I just know how it is spending day after day week after week on the road with 1 to 2 days off here and there then back to the grind. I have run 4500 miles in one week and I have run 800 miles in one week. I just want something in between that I can control. I do love truck driving. I don't like the industry standards on hometime. Also I have a very large home that I don't feel comfortable leaving for weeks or months at a time. It's paid for and I have invested a lot in it. Then there is doctor visits and dental visits. I have to be able to take off in case something else comes up. My mother is 78 years old and lives alone. I have yet to find a company that understands or cares. I don't expect you to understand or care at all.

What I don't understand is why do you comment if you have nothing intelligent to say? Just because you and I are not in the same boat? I do not wish to walk in your shoes sweetie. Your comments are nothing more than static and noise.

I know it can be done. I'm just unsure of how to go about doing it. That's why I come here and ask.

Thanks for your ummmm......concerns...........................???? ??

" using $1.20 a mile as a reference....a worst case situation. I don't need to run 5000 miles a week at $5.00 a mile average. I don't want to run 1 day 1 week and take 11 months off either. I'm just saying I want to be my own boss. I can't get it being an O/O in the Memphis area. At least not like I want it to be.

I was trying to do the math. Most loads I hear of on the load boards pay at least $1.00 a mile. A lot pay even more. If I'm my own boss and pick and choose the loads and home time to me that's being my own boss and what I want. If i'm totally wrong then tell me. I really want the names of companies where I can lease on to and truly be my own boss."

$1.00 a mile is is stupid, and by hauling it you just feed the cut rate brokers. Fuel is $3.00+ a gallon.

Just because you need to make less does not mean you go out and work cheaper just to make the little bit you need. Leasing is the best option because when you are not working the expenses are not running as fast. You are going to pay for a full year of liability and cargo if you go on your own and not get full use out of it.

Perhaps you should go ahead and get your authority. If control is your main issue then that is the best way to have total control over what you do and where you run. You can get authority for $300 as long as you have the minimum required insurance and registered agents. I do have one question about your figures. You mentioned that one insurance company quoted you $4,700 for liability insurance. You will also need $100,000 cargo insurance. It isn't required by the feds, but is required by most shippers and brokers. They also usually require $1 million in liability. Again, that is not a requirement for authority but by most shippers and brokers. I mention it because when you are checking costs you need to factor in actual numbers based upon your needs.

If you are still undecided about whether to lease to a carrier there are several carriers other than Landstar where you can pretty much run when and where you want. I mentioned some of them above. Most of those will be agent based and pay a percentage of the line haul. Most mileage carriers seem to want more control over their owner operators since they usually pay for all miles. When you run on percentage you are only paid on the load. One reason many carriers encourage their owner operators to lease to them is because when you sign a lease with them they must add you to their insurance. The carrier must pay those premiums whether you run or not. It is a major expense for carriers.

The only way to have complete control is to run your own authority. It takes time to build contacts. Clearing $25,000/yr should not be very difficult if you have few bills.

I gave you my opinion, and others shared the same advice, but you have your mind made up that having your stupid name on the door is the way to do it. So my last piece of advice is JUST DO IT ALREADY!!

You don't know me, I really want to run only under rainbows.

Ok well we can look at it as a best case situation then.

What about averaging $1.75 a mile for 80,000 miles per year. That equals $140,000 per year. It increases the costs of fuel though. The cost difference on the insurance as you say is not that much. I already found liability for truck and cargo for trailer for $4700 per year. I will have to work a little harder to pay that but I feel like I'm offsetting the cost because I won't have a truck or trailer payment. Also I won't have full coverage insurance requirements. The insurance is still a tax write off as an expense.......right????

I never said I WANTED to run cheap freight.. I also never said I wanted to run part time. I just want to start on a load when I choose to and come home when I choose to. I can not find a company in the Memphis area that will allow me to do it. Finding a company outside of the area just makes things worse unless they have constant freight in and out of the Memphis area. That way I won't have to deadhead home.

