I've never driven a truck (yet).....but this is what I've been told......

[rookie37]

A guy I worked construction with told me that starting your own business truck driving is very easy....he said "Drive a truck for a few years, then buy your own rig...there's tons of guys out there that'll drive it for $10 an hour"........I asked him why he quit and he said because he would work 70 hours a week and make only $500.....I've known a few other people that drove a truck as well and there advice was "Never ever do it".......so, is it a good job or not? Is is that easy to be an O/O and have people drive for you??

[snoopyandpuppy]

Not a driver.....but I think you answered your own question.

[Useless]

Is is that easy to be an O/O and have people drive for you??

if it was all so easy, everybody would be doing it, and no one would be making much, if any money. As it is, with an economy that isn't exactly booming, with the volatility in fuel prices, and all of the regulatory considerations and tax issues to deal with, successful, highly experienced operators are struggling like hell to put black ink on the bottom line.
My advice to you would be to shoot a PM to G-Man. He's arguably the most knowledgeable trucking owner/operator here at CAD. He has many decades of experience; in fact, he had to wait until the truck was invented to op0en up shop!! Seriously though, he is highly experienced as a driver and as a small fleet owner. Bandit's Cousin would also be a good person to correspond with.
The trucking industry is sort of like the aviation industry. The best way to make a million dollars is to start out with about five million dollars.

[Roadhog]

A guy I worked construction with told me that starting your own business truck driving is very easy....he said "Drive a truck for a few years, then buy your own rig...there's tons of guys out there that'll drive it for $10 an hour"........I asked him why he quit and he said because he would work 70 hours a week and make only $500.....I've known a few other people that drove a truck as well and there advice was "Never ever do it".......so, is it a good job or not? Is is that easy to be an O/O and have people drive for you??

The guy you worked with sounds like he never owned his own business. He apparently has experience making $500 for 70 hours of work. There are jobs like that out there, no question. Trucking like construction, has guy's like that too, who just can't seem to be worth much.

You can learn how to drive a truck in 3 years, but running a business in the trades requires more like 10 years of trade & industry experience, and then becoming one of the 30% who make it in business, after their first year trying.

It's not easy being an O/O or a small business owner period these days, and the trucking industry is in decline, just like everything else right now.
So I would agree, this is a lousy job and a lousy industry to be looking for a start in. But then look around, what is doing well right now?

I worked through some recessions in construction, and I found decent work, but I had to really go after it, and even move to where the work was.
I don't envy guy's looking for a good job these days, and I think it's tougher now, than the recessions in the past.

[GMAN]

A guy I worked construction with told me that starting your own business truck driving is very easy....he said "Drive a truck for a few years, then buy your own rig...there's tons of guys out there that'll drive it for $10 an hour"........I asked him why he quit and he said because he would work 70 hours a week and make only $500.....I've known a few other people that drove a truck as well and there advice was "Never ever do it".......so, is it a good job or not? Is is that easy to be an O/O and have people drive for you??

Starting a trucking business isn't hard if you have the cash. Surviving is the challenge. The difficult part comes in when you start looking for drivers. You can get your own authority for $300. But, you will need to buy a truck, trailer, insurance, base plates and permits. That is where the big costs come in. If your friend was only making $500/week then he must not have stayed in the business very long. First year earnings for company drivers should be around $30-35,000. Obviously, this is not a career for everyone. It does offer a good opportunity to earn an above average income with minimal training. I would not suggest buying a truck and getting your own authority without first getting some driving experience. If you do then you need to have deep pockets. This business has a learning curve and making the wrong decisions can cost you your shirt. You can either learn while working for another carrier or on your own where you write the checks. This is a very capital intensive business. The failure rate is high. States look at this industry as a cash cow to supplement state treasuries from a suffering economy and mismanaged state budgets. Many of us have managed to survive the ups and downs of this business and riden the waves of good and bad economies. Many more have fallen due to a lack of experience or under capitalization.

It isn't difficult to become an owner operator, but unless you have some solid experience I would caution you about buying a truck and putting a driver in it without having personal experience. This is not a get rick quick business. Profit margins can be slim when you have drivers. If you want to buy a truck I suggest you do so with the intention of driving it yourself for at least a year or two before entertaining putting a driver in it.

[Mackman]

there's tons of guys out there that'll drive it for $10 an hour

Most OTR drivers make less then that.

[Malaki86]

All I know is that the $10+ per hour jobs where I live are far and few between. As an OTR driver, you can't look at "I make this much per hour", but rather "I make this much per year". With what I made last year, there's no way I could find a job at home that would pay me the same. It's as simple as that.

[GMAN]

Malaki is correct. You can't look at the hourly pay but how much you make at the end of the year.

[Mackman]

Yea you cant look at your hourly pay. Cuz i guess your time is worth very little.

[Malaki86]

Trucking, in general, isn't an 'hourly' job. Period. I've been offered local jobs driving truck that didn't pay hourly - they paid by the weight or percentage. I've also work in a factory that didn't pay hourly - they paid by the piece. I've also had salary jobs where you were paid the same no matter how many hours you work.

Just because I'm sitting in this truck doesn't mean they should be paying me for it. Like right now, I'm just waking up, sitting here scratching my backside, playing on the internet - should my company pay me for that? Yes, if you're 'on duty', that's completely different.

[Mackman]

Thats what im talking about ON DUTY. When i worked on tugboats they paid a day rate of 225/day for 12hrs. The other 12hrs you got nothing. I agree when your off duty sleeping, eating, shower etc. you shouldnt be paid.

[golfhobo]

Thats what im talking about ON DUTY. When i worked on tugboats they paid a day rate of 225/day for 12hrs. The other 12hrs you got nothing. I agree when your off duty sleeping, eating, shower etc. you shouldnt be paid.

So... if I'm making about "that" now for the same or LESS hours, am I overpaid or underpaid in your eyes? I went to CA and back from NC this week and logged about 38 hours. Grossed over $1100... about $29.50/hr. Was gone from Wed 10 p.m. till Mon 4 a.m. Spent one night in a motel at boss's expense.

If you don't like sitting at a dock or on property waiting... try team driving. If you're a solo.... stop trying to stay close to home as a "regional" and go coast to coast. There are THOUSANDS of combinations to be had with a CDL. Find one that fits your needs.