Well I made it out

[merrick4]

So I'm an owner operator officially now. A little over a year ago I was coming out of CDL school. I drove local for 6 months then OTR for another 6 and now I'm out here in my own truck. If I didn't wake up the last few nights thinking "what the did I get myself into" I'd be lying. I remember reading in the beginning of Steve Booth's thread that in the beginning he was calling GMAN panicking or something like that, well If I had his number I probably would be doing the same.

One thing I'm determined is to make sure that I didn't just by myself a job. So I probably will be doing a separate thread about the numbers I'm running; sort of like a diary but just for the numbers. It is good to see how to improve things and the help on this board is invaluable.

My first load which I'm still on was out of Miami which is real bad for freight right now (well I guess it always is). I got 10 pallets of produce with 3 stops. Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma. All to walmart dc's. Total mileage was about 1500 and it's a flat rate of $2150. It came to about $1.41 total per mile. Plus I am unloading it myself. One for the few minutes it takes to unload I'll take the money and two, it's a brand new trailer and I don't want them banging up the walls with the forklifts. One guy even commented how nice the trailer was and said most of them have holes in the walls. And thirdly I'm thin and fit and want to stay that way.

I should add that my first two trips to Walmart went well. I delivered to them before with my previous company and they were a pain, but I think, and it's only my first load so I can't state this for fact, but they don't like to have produce sitting around. I hope it stays like this.

As I know very little about what freight lanes are paying what, I don't book my own freight. I pay someone $150 a week and he runs my truck with his. He has I think 11. I have my own authority and I will be billing the customers on my own. He will not be putting anything on my truck unless it will go on his. He won't haul cheap freight, but nonetheless I will be posting my numbers and looking for feedback from this forum. I need to learn this stuff myself.

I will say driving my own truck is different than driving for a company. In the company truck I had the pedal to the floor (it was governed at 70) and now I'm doing about 62. One for better fuel mileage and two just easier on the truck. Honestly I feel for these fleets. I mean I consider myself highly responsible and I was never late and I didn't tear up the truck and turned it in cleaner than I got it, but when you are being paid $400 a week, it's hard to care. I certainly never stood on docks counting freight. For the money they paid me, I showed up on time and had no desire to go further.

Now this first load, I'm watching everything, taking the pulp temp. Even the idling, in the company truck I didn't shut the truck off. I just didn't care. Now I stop for two seconds and the truck is off. I did buy and APU and so far am glad I did. I set the comfort level I want and it kicks on every once in a while at night to mantain the temperature I want.

I have been paying for fuel with a credit card looking for the 5% back, but I just checked online and the TA coded my fuel purchase as a restaurant purchase. Dirty bastards. I don't know if that is the company policy but if so I will never fuel there again.

I guess one final thing, like I said I plan on doing a numbers diary of sort nothing really personal, but I will just add here one thing I saw today cause it scared the hell out of me. A truck in front of me rolled over. I mean to see that was something else. I guess he edged off the side of the road for what reason I don't know. He managed to get control of it but he was hauling some sort of water pump thing for the oil fields and I guess the water in the tanks started sloshing. It was all kind of a blur to be honest. Really I just saw a bunch of smoke and then I noticed the truck going sideways and then the trailer turned over and tood the truck with it.

The smoke was from the tires, the truck a little ahead of me in the next lane said it seemed like he wasn't paying attention and just edged the side of the road. I was hanging back so I missed the very beginning but watched it roll over. There were 3 guys in the truck. They all got out ok, and the driver was a little wobbly but I guess he was coherent. There was diesel fuel all over the place. Anyway an ambulance came and took the driver but didn't get far and stopped and the helicopter came and took him away. He was walking around at first but it could have been adrenilne. They shut the highway down of course I35 but it was only for about an hour. They moved the truck off the road and the firemen started hosing the road down and then a truck came with sand and then they opened it back up.

Like I said though, it scared the hell out of me. One false move and a lot can happen. Bad enough a truck getting smashed up, but obviously worse the body being damaged. Thank god I never even broke a bone in life, never mind have to be heliported out.

