Can You Be An Actual Owner/operator At Prime?

You have seen proof of an O/O earnings?

thats my question. You are showing your ignorance even more.

first turtle and i can make as much solo as teaming..so that is a myth teaming pays more.

second, all of the lease/oos train because they HAVE to just to make any money.

third, the lease contracts, lease puchase also, are set up so you have to pay for mileage....my boyfriend pays $1300 per week for truck and add ons, plus $500 per week just for mileage!!!

plus if you team, you pay the co drivers salart, employer taxes and employer share of insurances/health benefits.

when these guys say "net" they mean BEFORE taxes.. when W2 people say net, we mea after taxes.

plus you get no health benefits or 401k

trust me, IF it was better, i would be doing it. And ask them how often they go home. ask what the operation costs are per mile and their average load pay per mile. when all is said and done, a company driver running hard i a lightweight makes more.

Rainy, Turtle and the others are practically begging you not to commit financial suicide and you are still teetering on the brink. If I were young like you, I would probably be thinking like you, but I did a LOT of stupid stuff when I was young.

Another way I look at it is it's only to the Company's benefit to hook you up as a Lease Operator. Otherwise, why would they push the program? Not to bash my company, but they do try to entice drivers into the program with nice shiny new trucks and by making these drivers fell "special". But a goodly number of those trucks are shortly back in the company's possession because of all the reasons previously stated.

You can't go wrong being a regular company driver for a solid carrier. The support and security is incredible without the horrific liability risks.

Austin please read this article written by Old School a couple of years ago. It’s highly relevant as you ponder the realm of O/O.

Confessions of an Owner Operator

Hey Austin, I don't know if it will mean anything to you or not, but I've been a long time business owner. I always enjoyed being in charge and calling my own shots. When I decided at age 53 to get out of my business and go into truck driving it was with the full intention of being an Owner/Operator. I figured it every which way I could, and I never could come up with a satisfactory business plan that made any sense.

I'm a practical guy - I like things that work. I could not make the financial part of it make any sense. I have helped a lot of business owners over the years understand how to make realistic forecasts and taught them how to understand financials and P&L statements. The one thing I learned about trucking is that it's very cyclical with a lot of influences beyond our control that affect those oftentimes very short boom and bust cycles. The uninformed hear independent owners talk about how much they're getting paid for a load and they try to compare that to what a company driver makes on a similar load. This brings them to a very false conclusion as to how much those owners end up with as a net amount.

If there were a ton of money to be made in this business, we would see these really large publicly traded trucking companies making a fortune. They are well managed and have all kinds of advantages over the small independent owners. But here's what we find if we are paying attention. Their margins are very tight. Typically 3 - 5%, maybe up to 7% during a really profitable season. I work for Knight, a company known for it's ability to maintain a very good operating ratio, and I keep seeing smaller companies selling their operations to these guys. They would not be selling if they were doing really well. It makes no sense to get out of a business that's doing really well and has a strong chance of just getting better.

We are all about helping drivers succeed here at Trucking Truth, yet very few of us have taken the path of being owner/operators. I can understand some reasons for wanting to be an owner/operator, but if you take that path for the sake of making a lot more money, I think it's going to be a disappointing venture. I don't know if you've looked into these resources, but I highly recommend them.

The Natural Progression Of A Truck Driver's Career

Don't Be Fooled By Owner Operator Math

Here's another thing to consider. You went home for 2 days, now your ready They give only 100 miles for the rest of the week. Now what?

I'm a second year o/o running under my own authority.

The problem with buying your own truck and bringing it to a carrier is you are relying on them too much. You are relying on them to have enough freight, keep you rolling, to pay high enough rates, to dispatch you properly, not to mention the legal stuff, permits, yearly fees, plates, plus you have to abide by their rules.

The less you rely on other people the more control you have, and more if a chance you will have to succeed.

For instance, i use 7 different load boards, and from then i can find maybe 1 or 2 loads i want to take. If i just used one companies board id probably be forced to take loads that i didn't want and if you're being put in that situation you might as well just be a company driver.

And the crazy thing about this statement...even as a company driver, i often choose my loads. "get me something from MO to phoenix", "my student needs to drive over cabbage".

countless times even solo, my FM would ask me, "how does this look?"

I see so many lease ops accept loads thinking they pay well, but not realizing they are now in a freight dead zone or cheap rate zone. And they later realize 8 other people rejected it. yeah... thats why. so let the newbie accept it cause he is too green to realize it wont even pay for the fuel.

im sorry, i just really hate seeing people dive into this without being prepared.

If i just used one companies board id probably be forced to take loads that i didn't want and if you're being put in that situation you might as well just be a company driver.

Sid, I think this is such a common misunderstanding about being a company driver. The idea that company drivers just have to take whatever is force-fed to them is foreign in my experience. We talk a lot in here about how this is a performance based career, and how Top Tier Drivers get above average treatment. I have these phone calls each week with my dispatcher where we go over the available loads and I pick and choose which ones I prefer. I've seen some other drivers in here speaking about getting to choose their loads also.

It's not unusual for me to call my dispatcher a week in advance and tell him, "Hey, I'll be back on Saturday and I'd like to run that load going to Connecticut." His typical response is, "Great, now I know I've got that one covered." Now this doesn't typically happen for the new guys, but once you've earned the respect of your support team it's not uncommon to be able to have a lot of control over your destiny as a company driver. The key to this is that you always do what you say - you always make it happen when they are relying on you. The idea that being totally independent is the only way you're going to be able to pick and choose how you run or what type loads you accept is just not accurate.

I've found that distinguishing yourself from the other drivers with a really stellar performance record has a bunch of benefits that very few drivers ever realize are available to them. It really doesn't matter who owns the truck. It's that elusive ability to Hang With The Big Dogs that makes all the difference.

Old School, obviously you have a great relationship with your dispatcher and have earned your advantages through hard work and diligence over a long period of time. Drivers like you and others here are my role models as I gain experience.

In my rookie status, I probably don't have the experience to look at numerous assignment options and pick the one that makes the most sense. And at this point, I don't have that option so it's a moot point. I look forward to and take whatever the company gives me. I really look forward to receiving my new pre-assignment because it's like opening a surprise package. No matter what or where, I know it's going to be a new adventure. And Schneider has been great keeping me busy without any delays. I've completed every assignment given me and have only been late a few times due to weather and breakdowns. So it seems like I keep getting better loads with more miles and a ton of great support. I love my job just fine. Nobody has a better job than mine.

I look forward to and take whatever the company gives me. I really look forward to receiving my new pre-assignment because it's like opening a surprise package. No matter what or where, I know it's going to be a new adventure.

That was beautiful Bruce! That is exactly the proper approach to take. To be fair, I should explain that I'm serving a dedicated account. After being on this account for a few years you begin to know which loads are going out and when. It's still basically an OTR gig, but oftentimes running to customers and locations we are familiar with.

The simple fact that you are being pre-planned loads is an excellent indicator that you are "gittin er done." Keep it up, it will only get better.