How to own a semi truck
 

I'm very interested in owning my own truck to contract out drivers. Could you veterans please assists me in the process of owning my own semi truck? What is the pros and cons of this?

:lol: , i'll let Mr. GMAN take this one..

Are you talking about buying a truck and putting a driver in it? If that is the case, you have some challenges ahead of you. One of the greatest challenges is finding qualified drivers. It seems that no matter how much a driver makes or how well they are treated, most move around a lot. Turnover is currently running over 100% a year. That means, on average, everyone who drives will change jobs this year. Not all will change, some will leave after only a few weeks or months. Some will stay with their company for several years. But turnover is very high in this industry.

Do you plan on leasing to a carrier or running your own authority? Insurance companies pretty much dictate who you can hire. Unless you have some personal driving experience you will have a learning curve ahead of you and it can be very expensive. You can make a good living if you own and drive the truck yourself. If you own the truck and put a driver in it, you can make money, provided you get a good driver who will do his job and take care of your equipment. I can tell you some real horror stories experienced by myself and others whom I have known over the years.

Owning a truck is expensive. All trucks break down, even new ones. Maintenance and insurance is also expensive. It isn't uncommon for a truck to be abandoned hundreds of miles from home base.

I suppose that I have mentioned more on the down side of owning a truck. Not everything is negative about owning and putting a driver in the seat. But you need to know both sides in order to make an informed decision. My advice would be to drive yourself for a year or two before putting a driver in the truck. It will give you a much better perspective. Besides, if you have a CDL you can drive yourself if you lose a driver.

Your plan is riskier that using a needle you found under a bus station toilet!

By "contracting" out drivers, you leave questions Unanswered. I remember this summer my friend said this guy she knows contracts out trucks to drivers. She was soooo sure I'd make more under this scheme than doing HHG :roll:

Also, where is your work? I had a LOOOOONNG AOL conversation with a gentleman that got my AIM from thsi board. He was planning on using load boards (didn't even know what getloaded was until I sent him the link) to keep drivers busy. :roll:

I spoke to one United Van Lines driver over the weekend, and he's getting out of the business. I asked if he was gonna put a driver in the truck, and he said "the truck only makes enough $$ for one household". What this means is you're at high risk to fail. I'd say on a graph, your risk of failure increases as your experience decreases ( I was an Economics minor 8) )

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Therein lies a big part of the problem in this industry right there. So many drivers are willing to quit and change jobs the instant they don't get their way. The job hoppers have created a "why bother" attitude. Why bother giving drivers respect and loyalty when there's nearly a 100% chance they're going to jump ship anyways. Why bother treating them like a name instead of a number when they won't be around long enough for you to get to KNOW their name. I tell drivers who complain about being thought of merely as meat behind the wheel to look in the mirror, a lot of that is the fault of the drivers. The sad part is that the guys who believe in sticking it out and loyalty are often the ones who take it in the ass the worst. :?

I tend to disagree with the posts above regarding a turnover and as long as you keep thinking of them as a number turnover will never stop. You guys talk pretty strong when you, yourself changed companies as well, We all know that 99% of what they tell us its not true, you dont know it so you have to expirience it on your own skin and dont even bother talking to others because they will only lie to you. Werner paid me .24 cpm when i first started out, i did my 6 months and went up 12 more cpm driving for a fleet owner out of Chicago and i still would be if i have not bought my own ride...didnt have a reason to go anywhere else.

Ofcourse am gonna jump the ship if am gonna be better off over there, it only makes sence, thats a smart buisiness decision at its best, everyone in any field does it. Treat and pay your guys what they deserve and i bet your ass they wont leave you, WHY? There are ofcourse rotten apples in every bunch but this buisiness is shadyest one out there where everone lies their ass off just to get you behind that wheel.....

Not all drivers move around a lot. I never moved around much. Whether we talk about turnover or ignore it, the fact is that there is a substantial turnover in drivers.

I'm not quite sure how you only part (semi) of a truck either. When I bought mine i bought the whole thing.

I've been in the business for 11 years. In that time, I've had 5 jobs. One of those jobs was for over 6 years.

Turnover is a plague on this industry, as it keeps wages down, and creates that artificial "driver shortage".

One reason there is so much turnover is that people expect one thing and get another when they change jobs. When it comes down to it, there isn't much difference between most companies. A driver's attitude will have more to do with his success than changing jobs every few months or year or so. Some times you just need to suck it up and work through your problems. People are different. Drivers can't always have things their way. There are legitimate reasons to change jobs. A penny more per mile isn't enough of a reason. I have spoken to some drivers who have told me some of the reasons they have changed jobs, and some are very childish. Some have never learned to talk through differences. I have found that most issues can be worked through by effective communications. I hear some complain about the low driver wages. If drivers stayed around for longer wages would rise. You don't pay top wages to someone who just starts with you. A company needs to see what a driver is made of and how he handles his job. It takes time and money to recruit and train drivers. If drivers would stay around longer, wages would rise because it would take more money to train someone new than it would to keep those who are already with a company.

For me, four jobs in 24 years of driving. Been at my present job for the last 16 years. Most of my driving career has been spent working for wholesale distibutors who deliver their own product, not freight transportation companies.

Well lets see, my trainer( does not train allways ) in Werner Enterprises has been with them for 5 years straight and they have paid him 27cpm, they paid me 24 with 1500-2300 miles per week driving by the book. Now thats a 450-500 check before taxes which i made working in a grocery store here localy. After six months they decided to bump that to 2 more cpm to 26 and to get around 32 you have to be with them for 4-7 years.
I got my six months and went up 12cpm more than what they paid me with 3500 miles on a average per every single week of driving, running how ever i knew how :wink: , now tell me thats not a good buisiness decision. To think that a bought a new truck in 1.5 years od driving paying almost half of that up front only because i changed jobs., i wouldnt be O/O in for maybe 3 more years if i stayed there..
Jbhunt and all of these others i wont even talk about, they're all the same..

Turnover is huge only because all these bloodsuckin recruits are telling people whatever they want just to get them in...if you give your guys decent pay with decent miles and treat them like a human beings they will not leave because they wont have a reason too....

I don't want to give the impression that I think all the turnover problems are just the fault of drivers. There are problems with the way some companies treat their drivers. However, the drivers have more control over what happens than they may think. It is important to keep an open line of communication between the driver and operations. I think there are some companies who fail in this instance, but it is often the driver who leaves in a huff without exhausting all of his options to work something out.

turn over
 

Ever heard the saying : "the grass is always greener on the other side"? Well that is what I basically hear from drivers every single day... this place pays better, this place has better equipment.. so on so forth. The fact is people do not care because it is the way people have become. I think it is lack of pride, and the mighty dollar running everyones life... just my 2 cents worth.