Fleet Owner Blues

[ericmoss37]

One more thing ice... Is that 40% before or after fuel surcharge. My truck gets $1.25 a mile at Panther. Those that asked about my trucks. I have a 2003 CL-120 with Cummins ISX engine. 10 speed auto shift with lift gate. 22ft box. DVD,TV,Microwave,Refridge and Stereo.

My other truck is a 2000 FL-70 with the same sleeper configuration. 70 inch with all the same stuff inside. It has a 7.3 liter cat 3126E. Six speed fuller transmission.

I needed to keep my cash to run both businesses so I did not want to put too much down. My loan terms are 3 and 4 years and the payments are $1350 and $1150 a month.

 

[davekc]

Probably won't like my answers, but I would be surprised your 2000 FL will go 3 years unless it has pretty low milage. It is eight years old now. The other truck on a four year loan is somewhat questionable as well on those terms.
If that engine blows, are you solvent enough for another immediate purchase for replacement, or having 10k to 15k if that engine goes. Don't want to assume anything on a 8 year old truck. The good news is we sold a 3126 a year ago with 800,000 miles on it. Short of a $400 oil cooler, it was trouble free.

 

[EASYTRADER]

Approximate Mileage

Total 132,317
Loaded 104,431
Avg per Run 756

In service 81% of the time which means we were away from home all but about 4 weeks.
I said "WE" becuase this is a team truck. Now when I ran general frieght at .41 cents per mile I did 115k miles by myself.

A solo expeditor could only be expected to run about 80k max miles because of milage restrictions.

The average run lenth for solo unit has to be way under 500 miles per load, anyway it basically means

"Broke truck driver" so do this guy a favor and bring him home.

FECC has a great brochure which gives you a break down of all the averages from thier fleet based on truck size, team or solo and whatever. This should give you a general idea .
My wife and I have managed to beat there averages, but we own our truck and therefore have more incentive to apply ourselves.

I would not recommend anyone put a fleet of trucks on and run with employees because the headache to proffit ratio is way to low. Especially compared to other bussiness's.

This is a great bussiness for single unit OO who are semi retired or who can live on 60k a year as a couple.

Otherwise STAY AWAY!!! Run general frieght with a decent company!!!

Oh yeah I guess I should add that we have a D unit, but either way in expedite since your milage for a solo is capped by hours of service rules the numbers shouldnt be skewed to much to the upside for a solo E

 

[ericmoss37]

When I bought the trucks I got two year 200K protection on the engines,trany and rear axles. I hope the engines do go before the end of that time.

 

[davekc]

I have to think 200,000 engine protection is pretty limited on a eight year old truck. Or...maybe I am missing something?
What is the milage on your units?

Secondly, I would watch carefully about projections and the time they were done. Looking at numbers from a year or two ago are much different now. Freight volumes and fuel prices are much different. I would look at figures no older than 6 months.

 

[ericmoss37]

The FL-70 is still on it's five year 500K Extended Warranty. It was purchased new late in 2004. The truck is a model year 2000 but was not sold for another four years. The truck is going to average about 70K a year and it has 300K miles on it now.

I deal with Bobby Snyder down at Fyda Freightliner and he worked out a warranty and included it in the price of the truck for the CL-120. This truck has 700K on a Cummins ISX.

Premium 2000 plus is the company that provides extended Warranty. 1-888-883-2632

 

[ericmoss37]

Dave you have been a fleet owner a long time. What type of units do you run with Panther and are they mostly teams? How do you decide when to pass on a load?

Thanks,

Eric

 

[davekc]

It may be just me, but I get somewhat of an uneasy feeling with the information and how you are operating.
Not trying to be critical, but just an observation.

 

[ericmoss37]

Dave you have the experience, so I take your advice seriously. I am doing really well over at FedEx Ground so if I can't make the money in Expediting, I will either have the drivers take over the payments or I will offer owner financing so someone else can live their dreams.

 

[davekc]

Those items could always be options, but they come with significant risk. In those cases, you are still carrying the note.
If you are doing well with your local operation, I would be very careful about jeopardizing anything associated to it.

