Greetings,
I am new to the owner operator business, been a company driver for awhile. I started out doing power only with JB Hunt first few weeks where great now the frieght has all but became runs under 300 miles, by the time I pay for fuel and spend a day messing with this there is really no money in it I have thought about getting my own trailer. any advice?

 

welcome to classadrivers

Sorry im not much help. I only know the dump truck business. But i think you should get a trailer and go out on your own. Just my 2cents.

Someone will be by with alot more info.

 

Thanks I am leaning that way but funds are tight now, the power only deal sounded great, but before I knew it I had just about eatin up all that we had saved. And the cheapest 53' dry van that I have seen is 4500, and I don't really want to put my truck title up for a loan to get the funds. Seems like a double edge sword at times

 

If you have your own authority then there are other carriers who offer power only, such as PTL and Powersource. I have no idea what they pay. If you want to lease on to a carrier there are a number where you should be able to lease on who have a good freight base. Pulling a van you have Landstar at the top of the list. There are a number of others you might also consider. It can be difficult to find better paying without having your own trailer. If you want to buy a trailer and don't have the extra cash, you may consider renting or leasing to own a trailer. Some trailer dealers will rent trailers to those with authority or owner operators.

 

Thanks, would you happen to know the name of any? the only one I have found so far is Ryder. Yes I do have my own authority. Does Powersourse have a website? I have not heard of or anything about this company.

 

I think that Powersource does have their own website, but I don't know the web address. You should be able to google and do a search for them. I would check with Schneider, Landstar and CH Robinson to see if they have any power only opportunites. They all have power only from time to time. I have known of some CH Robinson power only where you pull shippers trailers around. PTL is another carrier that does offer a similar program to JB Hunt. If it were me I would find a way to rent or buy my own trailer. Unless you can hook up to one of these carriers your options will be greatly limited. I have seen power only loads posted on some of the loadboards at times, but it can often get you to an area where you will need to deadhead a long way in order to find a load. There are a couple of trailer dealers near me who rent trailers short or long term. One does rent to own. You pay a little bit of a premium to buy this way but it enables you to avoid any loss freight opportunities. Whether you rent or buy you should not have too much of a problem financing a trailer without using your truck as collateral. You can usually finance a trailer for about 10-20% down. There are also leasing companies that finance equipment and at the end of the lease you own the equipment. They retain title until you pay the final payment. I don't know where you live, but there should be trailer dealers or rental companies where you could at least rent a trailer for a time if you cannot afford to buy one outright. Having your own trailer will open many more opportunities for you.

 

thanks again Gman, I live in corbin, ky I am going try and rent a trailer form ryder monday morning and go from there. if you happen to find a name on the rent to own could you post it please? I have googled to no end it seems like. I feel once I get my own trailer things will pick up greatly or so I hope. Thank all of you that have taken time to read and reply to my post be great help.

 

I would check with K & L Truck and Trailer in Knoxville, TN. They are the closest one to you that I am aware that does rentals and rent to own. They also sell trailers. They have a website you can check, but you will probably need to contact them directly. I know of at least one other, but I don't think they rent out of state.

 

Thanks, I will try and contact them first thing monday.

 

Hello. If you get a trailer, we will load you with good paying freight. Flatbeds have better rates, but we can load any type of trailer. Where are you located? If interested in making money and dealing with honest people, contact me at [email protected].