Well that's all I guess, I appreciate all the help I've gotten here and especially to GMAN who has been an invaluable resource to my questions posted here. Hopefully I'll be around for awhile and hopefully I will turn this into something. Like I said, I didn't get into this to just buy myself a job.

Thanks.

[Doghouse]

Way to go Merrick :wink: , I'll be a couple of weeks behind you,...hey where are your pic's??

[furbis]

good for you, I wish you all the best.

[Truckfam]

Merrick 4,

Congrats on your new truck. Sounds like you are going to try to make this into a business with people working for you. Good for you. Rich Dad Poor Dad series is a good moviator and has some good tips.

Some of the things I gleaned: Learn as much as you can now about every aspect of this business. Better to make mistakes and learn from them now when they will be less costly. Don't be afraid to fail. Failure can make you stronger than before if you let it and not wallow in self pity. Sourround yourself with others who know more, and keep picking their brains. More politely take them to dinner, and keep asking them questions and gleaning knowledge. Read as much as you can. Hire and sourround yourself with people who know more than you.

No, I'm not out of the starting gate for a variety of reasons that most have with not taking the chance, and personall I don't know what business I would want to start.

[merrick4]

Thank you very much Furbis; I appreciate that. Doghouse as for the pictures, don't you need to upload them to your own server? Anyway, go to any truck stop and look at the 100 white Freightliner Columbias and that's all I have. It was a Covenant truck.

Actually I hope I made the right choice with this. I know that these things don't hold their value like a KW or a Pete, but I went to the Pete dealer and got into one of those things, and I don't need something like that.

The trailer is nice cause it's new but again simple white on the outside with no lettering. The reefer unit, well if I knew about this stuff, I think that would be something to be excited about. Brand new Carrier unit, I think it was their most advanced unit. Just out too. The guy told me that that was only the second one he installed in all of S. Florida. As a matter of fact I thought he would be upset cause I delayed a few days in picking it up but he said he liked it there out front cause it was good advertising.

I don't care how it looks really, I just don't want breakdown problems. Like I said above, I want to turn this into something, so just starting out I don't want to be calling people while I have their loads telling them I broke down. I want to be known as efficient and reliable and build it from there.


Really I was thinking of your comment about examing your head on why you want to go back out here, cause in all the excitement of setting this all up I forgot that fact that I would be showering at truck stops again. My first one at a Petro, had me thinking I need my head examined too. I got use to my own shower again. But what the hell, it's business I guess and as they say, boys do what they want to do and men do what they have to do.

Good luck with finishing up your truck and getting out here.

Oh by the way Doghouse, as you are good with this electrical stuff. Freaking microwave blew the circuit on the inverter. It came back on a few minutes later, but I was thinking that I could just plug it into the 115v plug the APU has. The only thing it says 115v Vac whatever that means? Also I was reading the specs and it said something about 35 amps. I am kind of nervous about using that plug. I mean I know they put it there for a reason but I paid 9k for the damn thing and I don't want to break it for a 90 cent bag of rice. What do you think? I suppose if it works I don't even need an inverter.

[merrick4]

Hey truckfam thanks for your words. If I understood right, you are hesitant about taking a chance. Man I tell you that's the key. I got to the point where I said if I keep thinking on this I'll never do it.

You know I rented a room to this Brazilian guy one time. Nice guy. Well he lost his job and couldn't pay his rent. He asked for some time and I said no problem. I watched this guy throw some signs on the side of his truck and put an ad in the paper and next thing I know he's installing laminate floors and making money. The first step sometimes is all it takes.

Other than that, will be trying to learn and definitely surround myself with good people. It's tough to find good people too. You know I went to the TA
yesterday and wanted to get my coolant flushed. The guy couldn't tell me their procedure. He said he thinks they just flush it with water, or "at least he thinks that's what they do". Well obviously I told him to forget it.
It's frustrating sometimes.

Well thanks again for your words.

Good luck to you!!!!

