Going Owner Operator

Hey haven't been driving very long I enjoy the flatbed lots of fun. Now the driver manager/company bs I'm going through not so much fun. I don't feel like I should have to babysit my driver manager and when I call the company for some help and they say well figure it out, so just got me thinking bout if I have to do this stuff myself why not get my own truck. My plan is just to stick it out here and get some cash saved and more experience. I just would like to know some opinions about going like to a flatbed owner/lease companies.

Thanks

when I call the company for some help and they say well figure it out

What kind of things are you asking for help with? Unless it's something that is completely beyond your ability to fix (fuel card not working, blown tire etc.) you should be able to handle it.

Most here are not going to encourage you to lease a truck. You'll also still have a DM at most companies, so I don't know that leasing will solve that issue.

I'm not sure where you are or what company you are with but I'll share a story. Today, during mt first day of company orientation, another driver drove us to go get our physical and drug screening. On the way back he took us to a company which is fully 50% of my new company's business. He wanted us to know where they were located, how to find the various drop yards.. their company's rules while on their premises, etc. He told us to be careful because if you break rules, they'll request that driver not to come back.. and well it's an easy way to get fired. So he's showing us around and we see one of our trucks going the wrong way. It was obvious that the driver was lost and based on the truck number, he knew it was a brand new driver. So this new driver was driving around, definitely lost. I suggested he put the new driver out of their misery and help him out. He said NO. He should be able to figure it out.

So.. what they're doing is TESTING you. To see if you can figure things out. Taking on a lease will not only not fix your trouble, but will make it worse. As was pointed out, you will still have a driver manager.

So, don't stress.. they emphasized this point today in class. Whatever you do remain calm and don't get excited. If you don't stay calm, you will make bad decisions which will cause you more trouble and end your career quite quickly.

I wish you the best and I hope you can see some shred of reason behind what I just told you.

Well human element has let you down. Get use to it the grass is not greener on the other side. Except around the septic tank. Anytime you come in contact with people that don't have the same game plan as you your bound to have tremendous let downs. L/O or O/O is certainly not the answer, in fact be prepared for more let downs then you can shake a stick at. In other words your reasons for being an o/o are in my humble opinion frivolous.

Matthew said:

Now the driver manager/company bs I'm going through not so much fun. I don't feel like I should have to babysit my driver manager and when I call the company for some help and they say well figure it out

It looks like this is what pushed you over the edge. As a company driver, you can't get help from the office. When you own your own truck, you'll be on your own as far as equipment is concerned. How will this make things better?

And if you haven't been driving very long, have you already absorbed all the knowledge and tricks that will make you successful?

As CS asked, just what do you need help with? Maybe we could help you out on this forum. That's mostly what we do here.

My advice is to stick with your company, learn the ropes and I promise in a month or two you'll not need to bother your very busy DM , and you won't be wasting your time waiting for answers.

I don't call them and ask them to figure something out, I call the office and tell them what I need. There are certain things that only they can get and that is because we don't have credit cards or comdata etc.