Why Does This Crazy Stuff Keep Happening To Me?

I'm minding my own business at a customer recently when a Prime flatbed lease/operator starts a conversation with me. He says he can't understand why I stay a company driver. He then proceeds to tell me his "weekly take home pay" (his choice of words) is between 6,000 to 8,000 dollars.

I am always friendly and helpful out here, and I would normally engage in a conversation to try and educate, but I just wasn't feeling it that day. I just looked him in the face and asked, "Hey man, do you know your zipper is down?" His pants were wide open and I didn't see any dollars stashed in there. I just left the scene as he scrambled to get things closed back up.

I'm feeling guilty for being rude, but this kind of crap drives me crazy! I must look like an idiot to some of these crazies out here. They obviously think I'm going to believe them. That's probably the most disturbing part of these conversations. They have somehow convinced themselves they have something to brag about.

It's seriously pathetic.

Yeah, my feelings too. I'm sure he hasn't checked his true numbers in the last 15 months as the price of diesel is at an All Time High and still rising, freight rates are decreasing, parts availability can be at a premium, etc.

Actually, anyone bragging on their fantastic lease purchase numbers has probably never, ever checked their numbers. If they had, these ignorant souls would be approaching for a Kleenex to wipe their tears.

His weekly revenue share pay from Prime could be $6,000 to $8,000 per week.

My Prime trainer was a Reefer L/O. He told me that he needed to get $8,000 to $10,000 revenue share pay per week to make it due to his personal financial situation. The high fuel costs are in his words “eating his lunch”.

Keep it simple. Lease operator, owner operator would complicate my life. I love the relatively simple life as a company driver.

His weekly revenue share pay from Prime could be $6,000 to $8,000 per week.

He chose the words "weekly take home pay." That's my point. There's a monumental gap between revenues produced and take home pay. Revenues don't really mean anything in this business. Everyone has lots of revenue. It's the guys who can maintain a decent operating ratio who end up being successful.

That's the important number. Normally I would ask a guy mouthing off like that about his operating ratio. Usually they look at me like I'm from another planet. I just decided to divert this conversation to the fact that his fly was hanging open.

I'm ashamed I didn't try to go into my educational role. I just couldn't muster it.

Old school, that was a funny way to changed the narrative.. I got two buddies that are trying to get me Togo owner. Could I be a owner. Yes.. do I have the business background and skills .. yes I do. I just shut down and sold both of my businesses that I ran for the last 11 years. But this is my last career. When I am done I just want to simply clean out my truck and handover a set of keys.

I say that a lot and run away lol jk. But yeah I hate when other truckers try to lecture me about my job choice.

I just looked him in the face and asked, "Hey man, do you know your zipper is down?"

I've thought about going O/O eventually but the frustrating thing talking to lease and owner ops is that most of them don't properly describe their actual gross vs net pay. Without having a lengthy conversation and talking nitty gritty details you can't know if they're actually running their business smart or not. If they're netting 3-4k a week are they doing that because they're pocketing money they should be putting back into their business? Or are they really doing well?

I did finally sit down and have a lengthy conversation with one of the lease ops and talk real numbers and found out exactly what he was grossing and netting after everything including pay taxes on his income and he was doing all right. There are alot of successful owner ops that are doing well for themselves but in my limited experience talking to alot of these guys it's typically not the ones going on about how they're taking home 6k a week

His weekly revenue share pay from Prime could be $6,000 to $8,000 per week.

He chose the words "weekly take home pay." That's my point. There's a monumental gap between revenues produced and take home pay. Revenues don't really mean anything in this business. Everyone has lots of revenue. It's the guys who can maintain a decent operating ratio who end up being successful.

That's the important number. Normally I would ask a guy mouthing off like that about his operating ratio. Usually they look at me like I'm from another planet. I just decided to divert this conversation to the fact that his fly was hanging open.

I'm ashamed I didn't try to go into my educational role. I just couldn't muster it.

I have an owner/operator friend that seemed to do okay but he quit after his wife died at a young age a few years ago because he needed to be around for his children. I still had a suspicion that he was o/o more because he wanted to be his own boss than because of greater earnings (based on his personality and comments he had made.

That comment about gross revenues not meaning anything in the industry reminds me a lot of what I have seen in agriculture. Some folks that are "top producers" (highest yields) are spending more money then they are making with higher yields. One of the thinnest margin businesses is the egg industry which would go from rags to riches and back to rags a couple of times in one year sometimes. I heard a loan officer joke once that the typical line by the grower was "yeah, I'm losing a penny a dozen but am making it up in volume."

When Michael was about three of four months into driving with CR England he was really having a good time with his team driver and said he and his driving partner had both been talking about maybe someday buying their on trucks to have more independence and control, etc. I cautioned him that I was no expert in the industry but that I would expect the companies he might contract with would give the best loads and routes to their own trucks and company drivers and if/when there was a slowdown in freight that they would be more focused on keeping their own trucks moving. Michael is very happy with the way things are working out at Marten for the past 13 months and has never brought up the o/o idea again. I imagine some folks aren't happy with where they are at and think that being an o/o will make things seem better.

Although over 30 years ago, I remember how my dad and his partner and let an o/o have a free spot for his mobile home on one of his farms just for added security. The guy had been there for a couple of years and then blew an engine and needed $7,000 for repairs. So my dad and partner bought his trailer for $7,000 and charged him modest rent. Less than a year later he was then unable to pay rent and moved out. I'm not sure what other problems he had but it sure didn't seem to work out well for him and I wonder how many save up money for necessary repairs that will surely come up.

I've seen 1 O/O that said flat out he grossed $300,000, but net income was in the $50k range....He can do better as a company driver elsewhere.....