[GMAN]

Good luck to you, Merrick. Sometimes you need to just jump in and give something your best shot. You can dream all you want, but until you take that first step it will only be a dream.

[merrick4]

Thank you Steve and GMAN. Steve if you go back and read over your orignal posts and now read what you write, well it's amazing. You seem to have reached a comfort level. Me I feel like a fish out of water, but I know in time that comfort level will come.

I do want to ask a queston, how do you send your bills out? I don't see any mailboxes at these truck stops?

[no_worries]

$1.41 for 10 pallets is nothing to complain about out of FL these days. It would be nice to fill out more of the trailer but things are so scarce down there it's better to take that and get rolling.

Did you get any E-track in your trailer? If you have a strip at the half-way point, you can build decking. The ability to do this can get you out of FL sometimes with good-paying nursery loads.

Flying J will code your fuel purchases as fuel. I don't fuel at TA's and the Petros I've fueled at code it as C-store merchandise.

Is that a Deltek unit you got from Carrier? Those are their new hybrid units, but I thought they were all multi-temp. I'd be curious to know the specs and price on your reefer as I'm preparing to upgrade myself.

Good Luck.

Thank you Steve and GMAN. Steve if you go back and read over your orignal posts and now read what you write, well it's amazing. You seem to have reached a comfort level. Me I feel like a fish out of water, but I know in time that comfort level will come.

I do want to ask a queston, how do you send your bills out? I don't see any mailboxes at these truck stops?

Most of the time there are mailboxes at the truckstop just not in the same place as all the other ones. You can ask the clerk if they have outgoing mail and they usually have a bin at the back of the counter that they will put your mail in. The mailman comes into the truckstop store and delivers there mail and picks up any outgoing. They normally don't have mail boxes as people tend to steal the mail.

Yes, I have reached a comfort level and it took about 6 months. One thing to keep telling yourself. If the place your delivering gets loads all the time and you get directions then you should be all set and not have to worry like, "GEEZ, I wonder if I'll be able to make all the corners".

One thing about flatbed though, you do have to remind the people your coming in a big truck and ask for advise on how to get there, where to park if your early and maybe you'll need an escort in. Lots of unknowns when delivering with a flatbed.

[GMAN]

Thank you Steve and GMAN. Steve if you go back and read over your orignal posts and now read what you write, well it's amazing. You seem to have reached a comfort level. Me I feel like a fish out of water, but I know in time that comfort level will come.

I do want to ask a queston, how do you send your bills out? I don't see any mailboxes at these truck stops?

Most truck stops will have either a post office box outside the building or a drop at the fuel desk where you can put your mail. Just ask them at the fuel desk.

[Doghouse]

Merrick,
If you have an outlet fron the APU that is labeled 115VAC that means 115 Volts Alternating Current AKA household current, so go ahead and plug in your microwave there, and it sounds like your inverter does not have enough surge capacity, and it kicks the breaker inside the inverter.Also if its on a breaker (is it like a bathroom GFI outlet) that large, you should be able to run several household appliances from that one outlet.

Good luck and don't worry about kicking the breaker,..thats what its for.
Just don't let it kick off and off, and off, because thats overloading it,..and not a good thing to do. just adjust your use accordingly and all will be fine.

[tootie04]

Good luck Merrick....I am looking forward to reading all about your adventures 8)

tootie

[merrick4]

Thank you Tootie and thanks Steve and Gman for the mail, I'll just ask the fuel desk for the mailboxes although I don't like the idea of having to do that. I can never rest until I see things get done or I do it myself.

Doghouse, thanks, I guess I'll just use the APU. To be honest I really like this thing a lot. I'm very glad I got it. As for the inverter, the breaker that went was actually not inside the inverter, it was by the connection to the batteries. I'll just use the inverter for the computer and small stuff and the APU for the microwave. That's all I have anyway. I don't even have a tv as I don't watch it. Thanks again.

