Hello Rene, and welcome aboard Trucking Truth's forum!
We are not big proponents of the whole owner/operator game, and what we really specialize in is helping new entry level drivers or folks who are just looking into the trucking industry get their careers started off on the right foot. For the kind of help you are looking for you would be far better served by going to the OOIDA web site and poke around there. I think you will find the kind of information you are seeking there.
OOIDA is an international trade association representing the interests of independent owner-operators and professional drivers on all issues that affect truckers. The over 150,000 members of OOIDA are men and women in all 50 states and Canada who collectively own and/or operate more than 240,000 individual heavy-duty trucks and small truck fleets.
The mission of OOIDA is to serve owner-operators, small fleets and professional truckers; to work for a business climate where truckers are treated equally and fairly; to promote highway safety and responsibility among all highway users; and to promote a better business climate and efficiency for all truck operators.
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Good evening everyone, new here so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rene and I have earned a living behind the wheel since I was 19 years old. I am 34 now but unfortunately I did things the extremely slow way starting with a class C, then on to B and finally A. What that means is that even though I'd like to go into business for myself I can't just yet because insurance providers require me to have 2 years of class A experience to cover me. I'm just a shade under 1.5 years. While I know the easy answer off the bat is to wait out the last half year the truth is I was just terminated from my current employer (low clearance accident, gotta love NY) and would like to move on to the next step in life instead of applying for yet another j-o-b.
I have over 5 years experience with my class B so I was thinking about buying (or renting for the first week or two to test the waters) a straight truck and running LTL or expedited loads in the tri-state area. One problem I'm encountering is how do I calculate rates for LTL loads and would it even be worth it? Also as a veteran I'm wondering if there are any ways around some of the fees of getting MC and DOT numbers or expediting the process.
Any input at all would be appreciated, thank you in advance.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.