My point is as I've said before I would feel like a company driver still even if I was leased onto a company. They still tell you when and where to drive more or less.

I just checked with a company Saturday in Memphis. They said .90 cents per mile plus if there was a surcharge on fuel it was passed on. If not it was a straight .90. I asked about hometime and they said it was not up to me. I would be required to work at least 14 days straight and if i needed more than 2 days off I would have to have a reason. Also they said they had problems from O/O before that wanted to choose their hometime and it didn't work that way with them. They said also that when I get sent to certain areas that there is limited freight that I can choose to pull out unless I deadheaded and that was my choice. My cost as well. I still would have to pay for insurance, permits, and license. Fuel and truck maintance of course is my responsibility as well. They said they gave a fuel discount card but I am limited to .90 cents per mile. Even if I find a load paying double I still can't pull it because I'm "leased". To me that all doesn't sound anywhere close to being my own boss. It sounds worse than being a company driver to me.

I've tried to see the benefits of being an O/O and I just can't see it in this area. The trucks are cheap. The freight pays well. The insurance is not costly and you get the freedoms to choose where and when to run. Maybe if I could find a guy with just a couple of trucks to lease on with it would be ok. I just don't see how it's a benefit still though. Maybe I'm missing something.

Gman I did get a quote on $1 million liability and $100,000 for cargo. The quote was for $4700 total. The company is Dill Brothers in Little Rock, AR. I don't believe they misquoted me because I asked about requirements by federal law and they said that this insurance would be above the basic limits and would be accepted by all brokers. It was a 500 mile radius on the coverage though. I figured that would be fine because I don't want to run farther than 700 miles one way any way. The insurance company said that sounded ok with them.

In contrast I called Progressive and for the same exact coverage they quoted $12,000 and they did not do cargo insurance. I thought this was beyond crazy. It was for a 500 mile radius as well.

So does this mean your going for your nap, diaper change, and bottle now???? Thank goodness your starting to sound a little cranky.

Just don't take it out on your dispatcher. They might actually have a nice day dealing without your rants.

Ummm....thanks again for your.....ummm....concerns?????

I am glad that your quote was for more than the liability. Rates can and do vary widely when it comes to motor carrier insurance. It pays to check around, even when you renew your insurance. You can go outside the 500 mile radius a few times per year from what I have been told by others who received quotes from different insurance companies.

Yea I asked about that as well Gman. The company said I could go outside the limit if it was less than 1%??? of the time. I believe that is correct. The insurance for all 48 states with them wasn't that much more though.

I am still trying to figure it all out. It's a very hard choice on what way to go with this thing. As you can tell by my constant asking of questions. I do appreciate everything. I have had a lot of good input from the posters here. There are some other boards I've asked and gotten similar answers.

I am just dealing with my own money and it's hard to part with. I don't want to get any surprises if I jump into this. I'll go look at trucks again tomorrow. I've found a trailer at least now though. The company has over 100 so there's not a big rush to go get one tomorrow. I just need to convince myself that I can make a good living off of this venture. I don't have a lot of bills but still it will take a huge investment to get started in this.

If/when I do it I will make a post about my truck and how things are going. Thanks again for the advice.

My advice in your case would be to run independent with your own authority if control is the issue and not the money.I run as an independent with my own authority and i would tell you that i would not be in trucking in other shape or form.I call my own shots,runs and times that i want.At the same time i get to enjoy something that others don't:every frickin repair bill along with the headaches of having your own equipment .With the relations that i've build with brokers, i'm treated in a equal manner and much more than a leased o/o being forced to go places he doesn't want to.For me right now,money dictates when i run and how much i run.With the produce season being strong this is the time to make money,not when freight rates are in the toilet as those times will come.Also,thinking to run for 90 cents to 1.20 is being extremely cheap.If you own your equipment and run at those rates,sooner or later you will loose.Something to keep in mind.