would you do it again??
 

Quick question, if you had to do it over again would you buy your own truck? OK more questions. Who is good to lease on with? i currently drive for a contractor at fed ex ground. i am out from ohio to nj twice a week and to somerset, pa on sat. i have great hometime, only sleep 2 ten hour breaks in truck. The contractor and i have a plan for me to buy his business in 5 years or so, 4 trucks and 4 dedicated runs, and keep his current mileage rate on all trucks, he has been with them since they were rps. Is this the best thing for me? to wait till then or try something else?

Yes! For your first question! 8)
But I'd not go with the Fedex, cause of their pay package.
Yes it's easy, and you could live on it, just not what i call "business"!
It's offends me, to waste my time and investment, for that kind of money! :roll:

in addition to my previous questions and to solo's response. what would be some recomendations to get started on the right foot, as far as leasing on

First, you got to ask yourself;-Why do i want to do it? What do i want from it?
What do i know about it?
And than you go from there!

The trouble the most folks get, it's because it's very easy to start, just buy a truck, and sign a contract. It's like a frickin trap, that's why it has such a high failure rate! :sad:

Well Jed...looking to do it for the first time, so very interested in your responses. Well kind of doing it out of neccesity, I am being squeezed out by the companies, but after 6 years with a big company, (a wrongfull termination suit I am winning,) I quess it shouldnt be a suprise they dont want to accomidate an individuals unique needs :p
Thats why I think I will be happier myself without a big company, wouldnt mind a small mom and pop myself, where I could meet the owner, size him up, and see if we could do buiz (no local connections here tho), just had it with all the many stunts the big ones pull myself.

Pepe & Jed, I drove for 19 years doing everything and anything you could think of. Flatbed, dump trailer, tanker, lowboy, LTL, etc.. etc...

I had always wanted to get my own truck, but I needed some security of a dedicated route with a guaranteed minimum. I know a lot of people in the business and still would not go completely on my own.

So,I found a company to lease on to. I had no intentions of leasing a truck from them. I was going to buy my own truck from the get go. I am glad I did because the guys that lease trucks from the company
pay about $2000 more a month then I do. I also, can leave with my truck anytime and go somewhere else.

Also, the insurance is way cheaper when you lease on with someone, because they usually pay the cargo and liability. Only thing you will pay is physical and bobtail, and you will get fleet rates.

I meet new brokers and contacts all the time, and do a lot of side work besides my dedicated run. In another year or so, if things continue to do well as they are now, even in the slow season. I will possibly get my own authority. I will then have been in business long enough to get cheaper insurance rates.

It is definitely hard to find the right company. Everybody's needs are different. So I can't recommend anyone. Lot of help I am, right ? :?

So, to sum it up, I would say buy your own truck or trucks. Lease on to someone who will let you do any work you can find. Talk to at least 10 different contractors of a company you might be thinking about. Hope some of this info helps.

Was hopping you'd get more responses Jed, cuz your questions on my mind to as I prepare to buy a truck, comon you guys, half of you here at least have bought a truck, plz plz fess up either way :)

In my niche, owning a truck is the way to go. Would I be a company driver...maybe. You don't always have the freedom you think you get being an o/o. If you're leased you still have to play ball witrh the office, if you ever want to get anywhere and make $$.

So, in a round-a-bout way, I'd do it again! :lol:

do it again?
 

Yeah, I would do it again. This is my 17th year in trucking. Like anybody will tell.. if they tell the truth, there are allot of things in life you miss out on in this business. Kids growing up, missed ball games, dinners together.. etc. But if done right it is a good living. Unlike most people on here that haul freight, flat bed, van, refer.. I haul livestock. It is way different than "normal" trucking. When loaded, you go, it does not matter the weather, or road conditions, in fact often for the area I am in there are no roads. Can not tell you a place to lease onto, but hauling livestock for someone is not one that I recommend leasing on. However, I am looking at selling my two trucks and trailers, and going into "hot-shot" hauling. Not sure if it would be a good thing or not. Still researching it.

Umm hot-shot; is that expedited or feul hauling? Plz excuse my ignorance.

hot-shot
 

pepe it is a smaller truck generally a single axle, pulling a drop deck or flat trailer, infact some hot-shots are nothing more than a 1 ton pick-up pulling a flat bed yes allot are expedited loads

I advise everybody against trucking but it seems like you're already in it. As others know from previous posts, OH - PA is probably the best lane in the USA that I know of. Know your costs and don't overpay for the business.

Re: would you do it again??
 

It is difficult for anyone to give you a serious answer because there are so many variables. Trucking is highly competitive, and will probably become even more so when the Mexican trucking companies are allowed into the US market in the near future per the Bush plan.

Knowing everthing I know now, I would not get into trucking again if I had it all to do over.

I would do it again, and have several times. It is difficult to recommend someone to lease on with without knowing what type of freight you want to haul and whether you have your own trailers. No matter what type of freight you want to haul, you should make more money with a carrier who pays percentage rather than mileage. I would not want to lease to FedEx because they don't pay that well. It is difficult to advise someone whether to buy an existing company with looking at the numbers.

As a rule of thumb anyone who has to have billboards and/or other mass media advertising their jobs is not offering a good deal.

FedEx Ground often has them on the I5 corridor. IIRC they have gotten in hot water for classifying their package car drivers as indpendent contractors; every time they have come before a judge they have been found to be employees.

Floored on here ran team for a Ground contractor for a few months

Ian