Truck Driving Jobs

fl65 · Joined: 10 Oct 2006 Posts: 3

Hi,
I've got my cdl class a w/TX endorsment recently (2 months) after talking to a friend that is a o/o of a dump truck. I was thinging to do the same but a few dealers discouraged me (believe it or not) and told me that i would have more work and options with a tractor trailler. I could even pull dump traillers.
But with a dump truck i'd be limited and if there is no work or construction localy it is kind of hard to go elsewhere to get work but not with tractor traillers.He even told me that he is getting a lot of repos cause guys could not pay off. As you know dump trucks a pretty expensive on the market and they
do have a rought life with statisticly more break downs. Anyway i know some of you might say start by working for a company first then become a o/o. Actualy easier said than done cause you know they all want that magic 2 years experience (insurance burocracy) so how could a newbie get that experience without eating dirt by working in one of those training jobs that actualy exploit you ? owning my own truck starts to make sense now and that's where you come in. what are my chances of making it as a newbie with a decent tractor out there ? seems like there is always loads posted on those loads sites but again will these compagnies ask for my experience ?
Thank you in advance for your input.

Mackman · Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 2429 Location: Concordville PA

talk to steve booth on here he did the same thing you are about to do. GOOD LUCK i think you will need it. :D

SteveBooth · Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 3501

I'm just ready to head out myself in a few weeks for the first time on my own. I've already hooked up with a few shippers and that wasn't a big deal. If you have the insurance that's all they care about. Insurance is the key though. That was the hardest thing for me to get and it wasn't the liability, it was the cargo!!! Go figure! The liability you can get through Progressive, they are the only ones. Just don't tell them your going to haul steel or coils or they won't insure you. You will be restricted to a 300 mile radius as the crow flys from your home base so you could theoreticaly go 300 miles in one direction then 600 in the other.

I won't go into details of everything else I had to do, that's manageable WITH MONEY!!! Geez! I would plan on spending at least $10,000 for plates, permits, insurance down payments, picking up truck expenses, picking up trailer expenses, filling tanks for first time (they are always empty), getting state and DOT inspected (something will need fixing), cargo securement stuff, cb, mattress, sheets, tv, fuzzy dice, tire thumper, dvd player, inverter, wheel chocks, flares, extra fuses, extra headlights, emgergency triangles, lettering on truck, storage parking fees and in my case for flatbed......winches, ratchets, tarps, bungee cords, straps, edge protectors which all add up to about $2,000.

The bottom line is, you can get liabilty through Progressive so concentate on cargo. If you can't get that, your done right there. I understand that in some states there are companies that will insure people with no experience for cargo like Idaho but if you don't live in the state they won't insure you. The cargo insurance company needs a good rating also or some major companies won't accept them.

I spent $35k on my truck, $17k on the flatbed and I figure between everything else and $20k in reserve I'm into this for close to $100k or as GMAN would write, $10000MMMMMXXXIIVMM (something like that).

So, it can be done or at least to the point I'm at and that's actually having everything in place and legal to haul. Can I do it? That's another question that I'm soon to find out. I'm quite a bit nervous getting ready to head out, I have heartburn most of the day unless I think of something else, lost 7 pounds, wake up 10 times during the night and Viagra doesn't work anymore.

csramsey640 · Joined: 30 Sep 2006 Posts: 128

So what your saying is you have no experience in this line of business-"just got cdl license" and your gonna place an open sign on the door?

IM sorry, and I wish you only the very best. But I also hope you have a good nest egg, because you wont have the chance to make mistakes on someone elses dime-now its on your dime.

Hard way to start out. And a very good chance for failure. Why not get your feet wet with someone else, learn the roaps for yourself(not what a buddy told you) and go from there. Youd be in quite a pickle if you got your own truck and then hated it.

Truck dealers will sell you anything-thats thier job. However they are not hauling freight-you are. And with a steep truck payment, youll have to work your can off to make it. New guys usually get the crap-it happens everywhere.

Also, your insurance is gonna kill you. By a few extra thousand easily.

