Short Timing It Now....

Hello friends.

This is my first post, though I have been here for several weeks taking advantage of the training material for my CDL - I want to be prepared ahead of time for school!

My decision to begin a new career as a truck driver was not taken lightly. I am 56 years old, and HIGHLY competitive in at least two other fields. But MOBILITY was the deciding factor. My parents, and my wife's mother, are old enough that we may need to relocate very suddenly.

A month ago, I gave notice that I was leaving my job, and employers/co-workers that I love, to begin a new career. I have one more week of training my replacement, and then I leave for school. I will be at Southern Missouri Truck Driving School for one month, then start my training time "in truck" at Gregory Logistics, out of Poplar Bluff, MO.

I have had other offers, and I'm still considering them, but Gregory will put me at home either at my property in Poplar Bluff, or at my home in TN, every weekend. In addition, they have a lease program designed to REALLY help an O/O to succeed, should I choose to take advantage of it. And YES, I have researched lease programs and the pitfalls INTENSELY, having started and run 3 successful businesses. Time will tell if that is the path I choose.

I must admit that I do not particularly enjoy driving, nor do I hate doing it. I am currently driving 5-8 hours a day in a 1/2 ton van to do service work. I have had a CDL before, when I was in my early 20's- but SO much has changed! When I got my first CDL no driving test was required! However, I am REALLY looking forward to NOT having to deal with the recipients of my labors in the service field, PARTICULARLY the prisons I have to work in.

So.... here I go! Wish me well! I have friends and relatives who are drivers, and they have been EXTREMELY helpful, but I welcome any advice and pointers you may wish to offer.

Wayne

Welcome aboard Ralph!

For advice, you'll find some of the very best we have to offer in our Truck Driver's Career Guide. If you haven't been through it yet, go through it thoroughly and follow every link. You'll learn a ton about the trucking industry and what it takes to get your career off to a great start.

And YES, I have researched lease programs and the pitfalls INTENSELY, having started and run 3 successful businesses

I'm not sure why you bothered researching it intensely. With your business experience I'm assuming you recognized right away that trucking is a commodity-service where only price matters, a 3% average profit margin, very high litigation exposure, very high capital expenditures & fixed costs, and no way of differentiating yourself from the competition. If that doesn't sound like the description of an industry where good money goes to die then I don't know what is. But maybe you're at a point where you just want to see if you can do it? In that case, good luck with your new expensive hobby. I'm a business man myself and I've been in the trucking industry for over 20 years but you will never see me buying or leasing trucks and try to make money hauling freight in a million years. The economics of owning a trucking business are abysmal.

In addition, they have a lease program designed to REALLY help an O/O to succeed, should I choose to take advantage of it

Again, as a business owner doesn't it throw up a huge red flag when another business wants to help you become successful at what they're doing??? Why don't they just own and operate their own trucks successfully if they're so good at it and it's such a great business to be in? And when in your life did you come across a business that truly cares about the profitability of others unless their own profitability was at stake? Never. So if they can sucker you into spending all of your money, taking on all of the risk, and doing all the extra work of owning and operating the trucks then they can kick back and collect their cut of the profits as a freight broker. They grab the freight, take their cut risk-free, and pass the low-paying remains of what the freight pays on to you. You take all the risk, you spend all the money, you do all the work and make squat in the end. OF COURSE they want to see you be successful. But you have to understand what successful means as a lease driver or owner operator. It means you don't go broke, you dedicate your life to keeping those wheels turning, and you make the same money (if you're good at running the business) as any company driver makes anyhow. I could spend a month giving you more reasons why you wouldn't want to own or lease a truck but what I've given was either enough to scare you away from the idea or make you love it even more. Either way, my policy is, "I'll tell you what I know, you do with it what you like." So what you do with that is up to you.

And when in your life did you come across a business that truly cares about the profitability of others unless their own profitability was at stake? Never. So if they can sucker you into spending all of your money, taking on all of the risk, and doing all the extra work of owning and operating the trucks then they can kick back and collect their cut of the profits as a freight broker. They grab the freight, take their cut risk-free, and pass the low-paying remains of what the freight pays on to you. You take all the risk, you spend all the money, you do all the work and make squat in the end. OF COURSE they want to see you be successful. But you have to understand what successful means as a lease driver or owner operator. It means you don't go broke, you dedicate your life to keeping those wheels turning, and you make the same money (if you're good at running the business) as any company driver makes anyhow.

