[Brockkrak]

Im not trying to start a arguement but im curious. If i ask 100 people about getting into trucking in any form i hear the same old story "na you dont wanna do that aint no money in it". Meanwhile a brand new pete pride and class is $150k+ so whos paying the bills on these trucks and buying all the accersories and maint items. My neighbor has two pride trucks in the driveway. They move once a week at most. He is always home in 24 hours or less. He hauls liquid ashphalt i believe. Come on guys let me
Have it!

[GMAN]

You can still make money, but it is getting more difficult. This is a slow time of year for most truckers. Rates are down more than usual. The reality is that the economy is still sluggish. It has never fully recovered from the crash of 2008. From what I have been seeing the last couple of months or so is that we may well be heading into another troubling economy. Historically, things tend to be off during presidential elections, too. Still, you can make money if you can run. The type of freight can make a big difference. Vans and reefers are two types of freight that should do better during winter months than open deck freight. Winters tend to be slower for flats and other types of open deck freight. I have done more sitting than running the last couple of months. I would not want to assume any debt right now, especially on a new truck. I expect to see the economy remain sluggish through the end of the year, at least. I do hope that I am wrong. Everyone that I know in this business is slow. I have noticed a little bit of an up tick today. That could be due to the winter storms keeping trucks tied up in the northeast. If you can find a local gig for good rates that will keep you busy, you might do better in this economy. On the other hand, those doing otr can move to another area if freight is slow. You won't get rich in this business, at least not right now. But, if you keep debt down and run the system you should be alright. Keep in mind that this is the slowest time of year. If you decide to start with a company, things should start to pick up by the time you do all the paperwork and go through orientation. If you are inexperienced, you will spend time with a trainer from a few weeks to a few months. I think that this is still one of the better career choices for those looking to be more independent and wanting to see the country through the windshield of an 18 wheeler.

[Roadhog]

what you heard is good advice. if I could do it all over again, I'd be a Rock Star, like I originally planned.

You have to do a few years of OTR driving, to even be recognized locally as a "driver," or your chances of getting a local driving job, are slim at best.

It's like any trade, you have to begin somewhere, and it takes a few years to go from rookie to tradesman.
Once you are no longer a rookie, and learned your trade well, there are opportunities for success, depending on what that means to you.

[GMAN]

I will say something else about your original post. Most people don't go out and buy a new truck for $150,000. At least the smart ones don't. Most will start with an older truck with low payments or save their money and pay cash. The smart ones, starting out, will find a good used truck that is in good shape and spend around $20,000 or even less. Most lenders will require about 20-30% down on a new truck. I have known of a down payment of as little as 10%, but that isn't the norm, especially with the current lending trends. A new truck will cost about $30,000 down. That is enough to pay cash for a good used truck and have money left over. The past couple of years I have seen decent used trucks selling in the $10-11,000 range. But, you have to look closely and check out any used truck, just as you would when buying a used car. If you choose to enter this business, don't go out and buy a truck until you get some solid experience under your belt. You may not even like this business. Can you make money in trucking? There will always be those who make money and there will always be those who lose their shirts, just like any other business. Trucking is one of the most regulated industries in the country, with more coming every day, it seems. It is not as much fun as was once the case. But, as long as you keep your mvr and csa clean and can pass the physical, you can usually find work. That is unusual for any industry. Going over the road, you will be away from home more than you will be home. You make your living by driving. Most will be home for 1 day for every week on the road. Once you gain some experienced, there are companies that will get you home most weekends. This is not a career for the faint of heart.

[Gerard Morman]

That's straight to the point and very clear. Good to know being new in this thing.

[Mr. Ford95]

The one or two things I would add, go drive for a company first. The pay isn't great and time away from home will really suck, but they pay for all your training and experience that first year. They also pay for everything with the equipment vs you having to pay for it out of your pocket as an owner operator. Once you get past that first year, doors start to open to better companies and pay. I've got an uncle pulling in over $100k as a company driver running coast to coast. He's only been driving for just over a year and a half. He gets good hometime and the company works with him to get him home in emergencies. Mind you the pay is nice, he lives in an area where the cost of living is very high.