Im not trying to discourage you. But if you jump off a cliff without grabbing your parachute(experience) your chances are stacked against you.

fl65 · Joined: 10 Oct 2006 Posts: 3

I wish you the best SteveBooth and thank you for all that info.
I didn't know that as an o/o you needed to have your own trailler as well. I was planing to get the tractor only ! Is it a nessesity to buy a trailler ? Is the pay much greater ? and do you have any recommendations on the tractor brand, engine or horsepower etc....I don't want to fall in a trap and buy the worst there is out there out of ignorance, like for example what would be an honest mileage ? i see a lot of trucks @ 600k to 800k miles and + that sounds like a lot even for a diesel engine no ?

fl65 · Joined: 10 Oct 2006 Posts: 3

Good point of view csramsey640, what I really have to worry about seems to be the insurance and getting the jobs. Can't i just rely on load boards or load sites to start off until i build my own network of shippers and they get to know me ? what kind of "ropes" there is to know ?

csramsey640 · Joined: 30 Sep 2006 Posts: 128

:cry: I sure hope this guy isnt serious. You mean your willing to borrow your life away and you have no idea what combo will work best for you. You dont know how pay scales work, etc? Or even if you need your own trailer? Dude get us another truck while your at it. I sure hope someone else here sheds some light on this. Its not the way to start out.

SteveBooth · Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 3501

I basically started researching the trucking business at the start of this year. I went to a local school for a whopping 60 hours of instruction and got my CDL and immediately started the process to get my own authority. I pretty much knew nothing about trucking other than I've always liked them and I love to drive. Going across country in a 24' Uhaul towing a trailer carrying my car pretty much gave me the bug. I learned everything I know to date from this forum, some very personal help from a few people on here and every book I could get my hands on. I've already hooked up with a few shippers, brokers and 2 load boards. The freight is there and all they care about is your insurance and no mention of experience which I have NONE. I have driven my tractor and flatbed a few thousand miles both on the highway and city and in tight places and I feel very comfortable driving it. I posted my truck on one of the load boards for about 2 hours and got 7 calls to pull some loads. I'm just about ready to head out in a few weeks to start doing this full time.

So, I say good luck to you, read all you can, ask a million questions and put up with the abuse, this is a great place to learn!!!

Cam · Joined: 27 May 2002 Posts: 723

Quote: what kind of "ropes" there is to know ?

How to instantly assess a turn and determine how many cars you must back up and how many lanes you must block because there is absolutely no other way of doing it and when you try to 'slide by' you end up taking things with you...things like fire hydrants, stop signs, cross walk signs, the paint off a car...

logbook magic

handling in sleet, ice and snow

how not to take out a guy's mirrors in those truck stops where all the spots have blind side parking

Whether or not your trailer tandems need to be far away so you can stick your trailer in the hole like a sheath or whether they need to be close to the place you are backing into so that you have room to bring the front of your tractor around.

How to look at a load and know how much of a stink you've got to put up if you think you won't be legal

How not to scream down a mountain and end up in one of those truck ramps.

How much oil pressure you should have, how much air in the tires, how often to change shocks, what happens if you don't keep your fifth wheel greased...

Where you can park and get sleep and where the lot lizards will be pounding on your doors all night

What to expect in Atlanta at 2pm in the afternoon when you are on a tight schedule versus Des Moines or even Dallas

What to do in Chicago when traffic is heavy and the sign in front of you says 12' 6"

refill prices on Diet Coke :wink:

If I had the time I could go on and on. Listen, I don't believe in holding anyone down or holding anyone back. But, you do learn a whole lot about driving a truck in your first company job(s). Owning, maintaining...that's a whole lot in addition to just handling the truck competently. Maybe sometime we can put together a comprehensive list of the assets of an experienced driver, things he knows that we take for granted and seldom realize.

SteveBooth · Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 3501

;;; what happens if you don't keep your fifth wheel greased...

Which one of the 18 wheels is the 5th one? Won't the grease get on the brakes?

Mackman · Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 2429 Location: Concordville PA

SteveBooth wrote: ;;; what happens if you don't keep your fifth wheel greased...

Which one of the 18 wheels is the 5th one? Won't the grease get on the brakes?

