Getting into this business? Questions and Answers

mreese · May 5, 2006

I have never been in trucking. I am currently in Trucking Driving School to become a Driver. The big companies are only paying .30 cent per mile with a 2,000 - 2,500 avg mile per week ($32,000 per year). I was not impressed with that. But, I could get home on the weekend. I am thinking about Expedite (Fedex) as a single driver. I have been approved to buy a truck. Is it reasonable to think that I can make $1,000 per week after expenses (Not truck payment) running as a newbie while only being out 7-10 days (home 3 days) at a time with a home base in ATL?

Or, do I just go with the "A" Class without the expense of expedite O/O?

All Comments are welcomed!!!!

dieselphreak2K · May 5, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

I'm not really sure about exact money numbers, but If you want to be home every 7 days, then you'll either deadhead alot, which eats the profits, or be taking loads that keep you in one area, which won't always come one after another. I run 6 weeks out, then 3-4 days home. As a driver for a fleet owner, it was the only way I could pay my bills. You could probably be home every seven alot easier if home was in Detroit or IN, IL, OH.

LDB · May 6, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

I haven't kept up too much but I believe there are companies that are paying around 40cpm after a year of experience OTR. The more important factor is your expectation of hometime. At least in expediting you need to run about an 80% availability ratio to do well and that doesn't translate to 3 days off every week or so. You'd need to do a minimum of two weeks out for 3 days off to maintain good ratios and good income.

Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB, OOIDA 677319
Owner, Panther trucks 4958, 5447
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

Broompilot · May 6, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

McClain out of Assumption, IL. Is paying .40 a mile 2,500 to 2,800 a week. Home every weekend, they need about a dozen Southeast Drivers. They have about 400 trucks total.

Get some expierence with the tractor first, ask a ton of questions everytime you run into one of us and you will learn so much about this industry when you do enter you will be much better prepared. Sitting without a load for a couple of days and a truck payment will depress you or a string of three bad weeks back to back. On the other hand its great to have a string of great weeks just be prepared and my advice is to do the 18 wheels first. I did'nt but I still would like to venture that road.

mreese · May 7, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

I think 2 weeks out is good with 3-days home is not bad. Can I get in and out of ATL with FEDEX? I know that as a single driver they give you shorter runs. How often can you get in and out of the south (ATL) area? I know that all businesses has its share of ups and downs. I believe this could be a good opportunity since I am going to have to be out on the road with a trucking company for about the same time and driving a lot more miles.

Comments anyone.

ATeam · May 8, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

I presume you are going to school to get a Class A license, which opens up many truck-driving styles to you. With your expressed desire to get home often, you might be better off looking at LTL carriers like FedEx Freight, Yellow, and those other companies you see hauling doubles down the road.

Note that getting home as an expediter is not simply a matter of driving home when you want to. If you are especially far away (more than a day's drive), the desire to get home can greatly reduce your income potential.

For example, let's say it's Thursday and you are waiting for freight in Indianapolis. In itself, that's not a bad time and place to be. But if you want to get home to Atlanta on Friday so you can spend the weekend there, you will likely decline a very good load offer that would take you to say New Jersey. You might also decline the next offer that comes in because it goes to Minneapolis.

If you are lucky, you might get an offer that takes you toward home. But it is more likely that you won't. The result will be you will lose all of Thursday because no freight loaded that took you home. You will spend Friday deadheading to Atlanta. You will spend Saturday and Sunday off, and you will likely get a load out of Atlanta on Monday.

The result is not that you were out that week and home on the weekend. The result is that you were able to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and you spent the other four days of the week at home or trying to get there.

Running doubles for an LTL carrier will enable you to work five days a week and be home every weekend. And you won't have to travel home at your own expense either.

mreese · May 8, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

I have run my own business for 5 yrs now. You get the business when the business is there. If the example that you gave me was true I would take the good paying load to New Jersey and sit hoping to get a load going south. But, If the next good paying load is west then I go west. If I have to sit waiting 2 days for a load, I know I might need to move into a better solo area. I have learned a lot from you guys. I just want it to be worth my time away from my family. I need to make the money.

Any comments welcomed.

Broompilot · May 8, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

Answer us this, how do you with a family to support, plan on:

#1 Plan on purchasing a vehicle in which to do this business in

#2 What is the bare min. you need to make

#3 What is the max you want to make

#4 How much capitol are you going to put into the truck

#5 Or are you going to drive for someone else.

I will caution you in advance on #5, I know of no one who has ever made enough solo driving someone elses truck that has made enough to support anyone but themselves and even at that it has been a Pork and Beans diet. The company your looking at just cannot give you the revenue (miles)to make this dream a reality. That is located out of the South East.

mreese · May 9, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

Answer us this, how do you with a family to support, plan on:
#1 Plan on purchasing a vehicle in which to do this business in

-I have been approved to purchase a truck. I am not looking to spend more than $30,000. With a Payment no more than $1,200.

#2 What is the bare min. you need to make

-The bare min I need to make a month is $4,500 bring home.

#3 What is the max you want to make

-The max is more than $4,500 per month.

#4 How much capitol are you going to put into the truck

-I only need 10% down. I need to plan for another 10% just in case money because I am looking at a used truck.

#5 Or are you going to drive for someone else.

-I can tell you this. I have been told I drive for someone to try it out. I don't believe that I can make enough money while I'm paying for someone elses truck payment. No offence, I think fleet owner are some really good gamblers. I am not that risky. I plan to drive myself and learn the business. I could possiblly look to add a co-driver later. But, I will work it myself.

Question: What company do you think I should go to if you feel FCC is not going to be Single friendly?

What is good money to you? And what would you expect my min. is going to be per month based on a 3 week out run?

