Are truckers really make enough money?
#51
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: California...yup beautifull Hollywood just over the hill
Posts: 569
Originally Posted by person
You can take as little as 40 weeks of classroom training, all paid for by the goverment
These kids would come in thru a Govt. training program started thru Bill Clinton n not completly phased out by Bush (tho cut back) hmmm win or something crap like that (I called it trainer loses) Basicly if they showed they were poor (1 was in jail n flew under radar checks honest no BS) the Govt promised they would reinburse their training cost to the big Co's n even promised $ incentives for hiring them (so the whore big Co's went for it). Hated to pick them up to train them to be honest....it wasnt just dumb luck they were poor....usually bad work ethics. But again i ask....umm this is owner ops area isnt it....shouldnt the question be can i make $ if i own a truck.. I mean Steves the only one here who just bought a rig n went driving from scratch n he gets blasted for it (LOL). So hows about a list of places I could possibly lease to since we have determined own authority can suck :lol:
#52
Board Regular
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 258
Pepe, I get it. You're done and you're going to try the lease-on thing now. I just had a question. How come you left the board? Wouldn't it have helped when you were trying this thing to have people help you left and right with every little thing? You know every little answer is here if you ask. Seems there's some real hand holding available.
#53
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally Posted by pepe4158
But again i ask....umm this is owner ops area isnt it....shouldnt the question be can i make $ if i own a truck.. I mean Steves the only one here who just bought a rig n went driving from scratch n he gets blasted for it (LOL).
#54
Pepe, if it is the paperwork that is getting you down, there are those who offer a service that will take care of that aspect of the business for about $50/month or less. If you want to lease to another carrier there are several who pay percentage and are usually in need of good owner operators. Landstar, CRST Malone, Mercer, Jones are a few who come to mind. You didn't mention whether you want to haul van or flats. If it is flats or steps you are interested, there are a few others who come to mind. Some require that you have your own trailer others are power only. If you pull a flat with most of these carriers you will need your own trailer or have the ability to rent one. Either from them or someone else. If you want to stay with vans, Landstar and CRST Malone has a lot of drop and hook. If you want to primarily stay in the West, there are some regional carriers who stay in that area. You can make a good living running up and down I-5. Of course, if this fuel situation doesn't change that may not continue to be the case. Right now rates seem to be somewhat lower in the Western states.
Keep in mind that all of the carriers I mentioned pay percentage. All of them have cheap as well as good paying loads. Other than the paperwork, it is much like running your own authority. It takes time to find the better paying brokers or agents. This is true whether you run your own authority or lease to a carrier. Another thing to keep in mind is that when you lease to a carrier you will likely give up about 25% of the rate. If you are running cheap freight right now, then it may not make much difference to you. You can also broker loads through most of those I mentioned. Schneider, JB Hunt and a number of other large carriers broker freight. Some pay fairly well.
#55
Board Regular
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Western PA
Posts: 404
Originally Posted by LOAD IT
Merrick- Rank makes an excellent point here. Since you are from Florida you could do this with produce, nursery steel or other products drayed from containers in the ports. Shorthaul/regional is really where the money is. You may touch 6-9 loads and make $4500 on 2200 miles versus running OTR to make $4500 on 3000 miles in a week. Dust off your old company driver notebook and call some of those Florida shippers. What made you cut ties with the other guy?
#56
There is a lot of steel which runs from Illinois to New York that pays pretty well. A friend of mine did well with the shorter runs and was home most every night. He lives in Lewisburg and pulls a flat. He has another truck that he owns and it runs back and forth from Michigan to Pennsylvania.
#57
Board Regular
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Western PA
Posts: 404
Originally Posted by GMAN
There is a lot of steel which runs from Illinois to New York that pays pretty well. A friend of mine did well with the shorter runs and was home most every night. He lives in Lewisburg and pulls a flat. He has another truck that he owns and it runs back and forth from Michigan to Pennsylvania.
#58
Originally Posted by furbis
and almost starved at $20.00 an hour.
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#59
Senior Board Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: California...yup beautifull Hollywood just over the hill
Posts: 569
Originally Posted by person
Pepe, I get it. You're done and you're going to try the lease-on thing now. I just had a question. How come you left the board? Wouldn't it have helped when you were trying this thing to have people help you left and right with every little thing? You know every little answer is here if you ask. Seems there's some real hand holding available.
Ummm didnt actually leave, just busy out running some months so too much going on to log in: I usually stay out a whole month or so at a time since the only real place actually live now is the Philippines at the wifes. Once n a while I could log in here, but my connections were erratic since my air card with cingular was a disaster, so what ever connection time I had were spent on getting loads.....them n AT&T are garbage. N....hmmm done, not exactly sure, cuz when i go to lease probably could get the screw job from trucking Co's n say no thks n just keep running own auth.....a good offer from one n yes im done, but wont hold my breath there, was a driver trainer long enough to know all these Co's out here are really just pimps n think your their whore......bastards! Love a mom n pop place, bt dont know any around here, there probably all back east cuz family owned stuff just doesnt do well in CA...they choke the life outta them here ill tell ya our little commie congress here |
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