Need Opinions PLZ!!!!!

[porkchop1981]

I've been interested in purchasing a T-300 in the future. I have been researching these trucks and they're price and use seems to be worth while! I have a couple ideas, but would like some feedback on them and personal ideas and experiences from the seasond o/o's and or "good" company guys.

A little about my background...........I'm 26 with no family at home. I have been local and OTR at times and I want to est. myself now before I get older and have a family. I have pulled trailers, low boys, been in dump trucks/trailers. I recently went back to dumps as my dully and 2/3 car trailer wasn't enough income for myself and business partner. I'm looking to get an expedite truck and venture out on my own this time, so I can seek all the benifits, and reep all the breakdowns myself....lol.....but true!

My biggest question is "Will I be able to generate enough income without signing on with a larger company" ie: Panther, Tri-State.....and so on.

I have been thinking that with a 24ft box I could haul between 6 and 8 motorcycles. Depending on which type! I only know of 1 website to get cycle loads from, and you guys all know it. Its a nasty site which isn't worth the hassel most the times because the illegals have over run it. Anyways........ I think a 24ft box with liftgate would do me good for that.

My other question is ..."Is there enough freight or sites out there that I could load myself from"? The only problem with this is the factoring involved to get paid. I'm use to hauling cars/bikes for COD 98% of the time.

Or am I better off to try to sign on with a big company and pray for the best???

The goal I have is to purchase my equipment with cash. Being paid for will help the overhead that is needed on a "bad" week or month or even year.

Ok, I'm sorry for posting such a long one, but I do hope some of you made it all the way through and can give me some tips or ideas, or better ideas! I know what it takes to be an O/O and I'm willing to do it again. I love being on the road, but want to make a fair income after operating costs. Im good with the rules of the road and how the laws work, Im jus tmore concerned with steady income, or good income.

Thanks in advance if your still reading!

Pork Chop

 

[Tennesseahawk]

I'll be brutally honest here. There is little freight out here for the number of straights. And tho the number of straights is going down, it is because the number of loads is going down faster.

IMO, if you're used to driving a t/t, and want to get into a straight, you're nuts! As far as I'm concerned, the only truck worth investing in is a t/t. You can pretty much write your own ticket. Otherwise, you'll be spending twice as long finding loads as you would running them. Bare in mind I'm talking about what you're wanting to do, and your level of experience in expediting. Much less of a learning curve with a t/t.

 

[gojack]

I drove a cargo van then a straight truck, now a Tractor Trailer.
T.T. is the only way to go... Especially if you want to go independent.

I have many loads on my T.T. that could be put in a Van or Straight Truck.

If they want to pay me $3.00 a mile for dedicating a 53' trailer to one # 500 skid
Why argue?
Give the customer what they want.

More often than not, the dispatcher does not know the size of the load
until it is picked up. And the customer may want to add something at the last moment.
If they send in a smaller vehicle, The customer may get upset, the truck may be refused,
they may have complaints. The path of least resistance is to send a T.T....
The 53' x 102" Van is max legal size... It's THE standard.

The Shippers and Receivers are set up for and prefer Tractor Trailers.
I have never lost a load for being to big, I have lost many many loads for being to small.

High dollar per mile freight is less important than total dollars per total miles.
With a TT there are less unpaid miles and less sitting.

 

[louixo]

Anybody can make it in expediting, like any other segment of trucking if:
You are a good money manager.
Make yourself available to work.
Are willing to stay out.

You can run a T/T in expediting, and should have more loads than a straight, because you can haul most any load. Operating costs are lower in a "D" unit, a "C" is lower than a "D" etc., but paid revenue is higher in a T/T.
Trying to specialize in bikes and cars, would be difficult unless you have a constant freight source. I`d go with one of the big expediters, that also allows you to look for your own freight, under their authority.
If it were me, starting out, I`d look for a used truck in good condition that I could easily afford, make sure I have some money in reserve, or an available credit line for emergencies, and then I`d go to work, and keep my eye on the bottom line. More often than not, a failure is the fault of the owner operator and not the company leased to.

 

[ATeam]

I'll be brutally honest here. There is little freight out here for the number of straights. And tho the number of straights is going down, it is because the number of loads is going down faster.

IMO, if you're used to driving a t/t, and want to get into a straight, you're nuts! As far as I'm concerned, the only truck worth investing in is a t/t. You can pretty much write your own ticket. Otherwise, you'll be spending twice as long finding loads as you would running them. Bare in mind I'm talking about what you're wanting to do, and your level of experience in expediting. Much less of a learning curve with a t/t.

Two questions please, Tennesseeahawk?

1. Do you drive a tractor/trailer or a straight truck? Just asking out of curiosity. I thought you ran a straight truck. Has that changed?

2. Regarding straight truck freight volume and the number of straight trucks, what is your information source?

As I follow recession news in financial publications and match it up with what I read from truck industry sources, I find reliable statistical information about straight trucks, and especially expedite trucks especially difficult to locate. I would appreciate knowing about any information sources you or anyone else has to share.

 

[Paul56]

Arguably it is harder going independent than signing on with a company; however, having said that I would rather be in control of events than waiting for the "big company" to call us up with load offers. We've been running independent since the beginning and would not go any other way.

Please keep in mind that everyones situation is different, so what may work for others may not necessarily be the way for you to go.

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Two questions please, Tennesseeahawk?

1. Do you drive a tractor/trailer or a straight truck? Just asking out of curiosity. I thought you ran a straight truck. Has that changed?