 

[ericmoss37]

Those items could always be options, but they come with significant risk. In those cases, you are still carrying the note.
If you are doing well with your local operation, I would be very careful about jeopardizing anything associated to it.

I could not agree more Dave. I think I got frustrated with FedEx ground because it takes years to build up a fleet. No routes are available now and if you want to get a new one you have to pay one years sales for the route. I have four P/D routes that I paid nothing for and your still not going to get rich off it. It's very hard to make money when you buy the routes. It may take two or three years to turn a decent profit that way. I wanted to grow so I am here and I took a chance. All I can do is stay positive and run it the best I can.

 

[davekc]

I totally understand. I admire anyone that has some drive, ambition, and willing to take alittle risk.
Just be patient. "Rome wasn't built in a day"

 

[nightcreacher]

good luck to you,your going to need it.Expedite with a solo driver is very very tough.Hes going to get what loads no one wants.most expedite loads go under 500 miles,and a solo is going to have hos rules to contend with.This isnt truck load,and very different from ground.Your lucky you only pay him .45 of the loaded miles,in expedite we get lots of empty miles too.

 

[jaminjim]

Maybe you could find a smaller, solo friendly company for those two trucks.

 

[alborada]

How pathetic?????????????? NO is not!!!!!!!!!! I agree with this drivers . Seding 7 days over the road 24/7 or 168 h in a small cabin of truck and make $54 a day or $2.24 a h this is pathetic. The illigal immigrant make a lot more doing a babysiting or clening a houses and thay slept at home and thay stay with the family. Yes for the fleet owner it is easy to said - pathetic because tahy stay at homein the computar like me and tahy can make at list some better money, if I am like this drivers will do the same .........You are new in the Panther will take you a long time to get seniorite and to be a favorites for a dispatch -long to run to this .........Don't take all loads , because of people like you taking this short and every one load teh driver living you and going with a others fleet owners who don't take this s......... loads. You don't buid up repotutation with the Panther you build a wall aginst your own bussnes the Panther will not't lossing but you - yes - you see you loast the driver and how many more if you don't change this.........What wrong with a Fex Ex Graound? Welkom to the expedidet trucking!!!

 

[alborada]

It may take two or three years to turn a decent profit that way. I wanted to grow so I am here and I took a chance. All I can do is stay positive and run it the best I can.


Not a profit in the trucking bussnes any more...........Aand will be worst but not a better.

I agree with Jaminjim to find a small company for this 2 trucks and you will see the diferance b/w them and the Panther.
Tray Poly Express I hurt a good things........
I wish you a good luck and to find a good drivers you look to be a good person and you need a good reawards , but for a profit in this days with a barel of oil $110 -

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Why do you people keep blaming the cost of oil????? If your carrier is paying the right FSC formula your fuel costs should not increase...except in the case of unpaid DH....the expense to shippers is a different story. The cost of fuel effects them!

 

[alborada]

Yes OVM but the cost of fuel effects the whole world now. The economy is very unstabil now - thank's of this oil to. Panther is a big company bit offer me 0.12 cents. This is not cover the fuel for your van, what about the TT? Yes the oil price have a big impact to all of us, the standar of living going up every day and the I don't need the FS if the fuel go in the same price like years ago ........... then I will be ahppy but we will get to $200 a barel then see what will happen?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Yes I read about your .12 fsc offer...and you wisely turned it down...and yes shippers will start not to ship as much if their costs go up too much...and yes people will lose their trucks and thats too bad alot of good people will hurt. But thats life...when your in business it's a gamble always and yes bread over $3.00 a loaf and all that stuff....

 

[alborada]

I am agree with you OVM and the situation it is scary every where in Ontario now so many peole lossing thier jobs , like in USA...... It is bad and I know like you said we will not a have a lot to transported because of the economy but what we can do.......... stay and see- like Rocky Balboa :One more round?"

Panther answer me - we can't push the coustomer to pay more!!!! Ok but we are not working for a donation , because we are not a non-profit organization.