Comments By Pat M.

Ooops

Double rainbow in wyoming [img]https://image.ibb.co/fy0G0R/20170711_200842.jpg[/img]

Here is a pick from I-40 in NC. I'm on the Eastbound side looking at the Westbound side. The trucks you see on the Westbound side are parked in the rest area.

They parked for that?

Pat, I am glad you posted. TBH, you had an advantage most don't as you had freight lined up before you had a truck. I wish I knew were your posts were telling us if your beginning. The weeks spent fixing and setting up your truck. The time running with no income while you waited for age of invoice. Those are the kind of posts he needs to see. Reminding him it is not all rainbows and unicorn farts.

I don't remember where it is either. Only one week prepping the truck. I spent about 3-4 months with only $500 a week in income because of startup costs that had to be paid back along with fuel etc. Out of that $500 a week I had to maintain my truck, oil changes, tires and repairs. One tire can take the entire check. An oil change can take half or better.

Then when you get your own authority expect to be down for a month while paying insurance. It takes 20 days to get your authority but you need to have insurance in place first. At least two months before you see any income. This is because most brokers/shippers pay 30 days out if you are lucky.

So that is a minimum of two months with no income and one month not generating any.

I have one owner running under my authority. We started out with him giving me 15% plus another 5% if using my trailer and I take care of the trailer maintenance.

After two months and looking at the numbers with him, because there is a hired driver in the truck, I dropped the percentage down to 10%. I want him to make money too asnd it was not working out that way for him as the truck owner.

I don't want to drive the little guys out of business. He is looking at what this truck will do and would like to add more. That is good for me. I don't need to make all the money off of one truck. As a matter of fact, more opportunities open up with a larger fleet.

Talked to a guy yesterday that wants me to call him when I get to 10 trucks because they ship 6-8 loads a day and is only 60 miles from the house.

Well to be completely honest I am only 4 months from ther half century mark. The white Santa beard might have something to do with it too.

I will chime in here. I have my own truck. As a matter of fact I have two.

I drove for someone else for 5 years before buying my truck. It was not a pie in the sky dream but a conscious decision. I have my own authority now too.

By my estimation based on your posts you are making an emotional decision at best and you are not ready.

Even with the experience that I had, I have been wrong many times on how things will pan out. This year I will do worse than a company driver but I was expecting that from the beginning.

Do you have the means to weather that kind of storm? I have a little different situation than you d o because I do not have to run load boards exclusively.

The startup costs that you think you need will not be enough. I doubled what I thought that I needed and it was still not enough. Should have tripled it.

It was not due to breakdowns either, just every day expenses. Insurance costs are out of this world to start with. You being under 40 is going to hurt you in that aspect.

Basing this solely on your attitude and posts in this thread you will likely not last a year and come out deeper in debt.

The other thing is paperwork. You will not believe what it takes to keep up with all the governments requirements.

You are going to do what you are going to do. Do I regret my decision? Not at all but I started with a higher degree of knowledge and expectations. If you have a family at all do not do this.

That makes 2 direct shippers in two months. It is a lot of work and late nights but I love the challenge. Sales is not my forte but I am getting better.

Finding your own work is a really amazing feeling. I spent the first half of my working life as an employee and the second half as a business owner. I'll never forget the first job I ever landed for my first small business - a tree service. It was only a $60 job that took like 30 minutes but it was the first time I had ever gone out into the world and found work for myself.

I remember thinking, "Wow! If I did it once I can do it again. Then I just have to keep the ball rolling!" It really is exciting.

It's also stressful and it's one hell of a burden to have to face all the time. It's a never ending part of being in business. There's no such thing as having enough business, and nothing lasts forever. Companies change, the competition changes, the business environment changes. Get the idea in your head that you have to keep pushing forward really hard all the time because whatever is working for you today probably won't be working for you a year or two from now.

No matter how well things are going for me I always assume it's temporary and I'm always pondering:

1) What is going to mess up the things that are working so well right now?

2) What's my next move when the things that are working right now quit working?

Keep pushing hard and keep moving forward.

It is an amazing feeling. But there are downs to go with the ups in this industry too. My second truck started leaking oil into the coolant. Obvious oil cooler issue.

Finished up the truck last night. She is on her way already with a load to Wichita.

Local parts house wanted $877 for the oil cooler then about another 130 for the gaskets.

I told them screw off. Got the cooler, gaskets and a new thermostat for $439 overnighted to my door. Truck was not due in till Tuesday night anyhow.

Over the last year how many times has one of my trucks been down due to a sensor?

Oh yeah, none!

Twice now at the same restraunt I have been told that I was given a senior discount. I am not even 50 yet. My business partner gets upset because he is 2 years older but does not get it.

Told him that I was going to call him baby face from now on.

Pat, my wife is the only dispatcher for a company of 15 drivers. Her and her boss run everything. Shes always trying to find new contracts/customers, she dispatches her drivers loads from load boards and soon she will be brokering. Just use her trick, talk sweetly to everyone on the phone. Hehe

Ive helped her plenty. Its a very interesting job.

Don't think that I can pull that off. It certainly is interesting and kind of fun. Rewarding too.

Getting new customers is a matter of keeping your ears open and jumping at the opportunity.

You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen twice as much as you talk.

As for the new customer, I was noticing a specific town was having trouble moving loads. I know of this town and it is very small. I was there one time, to purchase my truck almost a year ago. I saw nothing there to indicate that they shipped anything from there so today I started asking around and found the shipper.

I cold called them and got the name and number for their shipping manager. Good thing too because he is half way across the country or all the way north and south. I was going to drive down there today as my errands took me within 60 miles.

After talking to him for a few minutes he was glad to hear that I was not a broker. He had to go but is calling back next week to set things up. Just today I saw loads posted going 6 different places. I can't cover them all at the moment but it is a foot in the door.

That makes 2 direct shippers in two months. It is a lot of work and late nights but I love the challenge. Sales is not my forte but I am getting better.

Just like the single guy sitting at the counter, don't ignore the small towns. They just may surprise you how much they pay.(tip) Better than the larger areas or the table of 5.