owner operator wanna be
 

I have been driving class A for 2 years but only have 7 months OTR experience, I was wondering which companies would be best for me as an owner operator.

Re: owner operator wanna be
 

Do you have a business plan ??? Cash reserves ?? Good credit ???

But 7 months OTR experience is the biggest problem....

We don't know a damn thing about you, we cannot answer that.

1) Do you want to pull reefer/van/flatdeck/rgn?

2) Where do you live?

3) Where do you want to run?

4) Are you legal for Canada?(no arrests or DUI's)

5) What kind of equipment do you have (if any?)

6) Do you have good credit?

7) Do you have border crossing experience?

8) Do you have mountain crossing experience?

9) Do you have any accidents/tickets/violations?

10) What are your expectations as far as pay?

11) Are you going to buy your own truck or go through a lease program?

These are just a small example of the kind of information we need.

Start contacting smaller local companies, I prefer them best. Under 500 trucks. They should have someone that deals with o/o's directly. Ask him about the pay package, what you're liable for(insurance, etc..), forced or non-forced dispatch, and ask him to fax you a copy of the contract.

You'll find a lot of companies probably aren't even hiring.

Re: owner operator wanna be
 

cr england

How about Prime? Make sure you tell them you want to train someone. That pays more.

The reason for becoming an owner operator: to have more control over your life. You want to have a lot of say so about when you drive, if you drive, and even where you drive. It's probable you won't get all of that unless you go someplace like Landstar, but get as much as you can, because that is the reason for becoming an O/O.

You begin to pay self employment tax and you don't get any benefits. O/O's don't necessarily make more than company drivers, and sometimes make less.

You incur a lot of liability company drivers don't have. If you wreck it, you pay for it. If it blows up, you fix it. If it has to be towed, you are the toad. :wink:

That said, follow Mike3fan's thread. Look at the numbers. Those are really good numbers. Dry box, you've got to find the right opportunity. A lot of plain Jane dry box jobs aren't worth it. Consider all the other forms of specialization as well- reefer, stepbed :lol: ...

Re: owner operator wanna be
 

It is difficult to recommend the best carrier for someone without knowing more about your personality. If you are accustomed to forced dispatch then I would look for a company who has dispatchers and make the load decisions for you. Dispatchers are primarily associated with those carriers who pay mileage. If you prefer more freedom and like to call your own shots, then you may want to consider a carrier who is agent based. Some, such as Landstar, don't have a dispatcher. You pretty much run your truck as you wish. It is your responsibility to find your own loads and decide what you need to be profitable. Landstar and a few other carriers pay a percentage of the load to their owner operators. Personally, I prefer this type of system over those who pay mileage. However, there are those who prefer working for a fixed mileage rate.

Other considerations when you look at carriers is the type of freight they haul. Reefers, vans, flats are some of the areas where most work. Some carriers will do one of these but most don't do all of them, although there are exceptions.

Some carriers require you to either own or rent your own trailer. It takes a while to learn how to run a truck. There is more to being a successful owner operator than driving. There are many who have gone under this year due in part to the high cost of fuel and mismanagement. There are larger carriers who are also struggling. Some of us are doing OK, but it is a constant challenge to get the higher rates we need to compensate for the higher operating costs thrust upon us because of escalating fuel costs. Rates are not keeping up with the rapid fuel cost increases. We will manage, but it will be much more challenging for someone with little or no experience to make it work. Not to discourage you, but you need to approach this with your eyes open and look at it as a business.

I have been considering this for some time, when I was OTR I
questioned all of the O/O I could to get a feel for it.

I do have a basic plan, get rid of all my debts and for the 1st
year of operation I will pretty much be living out of my truck.
I am single and have no dependents to worry about.

I plan on getting a tractor as new as I can afford with low mileage
if I can find it. Then I plan on having an APU installed for comfort
and to save on wear and tear and fuel costs.

I will be working out of CA, around San Bernardino/Fontana.

I have good credit, I do not like forced dispatch and I have all
endorsements on my license. I do not want to run in snow if possible.

Thanks for inputs so far.