No_worries, the unit I got is a X2 2100A. I guess the A stands for advanced. I paid $19,800 plus 6% sales tax. I'm sure you already know about it but I have the brochure so if you have any questions feel free to ask. As for the trailer, I didn't get any erails though I supposed I could get them in. But I think you run team if I'm not mistaken, and that is better suited for the foliage and flowers. Could be wrong, got a lot to learn. Anyway the trailer is a 2008 Wabash. 50 gallon tank. The price for that broke down to $32041 for the unit. $3845 fet, $1972 for the state tax, and $125 for the title and tag for a total price of $37983. The good thing is he let me pay for it on a credit card so I will be getting cash back on that. Probably a few hundred dollars.

You will know a lot better of the prices than I would, but I feel I did pretty well. They charged me what they would have charged the guy who is loading my truck. He has a good name down here.

Actually I'm on my 2nd load right now. I think this is pretty bad but supposedly it's moving me to a better paying freight. At first I was supposed to go from Oklahoma to Lubbock, Tx to deliver the next day for $580. But it got changed to about an hour north of Oklahoma City to SIX stops in Michigan (yes six, I don't like that). Total mileage is about 1200 including dead head and it pays $1550. It's newspaper inserts and I'm hoping as all the places are near to eachother I can get in and out.

What I'm looking to do is haul produce and I guess Michigan is good right now for that. As mentioned, I don't book my own freight, but I think I will sign up for getloaded and start watching how things go.

[marcel27208]

hey getloaded.com works for me!!!!!

[mike3fan]

I hope that you start getting some better paying freight for that $150 a week you are paying.

So far it seems to me you have made roughly $3,700 on 2,700(would love to know actual) miles,with 9 stops for about $1.37 a mile,not nearly good enough if you ask me(which no one did) for having to buy a $38,000 trailer.

Just keep in mind just because someone can blow smoke up your skirt doesn't mean you need to stay with them and run your business into the ground,stand your ground and only run your truck if it makes money.

Consider this,would most reefer haulers take a coast to coast run(2,700 miles) with 9 stops for $3,700?

It is fine to take bad feight to get to another area if you must but twice?

I say give the guy a couple of weeks and see where you're average is and then you can make an informed decision if it's worth the $150 a week.

[merrick4]

I hope that you start getting some better paying freight for that $150 a week you are paying.

So far it seems to me you have made roughly $3,700 on 2,700(would love to know actual) miles,with 9 stops for about $1.37 a mile,not nearly good enough if you ask me(which no one did) for having to buy a $38,000 trailer.

Just keep in mind just because someone can blow smoke up your skirt doesn't mean you need to stay with them and run your business into the ground,stand your ground and only run your truck if it makes money.

Consider this,would most reefer haulers take a coast to coast run(2,700 miles) with 9 stops for $3,700?

It is fine to take bad feight to get to another area if you must but twice?

I say give the guy a couple of weeks and see where you're average is and then you can make an informed decision if it's worth the $150 a week.

You're right Mike and that's why I am posting on this board and laying it all open and appreciate all comments. This isn't personal to me this is business.

Anyway I won't know the actual mileage til I finish up this next load, but I started in Miami with 325,395. I now sit here with 327157 but that was with deadheading here. My hub miles for last trip was 1612. I had a flat rate of $2150 so for a total of $1.33 per mile.

As for this load, I'm about hysterical. Honestly the guy himself doesn't book my loads; he has a dispatcher. Though he couldn't get hold of the dispatcher so he got me the load to Texas but then the dispatcher switched me to this. I don't know the dispatcher, he's just another person in the world to me and if this doesn't work out then I'll move on.

I don't like 6 stops and on top of that I got right to this place and then when I get here the broker tells me that they changed the time to 11:30 (I was here at 3:30).

Thanks again for your comments

[mike3fan]

Thanks again for your comments

thanks for taking them in the context they were meant,good luck.

[Doghouse]

Wow Merrick,
6 stops and all the changes,...keep up the good work, before I even hit the road I will have learned what to plan for and ask brokers before it even happens :wink: seems these guys are a never ending supply of BS.