LOL steve you crack me up :lol: :lol:

Cam · Joined: 27 May 2002 Posts: 723

Steve, you sound as though you can bankroll everything. You can hide away with a few 40ozs for a couple of days after you do your first bought of white knuckle driving when the snow keeps sticking to your windshield and the part you can see through gets down to a couple of inches. In that, you have a great advantage over a company driver who already has his next load assigned and has no time to think 'AAAAAggggghhhh!!!! Now, just thinking ahead, someone will come along and say, 'you have no business driving in conditions like that...yada yada'. Look, we learn this stuff. Perhaps the smarter of us learn it by hearing about it but I think most drivers out there can tell you plenty of stories of when their brains froze and they did something they ought not to have.

Like I said, I don't believe in holding people back. There are people who do things, and do them well, things the rest of us might not imagine. How do I know your limits!? I guess all I'm getting at is that there's a lot of learning in going from greenhorn to journeyman, and it's stuff you might not even think about. There's no need for a guy with a little experience to blow his own horn, the satisfaction comes in handling a situation far better than you would have at an earlier date. Just had one the other day with a receiver who didn't know how much room I needed to maneuver and I didn't try something I felt ahead of time wasn't going to work (the construction workers just had to come out and start moving stuff).

Sonny Pruitt · Joined: 02 Sep 2006 Posts: 449 Location: Mahwah,NJ

Cam you speak the truth. Steve is going out in 2 weeks and will experience "baptism by fire" good luck. Starting out green and then start ing out going into winter ....well...all that climbing on the icy trailer...all I can say is good luck you will need it. Also be careful with direct shippers.
You have to ask the question "There are so many carriers in this busness, why are they so willing to deal with me? What happened to the other carriers?
Why aren't they still there hauling their freight?"

GMAN · Joined: 13 Feb 2005 Posts: 9878 Location: Tennessee

fl65 wrote:

Anyway i know some of you might say start by working for a company first then become a o/o. Actualy easier said than done cause you know they all want that magic 2 years experience (insurance burocracy) so how could a newbie get that experience without eating dirt by working in one of those training jobs that actualy exploit you ?

You don't need 2 years experience to become an owner operator. You will find it almost impossible to find an insurance carrier to cover you with less than 2 years experience if you plan on running your own authority. Some carrier's will lease on drivers with as little as 6 months to 1 year of experience. And there is nothing wrong with being a company driver. Some of the training carriers get a lot of grief because of their supposedly low pay, but they train you for a professional career. Where else can you get training for a new career with the potential for high wages with a commitment of as little as 6 months to 1 year? As far as exploiting you and eating dirt, I don't know of any of them who will force you to eat dirt. :?

fl65 wrote:

owning my own truck starts to make sense now and that's where you come in. what are my chances of making it as a newbie with a decent tractor out there ? seems like there is always loads posted on those loads sites but again will these compagnies ask for my experience ?
Thank you in advance for your input.

You ask what your chances of making it as a newbie and a decent tractor? Pretty slim. This is a tough business. There is a tremendous turnover. Dealer lots are full of repos. If you have plenty of money, you will stand a better chance of making it, but even those with experience have a difficult time making a go of it in this business. Does that mean that you are doomed for failure? Not necessarily, but you have an uphill battle going in with no experience and no knowledge about this industry. There are areas of the country where freight is better than others. There are some areas where you should stay out of all together, if you want to make money. There are some power only loads, but your options will be very limited without buying a trailer. I would urge you to get a job working for a carrier who can teach you some of the basics you need to learn. You won't learn everything you need to know in 2 years, but will greatly enhance your chance for success by learning something about what this industry is all about.

SteveBooth · Joined: 18 May 2005 Posts: 3501

Cam wrote: Steve, you sound as though you can bankroll everything. You can hide away with a few 40ozs for a couple of days after you do your first bought of white knuckle driving when the snow keeps sticking to your windshield and the part you can see through gets down to a couple of inches. In that, you have a great advantage over a company driver who already has his next load assigned and has no time to think and it's stuff you might not even think about.

Yes Cam, your right. There's no way I could drop a load and be dispatched to another right after. I'm going to need time to calm down. I can't bankroll everything, I pretty much spent all that money setting myself up. I could actually afford to live on driving 1500 miles a week at $1.40 per mile. I have no commitments at home, no wife and the kids are grown so I can go where I need to and stay out for some time.

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