Dont get lost in all the BS just yet. Most however havent answered your initial question. If you the driver want to run for a company with its own authority, you will not need your own authority. Simple enough

In your case, you will use their authority, Their DOT numbers and possibly their base plates, insurance, etc. Each carrier is different, and you will have to do the math(what they want for such things vs what you can pay for out of pocket)

You will only be able to accept loads from the carrier you are leased to. You will not be able to solicit brokers, load boards, or a customer direct UNTIL you have your own authority. So initially you wont have to pay the $300 setup fee for your own authority(only if you choose to go "out on your own" at a later date.

$25000 can go pretty quickly, but it should be enough to start a simple operation. Many carriers will allow you to pull their trailer, but may offer a smaller % of the load to do so. Your choice however if money gets tight, it would be nice to run theirs before buying your own, plus its less out of pocket youll have to buy.

1st trucks are like 1st cars, unless you have an unlimited budget, stay away from a newer truck. Problem is not if, but WHEN something breaks. As an o/op, its your bill now, and your down time, and your wait, etc. You should have a nest egg so that you can make repairs when they are needed without having to borrow again, Borrowing for repairs will put you bankrupt quicker then it took you to start, because 9 chances outa 10, you'll have other stuff break before the 1st repair is paid off, and it snowballs from there.

If you shop around you can find many decent used trucks in the 15-22k range. We have had good luck with a Ryder dealer in Knoxville buying some of thier company trucks(not rentals, thier trucks used to haul Searay, etc boats) Mileage ranges from 600-800's but with a price low enough that you will have some money left over shall you need repairs, etc.

The guys spending mad money(100k) to start a company have a long and hard road ahead of them, and thats why you see more of their trucks sitting on the lot forsale...because they can no longer afford them.

Some people really dont have much business sense. A business is a lot like a human, and if you think of it in those terms it will help you in the long run. When you were born, you couldnt do much, depended on others, and had to learn each and every movement needed to conduct life. You couldnt walk the second you were born, couldnt talk...and didnt need to either.

Now as wierd as it seems, just think if you magically appeared on this earth at the age of 25 with no family to depend on, couldnt talk, couldnt walk, and now you have to make a living for yourself, etc.

These people that have spend huge sums of $$$ to get started will find out the hard way. They are those people that are magically placed on the road with butt loads of chrome and no idea what to do with it. They think having a shiney truck will boost moral, or some stupid thing like that. All it does is make it harder on yourself to pay the bills. If you start as simple as you can, then you be able to srew up a few times and learn along the way.

There are many out there, and prob a few on this board who when they make a mistake, have an engine blow, etc will not be able to pay the bill. The 1st mistake will be the last mistake. I would never borrow for any repairs, but what about these guys who are broke, and have bad credit...now they have no choice. Dont let anyone fool you, see how long it takes these guys to pay themselves back for the $100k they have spent to get rolling, chances are they never will. There is a fine line between starting small and starting silly. Which ever way you choose start small and work smart. DO THE MATH DO THE MATH. Believe yourself not a recruiter. If you buy a simple truck(Not a wore out truck) you can keep some money needed for a rainy day fund, or emergency. Your 25k should be enough, but it could get ate up quickly.

Its cut throat, among anyone co drivers, o/op's, and Authority types alike. Remember you have to learn your way into a profitable business, not drop huge amounts of cash and think you have succeeded.

Here is a simple website that I have saved, some of the things listed are for getting your own authority, so disregard them. BOL

http://xj.cdevco.net/auto/trucking/forhire.html

 

OK, "thejunkman"
I looked at the web sight and that helped me alot.
How about some more specifics on, that first truck.
I have been looking at some 2001-2004.
Freightliner,KW, Volvo
Milage 350,000-550,000
Multiple engine brands
(why do some say it is more expensive to work on a volvo, if it is a cummins just like in the Freightliner)
400-550 HP
Differentials 2.73-4.11
10-spd to 18spd
Various WB
$30,000-$60,000
etc,etc,etc.
How would you winnow down the options to a specific model and year
They say, when taking a multiple choice test, eliminate the wrong answers and choose from the ones left.

 

[color=red][quote="thejunkman
You will only be able to accept loads from the carrier you are leased to. You will not be able to solicit brokers, load boards, or a customer direct UNTIL you have your own authority. So initially you wont have to pay the $300 setup fee for your own authority(only if you choose to go "out on your own" at a later date.[/color]



I use the company I am leased on to, to get loads from anywhere I want. I run under their authority. Load boards, brokers, whoever. Some companies will let you do this, and some will not. You must check with them first if this is allowed. My company gets 25% of whatever I make.

 

I have never really did any work or driving on a Volvo, so I can only speculate. I have heard many say that engine work on a Volvo takes more time, because of the way everything is packed under the hood. Im sure the older ones were not like these newer ones though.

Looking at what you listed, you need to get a feel for what your going to be doing.

Engine choice=personal prefference. However if you are gonna be pulling regular loads of 35k on flat lands, you really dont need a big HP engine unless you like to race, if fuel mileage is a concern, and your not working the engine that hard-a smaller engine will usually get better MPG.

400-500hp. Watch out for this. I have seen many engine combos that when turned up, use up parts a lot quicker than "stock" For example early on we had 2 FLD Freightliners with N14 Cummins, same build, 10 speeds, 3.9 ratio, etc One was turned to 435 Hp the other left at 370hp. The 435 went through more seals, etc than the 370 hp, it also used more fuel. A smaller engine cranked up, to me, is harder on parts than a big engine left alone.

