[cewell]

Looking to the future....what should I keep in mind before putting a second truck on the road?

[Justruckin]

Finding a driver!

You can honestly plan on going through 8-10 drivers before you find one that can actually do the job that you want done. And one that does not need 24 hour care to do a job that he or she is supposed to know.

And figure on down time to put out the fires. Unless you have a real sweet deal going, stay with one truck. And by sweet deal, I mean roughly a consistant $2 a mile for all miles. You are probably laughing right now, I know someone is. But if you think that you can make it work at anything less, you are just fooling yourself. Did I tell you about all of the down time to put out the fires?

And also check on your states Workmans Comp laws. You may find that this forced insurance may just not be worth hiring a driver. The state of Michigan is roughly $9 per hundred of your employees yearly gross. And do not forget to figure in the extra insurance costs for equipment and the repair costs from hitting or running something over etc... They will hit stuff, just hope they tell you about it. I used to hate those calls from my insurance company or a mechanic, over things I knew nothing about.

Oh, and did I tell you about downtime to put out all of the fires until you can find a reliable driver? :wink:

Good luck, been there, done that!

[GMAN]

Your number one concern will be in finding qualified drivers who will take care of your equipment. You also want to remember that your expenses will at least double with each truck you add.

[rank]

Originally Posted by GMAN

....your expenses will at least double with each truck you add.

Yep. We ran 100,000 miles a year with one truck and 150,000 with two. The cost per mile just went up 50%

Maybe consider finding a reliable driver for truck #1, THEN get the 2nd truck.

[cewell]

My current driver is totally reliable....my husband. What suggestions would you offer in finding good drivers? What about equipment...We are pulling a 53' van......it seems that most of you feel that there is more money to be made in other types of equipment. Would you recommend a change or staying with what we know? Thanks in advance.

[thejunkman]

Personally, there will always be more money the more specialized you get. If all you pull are OD loads on a extendable double drop, youll get more money than those of us with flats. There is usually more expenses and deadhead with a flat, but money seems to be a little better(i think because of)

Unless you have a full round trip dedicated non tarp customer, your gonna need tarps, which can run 600-800+ depending on end flaps, drop size, etc. Also a full line of straps, chains, binders, you may be offered non-legal loads, and will have to get permits, etc. Its not difficult but more eye opening.

If you feel confident with what you are doing, stick with it. The largest companys out there are running Vans, and they all started out at level 1, so its not impossible to do. Dont re-invent the wheel, perfect it.

Personally, although it can be more headaches it can also pay off better. with our customers, many times we have multiple loads coming from the same place. A lot of times we have been able to load a few trucks at the same location, and take advantage of some better paying opportunities.

More trucks will also open more doors for you. Many companies will not deal with an o/op.

Finally, if you are lucky to find a good driver. In a perfect world, your cost per mile will lower. Since some of your fixed expenses will stay the same(utility bills for example)until you make any changes. However like most co. drivers, they dont care, they will call you and refuse to do this or that. That great load you are offered a few miles away, wont be taken because the driver refuses to go into New England, etc

Find a good driver....your ahead of the game. If you awap trailers, your gonna have to start looking for new customers, learning new this and that, and youll need a driver who is knowledgable with securing items on a flatbed. If you at a stage where you are financially ready to add another truck, then id stick with what your doing well at now.

[GMAN]

Any time you become more specialized, your equipment and driver requirements will be greater. If you are doing well with vans and are comfortable with them, then perhaps that is what you should stick with, at least initially. Unless you or your husband has some knowledge of securement you will have a learning curve to understand how to properly secure a load. Once you add more trucks, it could benefit you to have the capability to drop and hook, provided you plan on sticking with vans. Again, your greatest challenge will come from finding and retaining drivers. It isn't that difficult to add equipment. But, the equipment will only cost you money unless you can keep it moving. The only way to keep it rolling is to have competent drivers. This is something everyone who owns trucks has to deal. Drivers will switch carrier for a penny per mile. Some will change if they don't get their way about something. Some act more like children than adults. There are a lot of drivers out here. There are very few professional drivers.

[thejunkman]

So now I think you have some amo to use, Good luck and search for a Good Driver!!