Sounds like a M-L-M (Multi-Level-Marketing) scheme to me . . . I've seen a lot of those and the only ones making the "big bucks" are the ones at the top of the food chain . . .

Jopa

I listened to everyone on here and steered away from the lease deal though I did look it over fir my own reasons. After doing the math I realized the difference between being a company driver vs lease op is about $400 a week. In my mind that was not enough to justify the risks of leading. For whatever that's worth

I listened to everyone on here and steered away from the lease deal though I did look it over fir my own reasons. After doing the math I realized the difference between being a company driver vs lease op is about $400 a week. In my mind that was not enough to justify the risks of leading. For whatever that's worth

That exactly why we don't recommend or encourage someone getting their own truck. Not enough money in it for someone to take that kind of risk.

Thanks, everyone, for replying. Although my leanings right now are AWAY from leasing, I have to tell you a few things that may make me different from the average lessee. I have EXTENSIVE automotive experience, much of it diesel. My maintenance costs would be considerably less than someone paying a shop to do the same work. (I spent 35 years of my life as a high-end driveability tech- I can even program ECM chips...)

And perhaps the most important fact is that I have a brother in law, who is a lessee, going before me- same company. I am watching his successes and failures CAREFULLY!

Every vehicle I ever owned I bought as a non-running "piece of junk" and built what I wanted from that starting point.

An engine overhaul would be a parts-only cost to me. Yes, I would still have downtime- if I waited for the breakdown to actually occur... I tend to avoid that type of situation by being prepared ahead of time.

Regardless of how much more prepared I THINK I might be to lease a truck, I plan to spend AT LEAST a year driving BEFORE I even CONSIDER such a move. There are a LOT of opportunities to run hard and make the bucks without the risk- I am aware of that. In fact, the money is not as important to me as the MOBILITY- I may have to relocate at any moment to take care of family- and THAT IS the most important issue, by far! If it weren't, I would never have considered trucking in the first place. Not a bad vocation, but I can make the same money turning wrenches- I just can't pack up and go at a moment's notice.

Trucking affords me that option.

Thanks again, all!

Wayne

Every vehicle I ever owned I bought as a non-running "piece of junk" and built what I wanted from that starting point

But Ralph....can you rebuild an engine from scratch that passes all of today's emissions requirements using your own tools at your own shop and make it a worthwhile venture?

Have you looked around to see the minimum requirements companies have for your truck? They'll require it to be under a certain age to begin with most of the time so you won't be buying and rebuilding some old truck for cheap. This isn't the muscle car era of the 60's and 70's where you grab a bunch of small block Chevy parts and build a hot rod. It's all about modern trucks with modern computers and emissions systems running on a much more refined diesel fuel than in the past.

And I don't care how good you are at running a business, there's one thing you don't control as a lease operator - the flow of freight. There's no law or contract that says a company has to give you enough freight to pay your bills. Make the wrong person mad or lease on to a company that runs into problems and you might find your mileage dwindling and your payments suddenly have to start coming out of your reserves. If that happens you just switch companies, right? Well you're still in the same position no matter where you go.

Owning or leasing a truck gives you far less control over your circumstances than most people understand. You're at the whim of a lot of different entities like the ever-changing Government laws and of course the company you're leased on to. The thing that appeals most to business owners is controlling your own destiny but unless you have your own source of freight you have very little control over anything. And even if you do have control over your own freight you can't control the market prices. You can only hope they pay enough to keep your head above water.

And again I stress - you have a 3% profit margin in this industry. Do you think you can overcome that and make a worthwhile profit for the risk you're taking? Not a chance.

You have to remember that literally millions of people have tried their hand at owning and leasing trucks before you and there are thousands of companies that have been out there for half a century or more. Do you really think you're bringing new ideas to the table that none of these individuals or corporations have thought of? Of course not. Do you really think there's something about the way you're going to run your truck that's fundamentally different than what's being done already? Of course not. Is there anything you can do to differentiate yourself from your competition so you can get more freight at a higher profit margin? No, there isn't.

