioned this know what it means & the reason I left it on the pc was to get it back.