You know, it's too bad with the driver shortage only expected to get worse that a able willing guy who wants to be an O/O can't make it with all the things working against him, fuel, brokers etc.
You'd think if someone was willing to offer his services to the industry he'd be sure to make it. Granted it is a business and there are always those who can screw up a good thing. Not sure if I made my point the way I intended.
Might be a differ ant topic or thread but what about using C H Robinson as a broker. I met a guy a while back who had his own authority and used them.
He said he didn't even want a call if it didn't pay better than $2.00 /mile. Not sure if he was bullsitting

I would sure like to have $2.00 or more per mile on a regular basis.

CH Robinson has a reputation for having cheap freight, but they do have some decent paying loads. You will find different rates based upon the capacity within an area, time of year and type of freight. The more specialized the freight requirements, the higher rate you can command. I have met independents who only haul for CH Robinson. Most pull vans. They seem to have more van freight than anything else. They do have quite a bit of flat bed freight. It is not unreasonable to expect $2/mile to haul freight. It may require additional leg work, however. It may also be difficult in some areas of the country. There are some people who are afraid to sit so they take the first load that is offered, regardless of the rate. That is the reason some rates tend to be suppressed. These brokers and shippers know that they can find someone to move their freight for next to nothing. Then there are those who plan and work to get the higher paying loads.

Threw the towel in 6 months ago...
 

I'm one of those guys that's been in it for a long time, tried it every which way but loose, do ALL my own repairs including, but not limited to, services, brakes, most of the engine work I've needed, electrical, just everything and anything to save a buck. And I did. Bought a '97 in 2000, drove it and paid for it, and ran it 2 more years while enjoying the "no payment plan", and still ended up having a hard time.(This isn't my first rodeo, just telling the latest story of my adventures in truckin'...) The maintanence costs associated with a used truck, in my situation anyways, were excessive to say the least, even with all my sweat equity. But I justified it with continuing to say, "at least she's paid for..."
I was getting deeper in debt with the KGB (I mean, IRS,) due to the fact that it was hard to retain that reserve quarterly tax money when I was having trouble paying all my bills due to the spike in fuel costs. It wasn't for lack of effort or knowledge on my part, it was just a matter of economics as I see it. We all love what we do, and continue it because of that love, and that's honorable for sure. But sometimes, when things get "out of shape" financially and we find ourselves struggling harder than we used to, it pays to stop and take a survey of what's going on. I certainly did one day, and saw that I wasn't producing enough surplus revenue to allow for equipment replacement, or have a decent cash reserve for emergencies, etc. It's a good rule of thumb to have a cash emergency fund of 3-6 months of operating expenses including household expenses on hand, in case of a major hiccup in work, revenue, etc. With that said, it's obvious a lot of us are running close every week/month.
I parked the 'ol gal 6 months ago, and adjusted my once-ignorant attitude to enable myself to be gainfully employed, and since then, my wife and I are seeing that the 8-9-1000 bucks a week I bring in is actually sticking around now, instead of morphing into a set of steering tires, or fuel, or one of the many other incidentals related to this sport.
I'm not getting rich working for the man, and even lost my job suddenly last week and am scrambling for another one currently, but I can't muster up the 5K I'd need to register, insure, tire-up and fuel my 'ol Pete again, so it's off to the breadline once again...
Mama didn't say it was gonna be easy...

Thanks fer listenin'.

My wise Uncle Bill always said, "The harder you work, the luckier you get..." Ain't that the truth guys...