2. Regarding straight truck freight volume and the number of straight trucks, what is your information source?

As I follow recession news in financial publications and match it up with what I read from truck industry sources, I find reliable statistical information about straight trucks, and especially expedite trucks especially difficult to locate. I would appreciate knowing about any information sources you or anyone else has to share.

1. Nothing has changed. I'm still in a straight.

2. Personal experience and info from nearly everyone on here. Also the number of straight trucks in the classifieds, and the price wanted. Demand has gone down, supply up.

As far as t/t vs straight truck loads, I've seen t/t loads outnumber straight truck loads by as much as 4 to 1 (all expedite loads). The advise I'm giving Pork Chop is that if he's already used to running t/t, to just stay with it and make more money, both in miles and rate. Nightcreature has said a few times that he stays busy, in large part, because there aren't many t/ts in this business.

I've said before I'd love to do this in a t/t. Nothin but good money out there to be made. But for personal reasons, I've decided to stick with a straight.

 

[greg334]

Phil, I think his comments were relative in nature based on which vehicle would be a hedge against any slow period in the industry.

In fact I think the T/T is the right choice for people who come from the T/T world and for those who really want to insulate themselves from the problems we face.

 

[ATeam]

2. Personal experience and info from nearly everyone on here. Also the number of straight trucks in the classifieds, and the price wanted. Demand has gone down, supply up.

Thank you for that. Hard data is what I find difficult to obtain. I have tried using the classifieds to determine trends but find that very, very difficult to do. General observations can be spun to say just about anything you want them to say. Trying to quantify the numbers of trucks available over a given time and their price trends is dificult because the trucks vary so much in condition and features. Honest apples to apples comparisons are hard to make.

Can we talk about hard-data numbers you can quantify? Your run count and pay per mile for the loads you took the first three months of this year; how do the numbers compare to the first three months of last year?

 

[greg334]

Thank you for that. Hard data is what I find difficult to obtain. I have tried using the classifieds to determine trends but find that very, very difficult to do. General observations can be spun to say just about anything you want them to say. Trying to quantify the numbers of trucks available over a given time and their price trends is dificult because the trucks vary so much in condition and features. Honest apples to apples comparisons are hard to make.

Can we talk about hard-data numbers you can quantify? Your run count and pay per mile for the loads you took the first three months of this year; how do the numbers compare to the first three months of last year?

But Phil, I am curious to know what purpose would any of it provide if you could? There are too many factors involved in forecasting some things and even though you are not in the manufacturing business, how would that have an effect on your business while working for a company?

 

[Tennesseahawk]

Thank you for that. Hard data is what I find difficult to obtain. I have tried using the classifieds to determine trends but find that very, very difficult to do. General observations can be spun to say just about anything you want them to say. Trying to quantify the numbers of trucks available over a given time and their price trends is dificult because the trucks vary so much in condition and features. Honest apples to apples comparisons are hard to make.

Can we talk about hard-data numbers you can quantify? Your run count and pay per mile for the loads you took the first three months of this year; how do the numbers compare to the first three months of last year?

Honestly, I'm wondering why you're curious if you're doing so well.

Yes, a definitive answer is hard to give without extrapulating data. But if I pontificate the scenario, and quantify the non-quantification, I come up with the conclusionization that I can only state the followingication... my opinionization.

Last year numbers are not accurate to compare, since I was off a good amount of the first two months practicing being sick. Did a damn good job of it too!

 

[nobb4u]

My experience comes from running a TT and an straight and I will say I would never want to go back to a TT. But having said that I would never encourage someone who is used to TT to go out and buy a straight truck, I always tell people who are coming from a TT world their best bet is drive for someone else before they commit to a truck payment for a vehicle that has limited use. Some people just can't make the swing from TT to expediting. So if they don't buy a truck and they try expediting and they don't like expediting they can get out without being stuck with a truck that is usless to them.

Also why not use someone else's equipment to get that learning curve in.

 

[ATeam]

Honestly, I'm wondering why you're curious if you're doing so well.

It's not about me doing well or not doing well. It's about developing a better sense (as in specific data) about what is going on out there.

My reason for asking is no different than me asking drivers we might meet at a truck stop and shop talk comes up. You talked about your results so I took the opportunity to ask you more about them and your information sources. I know that info from one truck is not a statistically significant sample, but in the absense of hard expedite- industry-wide data, I have to take what I can get.

 

[davekc]

If one is that bent for specific details, look at what the people in the investment world look at.

In no particular order.

Transportaion stocks
Tonnage index
Freight ratios....available on many load sites by the day and by the year.
Finance auctions on returned equipment
New equipment purchases. This one can be somewhat misleading because of the pre-emmission buys.

 

[greg334]

If one is that bent for specific details, look at what the people in the investment world look at.

In no particular order.

Transportaion stocks
Tonnage index
Freight ratios....available on many load sites by the day and by the year.
Finance auctions on returned equipment
New equipment purchases. This one can be somewhat misleading because of the pre-emmission buys.

Dave,
I maybe wrong about this, but I don't see the purpose of the information to many of us in this business other than the pleasure of saying you have it.

Is there something of a need to have it when you are not independent?

 

[davekc]

Dave,
I maybe wrong about this, but I don't see the purpose of the information to many of us in this business other than the pleasure of saying you have it.

Is there something of a need to have it when you are not independent?
__________________

Nope. Nothing I can see unless someone is getting ready to buy a truck and looking at it from a long term stand point. Could be some value in that circumstance.