Any and all comments welcomed. I need the truth not Pie in the sky or someone not wanting more competition in the business. You would be suprised to know that people would lie to you to keep you out of the business because they think they can carry all the freight.

terryandrene · May 9, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

MReese:

I have been approved to buy a truck. Is it reasonable to think that I can make $1,000 per week after expenses (Not truck payment) running as a newbie while only being out 7-10 days (home 3 days) at a time with a home base in ATL?

One of the greatest problems we see in queries about expediting is folks who want to be home every weekend, or the last week of every month, or like you, home 3 days every 7-10. Expediting is like the job of an ambulance chasing lawyer. In order to earn a living, you've got to chase the freight when and where it happens. You often will forego an otherwise important event to get the profitable load to somewhere you hadn't expected to be. Several years ago, Rene' and I gave a prepared turkey dinner to the neighbors when we got a St Louis to Quebec City run offer on Thanksgiving Eve. To coin a phrase, we make hay when the sun shines.

To answer your question above, you can be home, ON AVERAGE, about the EQUIVALENT of 3 days out of 10. That would be on the road 70% of the time and in keeping with the availability standards of the typical carrier. You might be home for just one day before the next good run offer, or you might be home a week or more.

ATeam gave you a good example above, of the problems you'll face, if you try to stick to a fixed in/out schedule. So, can you net a kilo-buck a week in expediting in a straight truck? The answer is yes, but only if you let the freight determine your hometime and not your personal desire to be home a specific period every month.

ATeam · May 9, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

>ATeam gave you a good example above, of the problems you'll
>face, if you try to stick to a fixed in/out schedule. So,
>can you net a kilo-buck a week in expediting in a straight
>truck? The answer is yes, but only if you let the freight
>determine your hometime and not your personal desire to be
>home a specific period every month.

Lawrence McCord says it best, "Expediting does not tolerate a personal agenda."

Crazynuff · May 12, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

>Answer us this, how do you with a family to support, plan
>on:
>#1 Plan on purchasing a vehicle in which to do this business
>in
>
>-I have been approved to purchase a truck. I am not looking
>to spend more than $30,000. With a Payment no more than
>$1,200.
>
>#2 What is the bare min. you need to make
>
>-The bare min I need to make a month is $4,500 bring home.
>
>#3 What is the max you want to make
>
>-The max is more than $4,500 per month.
>
>#4 How much capitol are you going to put into the truck
>
>-I only need 10% down. I need to plan for another 10% just
>in case money because I am looking at a used truck.
>
>#5 Or are you going to drive for someone else.
>
>-I can tell you this. I have been told I drive for someone
>to try it out. I don't believe that I can make enough money
>while I'm paying for someone elses truck payment. No
>offence, I think fleet owner are some really good gamblers.
>I am not that risky. I plan to drive myself and learn the
>business. I could possiblly look to add a co-driver later.
>But, I will work it myself.
>
>Question: What company do you think I should go to if you
>feel FCC is not going to be Single friendly?
>
>What is good money to you? And what would you expect my
>min. is going to be per month based on a 3 week out run?
>
>
>Any and all comments welcomed. I need the truth not Pie in
>the sky or someone not wanting more competition in the
>business. You would be suprised to know that people would
>lie to you to keep you out of the business because they
>think they can carry all the freight.
>
>
>Not spending over $30,000 with $1,200 payments a month leaves a cargo van the only option . A $30,000 C or D unit will only have a year or 2 life left in it if you're lucky . You'd have to finance it 4 years to make the payments that low and it would nickel and dime you to death with repairs before it was paid for . If you read the General Forum you'll read Panther II is the only company putting on vans and it's not because they have dire need for them . Figure you'll take home half your $4,500 figure . The more fuel prices rise the more deadheading hurts you . Besides figuring a $1,200 payment figure another $1,200 toward a replacenent vehicle in a few years . As mentioned elsewhere , single guys have a tough time supporting themselves let alone a family . There are people that succeed though but I'd like to hear how many of them started out with 10% down and no reserve fund .

FIS53 · May 14, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

I'm one of those few that started out with little money and a hefty truck payment. First month I only made $2800. Not enough to pay all the bills. One thing I knew I'd have to do was make myself available 100% for the first year! I made sure dispatch knew that they could call me anytime for a run. It took them a month but they knew I was serious about making money. 2nd month I made only $4200. Took me 6 months from starting to make the big bucks but once there I never looked back at a month that low again unitl I changed companies.
One thing I did was go after almost everything offered. Yes I know that isn't the best thing but I had a dispatcher who remembered the lousy ones I chased to get things covered. ALso I looked at it that if I was making something then I'm not sitting and not making. For me it worked rather well, but then I'm not like everyone else. I have a bad habit of making deliveries that some bring back or get delayed on.
Rob Fis

brentwb2 · May 14, 2006

RE: Getting into this business? Questions and Ans

If you need to bring home $4500 in cash every month as a new driver, owner and solo, no offense, but I think you are wasting your time, especially if you want to buy a truck. Unless you bought a brand new truck with a warranty, I believe that this may be a bad deal for you. A used truck in your range will nickel and dime you beyond belief. Expediting can produce some decent money. But understand that it is not a get rich quick scenario. I am afraid that some recruiter and truck salesman have made you see dollar signs. I just want to caution you, it is a risk , and some risk takers have become millionares....but in this business, (especially for new owners) there have been a lot more failures than millionares. I am not sure what your background is, but if you are in trucking school, it is probably safe to say that you are new to the industry altogether. That in conjunction with buying a truck could spell disaster. If you are aggressive enough to go for it, I wish you well. Please keep us posted.