[Steel Horse Cowboy]

I am going to highly suggest you BOTH get jobs as company drivers for at least 6 months min!!!!! If not, I can almost gurrantee you will not make it out here. Also, I know of not a SINGLE company you can lease to as an O/O without at least 1-2yrs VERIFIABLE OTR experience. I know you drove for 10yrs in the service, and been in Panama, but thats means absolutely nothing to an insurance company or the DOT

[tazgunny]

First and most important you need a truck with a low dry weight. Listed on the door of the truck. Then decide what you wanna haul and get the lightest trailer for the best price. With all the used trucks out there I sugget getting one of them. $40,000 as opposed to $140,000 is big down fall waiting to happen. The problem with driving for someone else w/o proof of insureability as a comercial driver for the past two years isn't gonna happen. With the new laws in affect. Which leaves you w/ companies like Sure Wish I Finished Training or a self insured company. If your able to transfer your military drivers license over to a CDL A I say go for it. If not then; you gotta do the school. Thats the new law. Thank you MATT. Mothers Against Tired Truckers. I hope you never receive your shipments and have to live in a cave. Oooops did I say that out loud?

[repete]

Originally Posted by Steel Horse Cowboy

I am going to highly suggest you BOTH get jobs as company drivers for at least 6 months min!!!!! If not, I can almost gurrantee you will not make it out here. Also, I know of not a SINGLE company you can lease to as an O/O without at least 1-2yrs VERIFIABLE OTR experience. I know you drove for 10yrs in the service, and been in Panama, but thats means absolutely nothing to an insurance company or the DOT

So far this has been the best advice yet! You already laid out big $$ and apparently lost a lot of in Panama why do it again? There are drivers out here right now with years and years behind them struggling to put fuel in the tank. Would you think about opening a auto body shop if you know basically nothing about cars?
How about a restaurant and you can't cook? I don't want to sound mean but I don't want you to lose your azz either. Think long and hard on this b4 buying the truck and I haven't even started on "putting a driver in it"

[GMAN]

Originally Posted by strawberryrhubarbpie

Hi Gman, I would have to say that we haven't given it much thought at all. I used to have to tie stuff down on flatbed trailers in the Air Force, but would need a refresher course since it's been over 10 years. However, we may start out with hiring a driver (until we could both get our class A's) so it would depend on what he/she is comfortable with. And besides, we don't want to leave our dump truck alone. In a perfect world, my husband and I would be driving our dump truck near our house so that we can be home every night, and we will have our truck out making runs with a driver. But we realize that if we have to, we will be teaming up and driving the truck ourselves 5-6 days a week.

I don't know where you could find a refresher course in load securement. CRST Malone did train owner operators and drivers how to properly secure a load as long as you had a minimum of 6 months verifiable over the road experience.

The way things are today, carriers don't usually consider driving a dump truck or local driving as experience when it comes to otr experience. If you plan on running your own authority your first obstacle will be to find insurance. Most of the better insurance companies require a couple of years experience. They usually check to see how long you have held a CDL prior to covering you. I don't remember if they can differentiate between a Class A and Class B CDL when they check your MVR, but I believe that most states show whether the CDL holder has a class A or B and what endorsements he/she has on their license.

I would advise you against putting a driver in your truck. Rates have already begun to slide downward and I think that you will find it difficult to pay a driver and have enough left to make a profit with one truck.

There are loadboards that can help you find loads. There have been those who have made a go from this business without having any previous experience. Those are few and far between. We have a very high failure rate in this industry. It would help you tremendously to work for another carrier for a year or so prior to getting your authority and running your own truck. I think that running your authority is a good way to go if you have previous driving experience. It is much easier to learn when someone else is paying the bill than when you must pay yourself.

Whatever you decide to do I wish you well.

[tazgunny]

WOW! Repeat sounds bitter. I do believe I read they have Military dump truck experience. I have thirty years at this and still learn new things every day. We all started somewhere. And the drivers struggling need a lesson in Bussiness not driving. If you take a load w/ no profit margine theres no fuel. It cost nearly nothing to sit, not idleing and wait a little while for a profit. You talk more like a company driver than an owner. This is the USA and everyone has the right to follow thier dream weather it interferes w/ yours or mine or not.

[repete]

Originally Posted by tazgunny

WOW! Repeat sounds bitter. I do believe I read they have Military dump truck experience. I have thirty years at this and still learn new things every day. We all started somewhere. And the drivers struggling need a lesson in Bussiness not driving. If you take a load w/ no profit margine theres no fuel. It cost nearly nothing to sit, not idleing and wait a little while for a profit. You talk more like a company driver than an owner. This is the USA and everyone has the right to follow thier dream weather it interferes w/ yours or mine or not.

No not bitter at all, It was 3am and I just finished my run and barely made it in my 11hrs so I was tired. I agree every one in this country should have the same chance to succeed or fail, most will fail in the first year. If I can talk someone into postponing their plans and do more research they will have a better chance to secede, it's that simple.
The Op has already jumped into one biz and it didn't work out in Panama (shipping trucks there and back must cost a fortune) and now they want to buy a TT when they can't drive it? It just dosn't sound like they have a good business plan and will repeat their earlier mistakes. The OP said she has flat bed T/T exp from the Air Force 10 yrs ago and got her CDL B one and half years ago that means no CDLA no recent exp. =what carrier will sign them on and what ins. company will cover them? I'm just being a realist here, it's not my money their going to spend and most likely loose! I do wish them well and thick they would do well by getting some exp as a company driver before jumping in with both feet!

[BanditsCousin]

I agree with Repete.

I think Gertloaded's slogan is "never deadhead to a load again" or something. That freight is there to pay fuel (pretty much) to your next load from your own shipper, not to haul all day every day.

[eplurubus]

Originally Posted by Steel Horse Cowboy

you BOTH get jobs as company drivers for at least 6 months min!!!!!

Do what he said. After even just the 6 months, you will realize how unwise your venture would have been.

[Steel Horse Cowboy]

Originally Posted by tazgunny

WOW! Repeat sounds bitter. I do believe I read they have Military dump truck experience. I have thirty years at this and still learn new things every day. We all started somewhere. And the drivers struggling need a lesson in Bussiness not driving. If you take a load w/ no profit margine theres no fuel. It cost nearly nothing to sit, not idleing and wait a little while for a profit. You talk more like a company driver than an owner. This is the USA and everyone has the right to follow thier dream weather it interferes w/ yours or mine or not.

You are correct that everyone deserves a chance...... but on a BUSINESS note. I do not know a single insurance company that will cover them with laden/unladen coverage with NO OTR experience. And maybe a few companies (Werner, Swift, CRST) may hire them to drive THEIR trucks but they will still be required to go to a driving school. The regs don't allow you to just hop in a truck and cruise it down the road, there are stipulations and the general public is making it harder and harder for newbies to get into the biz. Not to mention the ****ty .26-.28cpm they will pay them. It's a damn shame anymore.

If I did not have a dedicated account, I can tell you that I would not be driving a truck anymore. Not for the lack of wanting to, but for the lack of pay. I know several company drivers that make about what my 19yr old brother does at McDonalds as a night supervisor (he IS in college) He brings home $650 a week and only works 45hrs. Can many NEW company drivers say that? Especially the ones who go home everyday.

[Bigmon]

There are companies that will give you insurance. It will be high, but you have to look for it.