Woman wanna be with lots of questions...

It will be easier to take a vacation as a company driver than an owner operator. You still have to pay for that truck while you on vacation. Also if you like the house you are living in you may also want to stay company driving. As an owner operator you will have to run hard and stay out there to make the money, therefore rarely seeing the house you are paying for.

Once you have a good year or two behind you and have saved up at least $20,000-$30,000 in the bank then you can think about buying a truck. One breakdown could wipe you out! While you are driving company keep track of everything you do as if you were an owner operator. After a year has gone by see how you have done. Make your decision from there whether it is worth it or not to buy your own truck. You may find you will make more money and have less headaches as a company driver. Also your number one key to your success is going to be your dispatcher. You want to establish a good relationship with them and see what you are getting for miles before making the leap to O.O.

Good luck....

 

Have to concur with what all has been said already, and maybe I can add something more.
Getting some experience under your belt has already been covered. Adding to this, you also need to see how you like running OTR and driving a truck in general. For me, personally, I found that I liked it much better being a sitework driver, spending long hours going from site to site, getting to operate equipment, etc, whereas I found OTR dull and boring. But I've run into road drivers who thought I was out of my mind for wanting to be doing that instead of OTR. Take some time and find your niche.
ALSO, when you do decide to kick things up a notch and buy your own truck, you'd better be prepared and have the know-how to do some of your own wrench turning. Freight may come cheap, but mechanics don't. Granted, you're not going to rebuild a motor on the side of the road, but there are little things any driver SHOULD be able and willing to do that can still cost a ludicrous amount to have a mechanic do. I've seen lease/purchase sorts who would sit for hours at a shop waiting for their truck to be pulled in over simple things such as replacing air lines or glad hands. Most shops will charge by the flag hour. So, if they flag a job for four hours, but it's handled by a seasoned mechanic who can get it done in two, guess what? You're still paying for four hours of labor. Something as simple as changing batteries.... you'll spend $500+ for the batteries, then they'll want to charge you $150 or more to replace them. Guess what? 15 minutes and a wrench for no charge is a much more attractive option.

 

Good advice Witchinghour!

Just to add to that, same for the business side of things. Being an owner operator is owning your own business. Learn all you can about owning your own business. Many books on CD you can listen too while chuggin down the road driving company.

 

My personal recommendation is to get about 5 years under your belt before going the O/O route. This will give you time to see if you like the job,learn the mechanics of trucks and time to save up money for a down payment. DO NOT do a lease purchase through a company. I have too many reasons that I could list that this is a bad decision. When I was a company driver I was a trainer. I trained two females because my company didn't a female trainer. I was uncomfortable with the arrangements but it worked out. One of the ladies I trained 15 years ago is still in contact with me. She bought her first truck two years ago. She is doing very well. She was patient and saved up a sizable amount of money for a down payment. She was able to get a real nice truck with a low monthly payment. So please be patient. BTW stopping every 4 hours is not unreasonable. My wife sometimes rides with me and I stop every 4 hours for her.

 

Don't let anyone tell you that being an O/O with control over your own life is not a worthwhile goal. It is. Whereas being an employee who has every aspect of their life dictated to them by somebody else can hardly be considered a goal. But which is harder? Being an O/O, of course. Would it be any other way? As Benjamin Franklin once said "Those who would sacrifice their liberty for security deserve neither".

 

If your trainer is reasonable, about every 3 or 4 hours.

You should have at least 3 2 or 3 years as a company driver before you even think about buying a truck. You need to learn the business before you take on the additional financial risk and responsibility of owning a truck.
*DO NOT enter into a lease purchase agreement with a carrier.*
When you finally buy a truck, buy it from a dealer. Carrier lease purchase programs wil result in you spending as much as a new truck costs, but you'll get a used truck. And you can only guarantee that they'll give you enough miles to make your truck payment.

As an O/O, you can only take hometime when you can afford to not have income. The truck payment is due every month, but if the wheels aren't turning, you aren't earning.

Viel Glück!

 

Truer words were never spoken!