That is a silly idea. My father started this business knowing less than the basics and has done very well for himself. He paid for his own driving school, bought his own truck and flatbed trailer and has run under his own authority since 2008 when he received his license. He had no previous truck driving experience and never worked as a truck driver before. Truck driving is not rocket science.

Quick update: I've gone back and forth a lot on this, but I just talked to the shipping manager at a local mill and I'm going to start trucking lumber for them. I can be home most nights, good pay, and I'll be one of only two of the drivers they use who live here in town. Potential to gross $2000/day if I can get return loads. Being interstate I will be able to go to OR and ID as well, which a lot of their current drivers can't do. So wish me luck.

Just read this thread... and I'm no O/O (yet) and don't know sheit from shinola, lol!

But, I was just wondering about a possible niche for you... if the lumber thing don't work out.

If your reefer is "workable," (and you didn't trade it for a flatbed...) I wonder what kind of money you could make (and trouble you could get into) by checking with the "produce sheds" in Salinas, Coachella and the Ventura area. [The main ones. There's also Bakersfield and the Imperial Valley sheds.]

I'm just mulling this over, but... they need a lot of produce "shuttled" from field to cooler, cooler to OTHER coolers, and stuff like that. I would think they MIGHT pay good money when they are desperate and need stuff moved around to fill a truckload order that their business may depend on.

I used to haul produce back to NC from the west coast (including apples from WA, taters and lettuce from CO, and onions from NV.] I can't tell you how many times I was held up at a shed waiting on a load of something coming from somewhere else to fill my "order."

I'm thinking along the lines of an "on call" EXPEDITER. [Yes, I'm a bit of an entrepreneur as well.]

Let me know what you think of the idea. If I haven't been clear enough... just ask.

Your right it's not rocket science, but if it's so easy why is the failure rate so high?

I see too many that have no business sense starting up. Get those big settlement checks and the loose it from there. Don't invest it back into the truck or save for slow times but toys.


And not just in trucking