I know some one who has gone through school to get his cdl and tried to get on as a company driver, but has been turned down by everyone because of his criminal record (1 felony drug charge several years ago). He seems intent on driving and has a great mvr.

He has asked me questions about buying his own truck and if it would be possible then. I am only a company driver and don't have any idea. I have read the threads about other drivers trying to be a company driver going through the same problems, but I don't remember anyone asking about becoming an o/o. Also, I have read some of Steve Booth's threads and know it can be done with no experience starting out (even if it is not easy).

He has some savings and a rich grandmother who knows nothing about trucking but wants him to get a job and may help out. So my question is: is it feasible (or possible) if some one with a decent amount of money starting out could go out and by their own insurance and truck and be able to drive? Could he then lease on with a company? Or maybe get his own authority and drive? He said he heard that o/o's had to be bonded and that felons could not be bonded.
(maybe he could put the truck in grandma's name?)

I know these are some wild questions, but he keeps bringing it up and I really don't know what to say. Thank you for any help.

He could go the way I did and get his own authority. The biggest problem would be insurance. He can get liability through Progressive and do just fine with the 300 mile restriction. You are allowed to go outside your 300 mile radius for 4 weeks I think. You can buy additional weeks of out of radius insurance when the initial 4 weeks runs out. It's not a bad deal. I paid around $3,000 per year and buying additional weeks of out of radius would still come close to what a rookie would end up paying.

The hardest insurance to get is cargo. I would have thought it should have been the other way around.

So, with that said, start there and research the possibility of getting liability and cargo insurance. If he can get that the rest will work out and I'm sure Gman will help and so will I.

Some carriers will not lease on an owner operator unless they have at least a minimum of 6 months to 1 year of otr driving experience. Most also have a policy concerning felonies. Some will hire a felon after 7-10 years have past. It depends on the carrier and charges. Without some experience he will likely be limited to going with one of the larger carriers. Smaller companies have a difficult time getting inexperienced drivers insured. Before going too far, I would check the company listings on this forum. Most of the larger carriers are listed. They have their hiring requirements listed which includes their policy concerning felony convictions. If this is something which he is interested then he just needs to get on the telephone and talk with a lot of companies. Most carriers don't require you to be bonded. They do require an escrow account which is taken out of your weekly settlements until it is fully funded.

You can get your authority. As Steve mentioned, insurance will be expensive and there will likely be limitations for the first year. I don't think insurance companies check your criminal record. They will check your driving record. Insurance will drop dramatically after about 2 years as long as you keep your mvr clean and don't have any claims.

Thanks Steve and GMAN for the replies. So, if he leased on with a company, he may not have to be bonded, but he would if he got his own authority? If a company wouldn't hire him as a company driver, do you think it would be possible they might hire him if he got his own truck + ins? Or would he probably have to get his own authority since he couldn't find a company that would hire him as a company driver?

Where are you getting this bonding info from? An independent with authority doesn't have to be bonded for anything. Brokers are the ones that need to be bonded,not carriers. The only challenge to getting his authority is getting insurance with limited experience,but it CAN be done. Why don't you go visit www.trucknet.com and send a PM to Connie the insurance lady in their O/O forum and she might be able to help you all out.Good Luck. He would be better off with his authority anyway. Honest companies to lease to seem to be getting nonexistent.

A freight broker must have a $10,000 bond. Getting your authority only requires that you have minimum amounts of cargo and liability insurance and registered agents in every state in which you do business. Authority costs $300. OOIDA will act as your registered agent if you are a member. There is no reason you should need a bond unless you do business directly with the federal government. They do require a performance bond based upon the number of states in which you want to do business. When you lease to a carrier they will require an escrow account, which is essentially the same thing, except that they take a fixed amount of each settlement until it is fully funded. The escrow account is designed to compensate the carrier for anything you may owe them should you decide to leave. Your main obstacle in getting your authority is insurance. It is difficult to obtain without a couple of years experience. There are not many who will cover inexperienced drivers. If this is something you want to pursue, I suggest you call some insurance companies and get rates. Costs are usually high with startups.

Where are you getting this bonding info from? An independent with authority doesn't have to be bonded for anything. Brokers are the ones that need to be bonded,not carriers. The only challenge to getting his authority is getting insurance with limited experience,but it CAN be done. Why don't you go visit www.trucknet.com and send a PM to Connie the insurance lady in their O/O forum and she might be able to help you all out.Good Luck. He would be better off with his authority anyway. Honest companies to lease to seem to be getting nonexistent.[/quote]

Oh, ok. This answers one of the main questions that he was asking me, and like I said, I didn't know. That is why I came on here. I was lost when he said he thought he had to be bonded and couldn't be because he was a felon and it couldn't work out.

Your wrong. An independent wanting to haul for the Government without the aid of a bonded broker must have a performance bond.

Btw, I have no desire to become an o/o any time soon, but my friend and I were talking about what it would take and he had some questions that I wasn't really sure about and I was curious. :?

So what I understand is if he were able to find a company to insure him and get his own truck, he could try to apply back at those same companies. And if that didn't work, then he could go out and get his own authority, but he would finally be able to drive then. And his criminal record would probably not have an effect on his ability to get insurance, but his inexperience would.

Thanks again, I will let him know.

YES !!!!