Need Help (want To Start But I Dont Have Some Numbers In Order)
Topic 28125 | Page 1
Welcome to the Trucking Truth site, Mark H.
Are you already a CDL holder, or somebody thinking about jumping into the industry?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
I don't want to sound rude, but if you have to ask these simple questions you are not ready to own or lease a truck.
If you are completely new and do not even have a CDL yet, you shouldn't be asking these questions either. I am assuming your completely new to trucking, if so buying a truck is a bad idea until you get some experience even then it is extremely difficult. Until you have multiple safe years under your belt trying to buy your own truck will ruin you financially just on insurance alone.
Become a company driver and make the same or more than a lot of O/O without the headaches.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
I don't want to sound rude, but if you have to ask these simple questions you are not ready to own or lease a truck.
If you are completely new and do not even have a CDL yet, you shouldn't be asking these questions either. I am assuming your completely new to trucking, if so buying a truck is a bad idea until you get some experience even then it is extremely difficult. Until you have multiple safe years under your belt trying to buy your own truck will ruin you financially just on insurance alone.
Become a company driver and make the same or more than a lot of O/O without the headaches.
well, first i want to do the math, then i will decide if i take the risk.
Can you help me with that questions Mr? Seems to be a very experienced trucker.
Thanks a lot
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
Mark, we really can't help you with that information. There's a few Owner/Operators here, but that's just not our focus. Our purpose here is to help people make a good start into their trucking careers, and buying a truck has never been part of that plan. We would advise you to become a company driver first. This industry is complex and you really need some experience before jumping in like you are thinking.
So many people are not going to do business with you. Insurance companies will shun you or gouge you. Brokers will probably do the same. You need some experience. If you're dead set on figuring out the numbers you may find some help over at OOIDA. That's where I would start asking questions if I were interested in being an independent truck owner/operator.
We always recommend you start as a company driver. Then when you gain some valuable experience we continue to recommend you be a company driver. There's a lot of solid reasoning behind our approach to this, but you may not be interested. We know this business backwards and forward, but we encourage everyone to enjoy their lucrative careers as drivers, not as owners.
OOIDA:
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
Who They Are
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.
Their Mission
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.
Welcome Mark. Your questions are not as simple as you think.
If you qualify you can rent a truck and trailer. Penske and Ryder do it daily. But they have requirements you have to meet. It is not like renting a Uhaul.
Freight rates vary widely in all aspects including flatbed. Spot market rates can change daily. Contract rates are more stable, but again you have to have experience and a good reputation to establish contracts. Also depends on the lane your running in.
Brokers all charge. No doubt about that. Again that varies from broker to broker. There are some good brokers out there, but usually require experience before they will deal with someone.
If you have no experience and are just starting out, you are fighting a serious and expensive uphill battle.
You are better off being a company driver some where, get experience and learn the business. Then you can have some solid numbers to crunch. However those numbers can change daily in some cases.
Here is one example. Last year at this time all freight was well over 2.00 a mile. This year, before the pandemic van rates fell to 1.50 a mile. I pull chemicals. That has some of the strongest rates and before the pandemic I was seeing a 10-30 percent loss in rates over last year. It is a supply and demand business.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
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Guys, i would like to start trucking but i have 3 very important questions that i cant solve.
1) Which is the average revenue per mile that a trucker earn (Flatbed / 450hp truck) ? 2) How many do you pay to brokers (or they gives you final number, no fee) 3) How much it cost a flatbed for rental per mile or day? Do i have to buy one, or rental is ok?
Thanks a lot guys King Regards!