Why is that. A better question would be what do you have to make just to meet your monthly obligations. No extras just bills. If you need to much it just might be over before it starts.
Husband and wife team
- Thread starter Bamanat3r
- Start date
This is only my thoughts on OTR. If I'm going to be on the road and away from home and the comfort of my couch, my bed, TV, my children and grandchildren, there should be compensation for that. Most people that drive OTR for weeks at a time, do it because 1) they love seeing the country and not being at a desk 2) the money is better than being at home working at the local mill(my guess). I just look at it as, if I'm only going to "get by", I'd be just as well off working local and just getting by. I thought this might be an chance to not only pay the bills, but build more $ towards retirement, or start college funds for the grand babies. I realize I am totally speaking out of my ass pertaining to expediting, but it just sounds like the money might not be what I thought or was told by "recruiters"
Still might be but you need to honestly answer the question. We know it kind of personal but this is a question we ask first of all new people and go from there. This business does have potential.
Then get that thing sold. WITH MONTHLY @ 1000$ you should be able to make plenty of extra income. After 250$ each week you start getting income to do the things you mentioned. Kinda have to get out of the what i made at home and decide if you want a change in you lives. You will be back 1 week a month as you stated.
Before I talked to another recruiter, I'd sell the dump truck if you aren't going to use it. As you know trucks are not like fine wine that get better with age.
That still isnt bad but sell the truck and if there is room to get rid of a little more then work on that. you could make a go of it you just have to choose.
It's what we do best here at EO, shatter people's dreams.
We're just bluntly honest here, because sometimes that's what it takes to jolt people back into reality. Yes, all recruiters lie, but these days, especially in expediting with far fewer opening truck slots than applicants, they don't need to lie much, and most of the lies told aren't even lies, it all has to do with what people on the receiving end hearing what they want to hear, instead of what they were told. Someone looking to enter this business already thinking they're going to make a lot of easy money will filter everything they hear through that sieve. It's only natural. These days recruiters are far more likely to be more honest and sign on people with realistic expectations, since they are able to be picky and choosy.
It's the blunt, sometimes jarring honesty you'll get here that brings you back to reality.
Whether you own the truck or not, this is still starting your own small business. It's no different than opening up a dry cleaner, a hardware store, or a landscaping business. You're a drywall subcontractor working for a contractor, and the customers couldn't care less whether you're spending time away from your bed, kids or grandkids, and have no interest in compensating you for that. They just want their drywall hung properly. In expediting the shippers, receivers and paying customers are only concerned with having the freight picked up and delivered on time, and in the same condition in which is was shipped.
Expediting is largely emergency freight, where the primary requirement is that you be in the right place at the right time and available and accepting. You're the tow truck parked on the shoulder of the Interstate during rush hour waiting for a fender bender. You can overthink it, try all kinds of things to make you think you're smart, but at the end of the day it's mostly the luck of being in the right place at the right time. And I promise you, dispatchers can't crap emergency freight on demand, and certainly not so as to guarantee anybody anything, much less $1000 per driver per week.
Asking about a weekly average over 6 months is a good way to look at it. But at 40 out and 12 (3 months) in (like a middle school teacher), is 20 out and 6 in over the 6 months. So, for $2000 total to the truck as a weekly average, that's 2000 x 26 weeks = $52,000, then divided by the 20 weeks actually worked leaves $2600 a week, or $1300 per driver you'll need to make every week while in-service in order to average that $1000. Instead of the 4000 miles per week that Dynamite noted, now it's 5200 miles each week you work to get that $1300 per.
If nothing else, that should show you how important it is to not spend a lot of time at home, that every day at home could cost you $150-$300. If you need to spend a lot of time at home, that's something that needs to be reconciled. However, after you've been doing this a couple of years, you'll learn when to go home and when to stay out. There are certain times of the year (which can be different at every carrier) where you'll make almost as much at home as you will if you stay out <snort>. Living in Dalton should certainly make it less painful to get a load once you come back out from home, though, as you're likely to get loaded out of that area (between Chattanooga and Atlanta is good).
As Dynamite said, a good starting point for a minimum weekly average on miles is 2000. You;ll have some weeks where you don't even do 1000 miles, bit most weeks I'd think you'd do 2500-3000 miles. At 3000 miles, you're looking at $1500 to the truck, or $750 per driver. That's far more realistic.
Don't put too many eggs in the White Glove Negotiation basket. Hopefully some WG trucks will chime in, but let's just say things ain't what they used to be over there. You'll be able to negotiate that $750 up a little, but another $250 per week is unlikely, especially for the first few months while you're trying to figure things out.
My advice would be to look at, at least initially, counting on about $650-$700 per driver per week as an average (Jan, and Feb can be brutal for some, a windfall for others). If that amount of money covers your nut, you're good to go.If not, maybe expediting isn't for you.
I will say that, as a general rule, the people who make the most money in expediting are those running straight truck h/w teams. Most carriers (FedEx not so much) will treat straight truck teams like royalty because they need straight truck teams, whereas cargo vans and Sprinters are a dime a dozen.
Dynamite, thanks for the help. Turtle, thank you for the time and detail you gave me, the fact that you would take the time to make such a long and detailed post really leaves me impressed with your willingness to help a stranger.
There are no strangers, just friends we have never met.
I dont always make long posts but we are willing to help anyway we can. The last thing we want to see is someone come into this business and fail. We have mentored many people in this business and would consider it a fail if we did. Please continue to ask questions and ask for help. The worst thing you could do would be to not be informed. We are a little intrusive at times but it is always for your own good. Be honest with answers and never be offended.
On a different note, we will be looking for an excellent team come spring. Keep us in mind !!!!!!!!!
On a different note, we will be looking for an excellent team come spring. Keep us in mind !!!!!!!!!
This group and all the info has been so informative, I fee more prepared for entering this field then many things I have done including owning 2 businesses, and I researched those well, I did ok at one, I owned a bike shop for 12 years, but the online world hit that field real hard. I hope to spend my last income earning years expediting and feel that because of the massive amount of info on here I have a head start on learning. Of course I will have much learning to do OTJ when I am out there, but I will have much less then had I not researched here. I know how I hope to have vehicle set up and will have a good emergency fund and even a list of 4-5 companies that I will apply to first.
As someone who hopes to be out rolling in 4-5 months I thank you all for all the experience and wisdom you share on here.
As someone who hopes to be out rolling in 4-5 months I thank you all for all the experience and wisdom you share on here.
Please let us know if there is anything else, glad to help !!!!!