So the ultimate question for any business owner - how are you going to get ahead of your competition? See, that's the thing in a commodity-based service like trucking - there's no way to get ahead. The lowest price is all anyone cares about. You have to operate under the same rules as everyone else, running the same trucks, running on the same fuel, using the same highways, and even hauling the same freight from the same customers. And yet you still have to offer the lowest price out there knowing that most of your experienced competition is already running on the ragged edge of profit and loss.

In fact, the money is not as important to me as the MOBILITY

Leasing a truck isn't going to give you any more mobility than being a company driver. As a company driver you can change jobs anytime you like. In fact, with most major carriers you likely wouldn't have to even change jobs to make the move. As long as they hire from the area you're moving to you simply change your home address and keep on moving.

And don't forget one last thing - if you lease a truck you'll have to keep those wheels turning. What happens if circumstances force you to park the truck for a few weeks or a couple of months? As a company driver you simply turn in your keys and tell them, "I'll be back driving for you as soon as I can." No problem. But as a lease operator you're going to have to keep that truck moving.

I mean, go for it if you like. But it seems to me that if you're going to go into business for yourself you'd want to go into a business with good economic prospects, not a commodity-based service with high capital expenditures, high overhead, and high litigation risk where it's nearly impossible to turn a worthwhile profit.

I am completely aware of the emissions requirements of trucks today, and I did not mean to imply that I would try building one from scratch... although, yes, I can, and short of some heavy-duty overhead rail for lifting components and a heavier engine stand, I have the tools. Over 100K in tools, as a matter of fact.

The one most important thing I have learned as a businessman, which I see is NOT common knowledge with many businessmen I know, is the relationship/ratio between SAVING a dollar, and MAKING a dollar. That may not be a NEW idea or skill, but is IS critical to success in a low-profit-margin industry, as it is in any other.

Having said all that, I am still STRONGLY leaning toward just finding a company that pays well, has lots of miles available, and leaving the stresses out of my life. I'd rather work in my garden or reload ammo in my downtime than work on a truck, for sure. The one thing I do NOT miss about being self employed is the stress!

The biggest decision I face right now is the choice of offers. I can get decent pay to hook, haul, and drop, or better pay if I don't mind unloading my trailer, or hourly work if I want to haul a dump bed or slurry tanker locally.

I have time to consider it all, and I'm sure there will be more offers through the school's connections.

The reason I am paying for my own training is that I wanted a QUALITY education, and not just to be a number in a huge class of prospective drivers. I have tried to do my due diligence regarding EVERY aspect of my decision to change careers. Deciding whether or not to lease will not be any different, and I DO understand the pitfalls, risks, and outright traps waiting out there.

That said, I SINCERELY appreciate all the input, and I am grateful for the resources I found on this site. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Wayne

You seem to have your head screwed on tighter than most when it comes to business.

There are not alot of guarantees in trucking but......

The one thing I do NOT miss about being self employed is the stress!

....This is one I can guarantee you.....there is alot of stress in trucking. It's not from running miles or not making enough money although those in themselves cause alot of stress. It comes from property damage from a careless driver or a life and death situation that you are put in at no fault of your own.

There are times like I am having right now where absolutely nothing note worthy happens during my day. Been that way for several weeks now and I am loving it.

Then you will have times where instead of your receiving a jury summons everyone else in every city is emailed a picture of you and told to go out and make sure they purposely cause trouble for you. Not really but it seems like that at the time. And that's just the truck drivers driving around you. Now throw in four wheelers and it's Armageddon and its all aimed at you.

I would almost Hazzard to say that trucking has to be in the top running for stressful jobs. Trucking always makes the Top 10 list of the most dangerous jobs.

While the stress is manageable it's not a stress free environment.

Well... tomorrow I start school. I am all packed, and the GPS is set for the school location. The worst thing I can see for the immediate future is that my dog will be EXTREMELY lonely and waiting at the door every day.

CDL , here I come!!!

Wayne