Go company just so they have to worry about the equipment. A tire alone is $200 with the place we use, the road call total is around $500 and they are cheap. Most others want $800-1000 just to show up, the tire is like $3-400 on top of that! What if you have a more serious engine issue that you need a tow? The tow bill will be outrageous, let the company worry about it! Your going to be sitting either way losing money from miles not run, why take more out of your pocket to foot your own equipment repairs?

[GMAN]

If your goal is to become an owner operator, start as a company driver and learn all you can about driving and get a composition book or computer to track expenses. It is expensive to own trucks. I just had to replace an axle for $2,000 due to someone not locking a nut after replacing a seal. The same week I had to rebuild my transmission. I had that same transmission rebuilt only 2 years ago. Had I not had the resources to make the repairs I would be out of business. The transmission fluid levels apparently were not being checked when I have had pm's done at TA. I had a line that was leaking while going down the highway. Proving their negligence is difficult. So, I had to take money out of MY pocket to make the repairs. I am sharing this with you so you understand that trucks break and repairs are costly. You should have money saved for major repairs if you decide to purchase a truck. Whether the truck is new or used, they will break. Having a new truck will not guarantee you that your warranty will cover anything that goes wrong on the truck. Warranties will also not take care of your tow bill. Several years ago, I had a truck that lost the transmission about 110 miles from Albuquerque. The tow bill alone was almost $1,000. That had to be paid on the spot. The final bill came to more than $8,500. Again, the bill had to be paid on the spot. You never know when a major breakdown can occur. I once dropped a couple of valves on an engine that only had about 150,000 on a rebuild. It was just out of warranty. The bill was almost $7,000.

It can be an eyeopener if you track your costs while still being a company driver. Major fleets usually receive discounts on fuel, tires and may also receive discount rates on repairs. As an owner operator, you probably won't be able to get the same discounts. Leasing to a carrier might allow you to get fuel and tire discounts. Write everything your company spends including fuel, tire repair or replacement and/or other repairs. It will give you an idea of what it will cost to run your own truck.

[Roadhog]

Yep... I should have been a rock star ...but oh well... and my fallback plan was to be a CabannaBoy for rich celebrity wimmin like Milla Jovovich, or Cameron Diaz, but instead I fell for the glamour, $$$ and adventure of OTR driving. At least now I am a Road Scholar, and a well traveled man.

[repete]

As a company driver I don't worry about what something costs (to much) but I do look at the bills. I had one truck that had engine work done at the dealer, just a few hundred miles later it developed a skip then a miss and the dropped 2 cylinders going up a hill with 40k in the box. Needless to say I didn't get very far actually I was lucky to get it off to the side. Turns out the stealer pinched some wires under the valve cover and they shorted out. Tow bill was IIRC $1400 and then the company had to pay to re-repair the truck. I doubt they ever got anything from the original stealer. Another time I hit a deer $900 for towing about 30 miles, $13000 for repairs and the company provided there own On Guard radar transponder for another $3000. Makes me glad I don't own the truck! Being a rock star only appears to be fun, tearing out the walls gets boring, besides ya can't even drive 55!

[GMAN]

When it comes to trucks, things can happen very unexpectedly. My truck has been running just fine. I have been sitting for about 1 1/2 weeks. Yesterday, I went out to do some repairs and was surprised that the truck would not run. It turned over, but did not run. I shot some ether into the engine and it fired up for a second, so I knew that my problem was related to the fuel. I purchased some filters from my local dealer, but the temperature was dropping and I did not think that I had sufficient time to change them out before I lost my light. So, I went to where I park and changed the filters. It would still not start. I got someone to shoot some ether while I turned the engine over. It started quickly with a little ether. I let it run for a while and then shut it down and it restarted a couple of times. I have no idea what happened other than perhaps some moisture got into the filters or fuel and it clogged one of the fuel filters. It still seems just a tad off. It hesitates when I throttle up unless a wait a couple of minutes after starting. I may see if I can do a fuel pressure test before I put it back on the road. I was lucky that I knew enough about the truck and how they operate so that I could do the work myself. Had I needed to get road service, I would have spend several hundred dollars and perhaps over a $1,000, if I had to call road service. I am saying this to the original poster. You simply never know when something will happen to your truck. If you were in my situation today, you would have needed to spend some serious dollars if you could not do the repairs yourself. Most dealers charge as much as $135/hour, perhaps more in some markets. Money saved is money in your pocket.