Danny Herman (DHT) runs from Socal across 10 to the east and generally stays out of the snow. They do a lot of stuff down in texas and especially laredo. They have O/O's and company drivers. Thats the first one that comes to mind for me for people who don't want to run in the snow.

Danny Herman is one of the cheapest paying outfits in TX.

I would look for a company that doesn't have forced dispatch. That way you can more easily run where you want. However, when you limit yourself to where you are willing to run you can inhibit your earnings potential. Landstar has a good agent in Fontana. In fact, they have several agents all over California. CRST has a large terminal in Fontana and CRST Malone has an agent near by. He is usually in need of owner operators who want to run East and back. If you decide you would like t pursue it let me know and I will try to find his number. I believe Covenant, U.S. Express and Werner all have terminals in Fontana. Historically, you can do fairly well running up and down I-5. Rates coming East are usually much less. Running up and down I-5 could involve throwing chains in the winter months. I would check some of the truck stops around your area. Some carriers and brokers put listings on the drivers bulletin board.

First of all G-Man is the man!! He always gives or trys to give good solid advice! Thanks G-Man!!

Now for my 2 cents! To each it's own! I prefer being a Motor Carrier instead of a O/O. Owner Operators have the same responsibilities as a Motor Carrier, you are just not locked into hauling for one company. Yes you have to pay your own insurances, fuel taxes & etc (beleive me, as a lease driver you are paying for all that too) but you have the freedom to haul for who ever payes the better rate! Over time if you are dependable you will be hauling for some of the major shippers for yourself and receiving the same amount as the big motor carriers!

Keep in mind that JB Hunt, Maverick, TMC & etc started with one or two trucks!

You are confusing some terms here.

A "motor carrier" is anyone who has their own authority. Steve Booth, for example, is a "motor carrier". An "owner operator" is anyone who owns their truck and drives it. You can be a "owner operator" and a "motor carrier" at the same time.

That is probably the worst oversimplification I have ever seen on the subject.

Please explain how exactly you accomplish this.

I've seen worse. :)

Not with one truck he aint. :shock:

Sure, he'll get a shipper here and there, but you'll never haul consistantly for a shipper.

Where do these people come from..... :lol:

Okay fellows help me to understand the difference between a Owner Operator and a Motor Carrier. I alway thought, yes a Owner Operator was leased to a company and didn't have his own authority and a Motor Carrier had his own authority and was not leased to anybody?

An as far as the rate, I was saying if you have your own authority and haul for a shipper you get paid the same rate as a big company, because you don't have the company that you are leased to taking money (15 to 25% of the load) out of your settlement!

If I am wrong please explain because it is to my advantage to learn something new everyday!

Thanks

And Rev as far as oversimplication, when some one puts ETC behind a statement, that normally means that there is more to a situation that is either stated or written about!

And for the record I don't claim to know everything about this business! I learn something new everyday.

As I explained already, a "motor carrier" is any carrier of any size that has a DOT number. An "owner operator" is an owner of a trucking company who operates his or her own equipment. A trucking company who is leased to a carrier can be an owner operator, just as a motor carrier can be an owner operator. It is also possible to be neither a motor carrier or an owner operator, if you have several trucks leased to a carrier but you don't drive any of them.

If you don't have the ability to negotiate rates that a large trucking company does, then you aren't going to get the rates they do. Rates aren't set in stone; each motor carrier negotiates them with the shipper, broker, or whoever it is they get the load from. If a shipper has a need for 5 trucks per day to ship goods, and you only have one truck, then not only are you not going to have the negotiating power that a 1000 truck carrier has, but you also aren't likely to get a load from them. That is why many owner operators lease to carriers. It allows them the ability to get that freight that they would have otherwise been shut out from. The price you pay for that ability is the percentage that you pay the carrier (in the case of percentage based carriers, of course).

Actually, the part I was referring to that was an oversimplification was this:

Your freedoms only go as far as your ability to negotiate, and your ability to obtain the freight. As a motor carrier, all of that burden is on your shoulders.

Ok ok, now, I have no idea what I am. lol

I've told you time and time again, you are a hobby trucker. :D



(you're a motor carrier and an owner operator) :wink:

lol

+1

I don't know what I am...I don't know how I get freight... :lol:

that's because you no longer haul freight,you haul liquid commodities 8)