Differentials....Depends on where your running and what your pulling. If seeing very few hilly areas(KY,WV,PA,NY,etc) or Mountain type driving, then you can save some fuel $$ by going with a higher ratio rears.
If your pulling heavy flatbed, SD or DD loads all the time, or seeing a lot of hilly areas with atleast 3 climbing lanes, then go on the deeper side.
If unsure...go in the middle.

Trannies. For the most part, the tranny and rears are matched. An 18 speed usually has some higher gears behind it, since you have more options. Its more common for heavy haulers to use 18's than van drivers. I think the straight 10 is the most popular, or a 9 or 13.

WB...again where and what are you hauling. Unless its a west coast spec'd truck longer means more sleeper-thats personal prefference.

I am not telling everyone to run out and buy a cheap truck....just be smart about your purchases and youll get farther

 

So, "theJunkman," or any others, maybe GMAN.
Can a rookie, opperating a 5-year old truck.
500,000 miles used
that cost $35,000, expect to be able to run for awhile make a few bucks and then, with more knowledge and experience, move up.
Or is this where all the engines start to fall apart, weekly.
Thanks in advance

 

Yes, you can move up. In fact, that is what I recommend. You don't even need to spend $35M for the first truck. There are a lot of good used trucks that you can purchase for less than $20M, unless you want to find one with the long hood, such as a 379 Peterbilt or W900 KW. You can still find some for around $25-35M, but they will likely be older than 4 years old. If you don't get in a hurry and shop around you can get a good deal. If you get hung up on a particular brand or model then you may wind up paying more than if you took more time and considered other brands or models. Just because a truck has some miles on it doesn't mean that it isn't a good truck. Some have had major engine or other work done and are in good shape. I once had a Detroit engine distributor tell me that the average rebuild on the Series 60 was at 750M miles. That doesn't mean that some won't go over a million miles, or that there are some that could need rebuilding at half that amount. It only means that is the average. The same can be said about a low mileage truck. Unless the maintenance has been done properly, the truck may not be that good of a deal. It is critical to thoroughly check out a truck before buying. It is much better to start with a less expensive truck, save your money and trade up than over extending starting out. If things are slow or you are unable to run as much, you could probably still make a cheap truck payment. If you have a large payment, then you may wind up losing everything.

 

[Quote]The guys spending mad money(100k) to start a company have a long and hard road ahead of them, and thats why you see more of their trucks sitting on the lot forsale...because they can no longer afford them.[]

If the guy has 100k to spend he's done something right to get the 100k and he knows how to get access to mad money.

 

I can argue that all day long, I know quite a few people who over the years have received large inheritances that dont have the slightest clue how to shift a truck....take one of those people who wants to drive, and you have a recipe for disaster. Just because someone has money, or just because they can get money, doesnt mean they are smarter. Just because someone is smart in one field doesnt automatically give them the upper hand in another field. There are more ways both wrong and right to get large amounts of money, like a neighbor guy. He was injured somewhere and got this large settlement, went right out and bought a truck, drove for a crappy company and lost his shirt. Im sorry, money does not make you smart. Your brain makes you smart.

If you have even average credit, most new truck dealers will send you down the road in whatever color truck you want, same with a trailer.

Why do people think money is the judge of any brain power? Usually those that are broke look at those with money, and envy ever move they make. More times than not, those with money have money because they are smart with money.

I echo what GMAN says, why start yourself out with such a large burden that you cant test the waters some. You must allow room for mistakes, layovers, breakdowns, etc. Ultimately you have control of your own money, you can be smart with it, or toss it around like its going out of style. Enough careless tossing money around, and your gonna be out of style, or FORCED to never have a weekend off.

 

The suggestion by GMAM, to spend maybe $35000 on your first truck sound fine. But.
Are used truck dealers like used car dealers.
I have been shopping for that 4-year old but wonder if I am missing the right deal because I don't know where to look for that one owner truck and van for sale, by the one owner himself.
Any ideas

 

The key to getting a good deal with a truck and trailer is to not get in a hurry. Don't buy something just to get the deal done. Take your time. Check truck dealers, classified ads, Truckpaper, etc., If you take your time, you can find a good deal. If you have cash in hand you can even go to one of the truck auctions and probably get a good deal on both a truck and trailer. I would not concern myself too much with the age of the truck, but the condition. As long as the truck looks decent and checks out all right, then it really doesn't matter the age. I have seen some older trucks which were well taken care of and others that were worn out in 2-3 years. If you keep your eyes open, you may find an older truck which has recently been overhauled or had major work done. I spoke to a friend of mine over the weekend. He has a truck with a Detroit which has more than 1.5 million miles on it and has never had anything done to it. I have seen some with 300,000 which have needed to be overhauled. This guy takes care of his equipment and sees that the maintenance is performed in a timely manner. If you can find a truck such as his that has been well maintained, then you should be able to get a good buy and a decent truck. I am not suggesting you go out and buy a truck with a million and a half miles on it, but use that as an example.

Sometimes you can find an owner operator who decides to retire and has a truck which he purchased new. There is nothing wrong with the truck but he just wants to retire and sell the truck. I bought one like that once for less than the wholesale value. If you want to spend $35,000 you should be able to find a truck and trailer for that amount. I have spent less than that and gotten both.