Its me again,i just wanted to say that i've been getting alot of negative input on my husband and i buying a truck of our own from various family and friends.They say that we'll regret it.This does make me alittle more cautious about being and 0/0.Can someone please give me some positive input on having your own truck.I'm trying to keep an open mind and see both sides of this coin.thanks, TenTen
newcomers
- Thread starter truckwife
- Start date
You probably have to ask yourself some hard questions...
IMHO
Why do want to buy the truck ????
vs. Driving for an Owner or a O/O
or perhaps leasing or a payment rollover ???
Can you afford a new unit or would you look at used (and the possible impact repairs will cost)
What about a Down Payment...Will it impact your startup cash to get going ???? Will you be able to buy groceries and new blue jeans afterwards ????
Will you be able to sustain the payments if times get tough ???
Like what if some gets sick and can't drive ...Will you be willing to put on a driver to keep making money ????
Have you researched all the expenses (i.e. insurance and taxes and maintenance costsand especially fuel)
Did you run a business plan showing how long it will be before you are in the "black" ( i.e months...years ???)
Having something of you own is a big step and most people buy on impulse.....so having negative thoughts are natural....
I'm no expert...but I have read a lot and have looked at the possibilty of doing exactly what you plan......
For me...when I start I will work for a contractor for about a year and see what my takehome money is and my expenses...if the truck payment fits and will give me more in the pocket at the endo of the month...then I'll buy...but for now with all the available driver spots out there.....owning is not an option for me....
Just throwing my 2 cents worth in......
The old saying "rent before you buy"...see if the neighborhood is where you want to be ...well.... rent a seat in someone else's rig and go from there....
Thanks,
Frank in Pa.
"The Beast in the East"
IMHO
Why do want to buy the truck ????
vs. Driving for an Owner or a O/O
or perhaps leasing or a payment rollover ???
Can you afford a new unit or would you look at used (and the possible impact repairs will cost)
What about a Down Payment...Will it impact your startup cash to get going ???? Will you be able to buy groceries and new blue jeans afterwards ????
Will you be able to sustain the payments if times get tough ???
Like what if some gets sick and can't drive ...Will you be willing to put on a driver to keep making money ????
Have you researched all the expenses (i.e. insurance and taxes and maintenance costsand especially fuel)
Did you run a business plan showing how long it will be before you are in the "black" ( i.e months...years ???)
Having something of you own is a big step and most people buy on impulse.....so having negative thoughts are natural....
I'm no expert...but I have read a lot and have looked at the possibilty of doing exactly what you plan......
For me...when I start I will work for a contractor for about a year and see what my takehome money is and my expenses...if the truck payment fits and will give me more in the pocket at the endo of the month...then I'll buy...but for now with all the available driver spots out there.....owning is not an option for me....
Just throwing my 2 cents worth in......
The old saying "rent before you buy"...see if the neighborhood is where you want to be ...well.... rent a seat in someone else's rig and go from there....
Thanks,
Frank in Pa.
"The Beast in the East"
This is not meant as negative input but as a positive suggestion. If you are new to expediting, drive a fleet owner's truck for a while before buying a truck of your own.
My wife and I could have purchased a truck when we first started. We're glad we didn't. By running someone elses truck(s) for several months we were able to learn a lot more about what we liked and did not like in a vehicle. We also gained time to talk to and learn from the numerous other drivers we met on the road. Most drivers will gladly talk about their trucks. Some will talk and talk and talk and talk! We received many tours where they pointed out what they liked and disliked about their trucks.
Had we purchased our truck of our own straight out of the gate, we would have had a usable vehicle that got the job more or less done. Having waited and learned, we believe we are in a much better position to spec out the truck we really want.
The other advantage of driving for a fleet owner first is you don't have to lay out any money of your own to get started. If it turns out that expediting is not for you, it will be easy to back out of it and move on to something else. If you buy a truck and then find expediting is not for you, the truck could become a liability that you'd rather be without.
If you drive for a fleet owner, your gross income will be reduced because the fleet owner keeps a chunk in return for the truck he or she gives you to use. But your operating costs will be significantly reduced. That increases your margin for error as you are learning the business. In other words, make your newbie mistakes while you are driving a fleet owner's truck, not your own.
Finally, a good fleet owner will be available to you if you start in a fleet owner's truck. He or she will be eager to coach you so you don't make a lot of mistakes while driving his or her truck.
Again, we could have bought a truck of our own the day we started. If we had it to do over again, we'd start with a fleet owner again. It's a shortcut up the expediting learning curve and a chance to think through the truck features you want.
My wife and I could have purchased a truck when we first started. We're glad we didn't. By running someone elses truck(s) for several months we were able to learn a lot more about what we liked and did not like in a vehicle. We also gained time to talk to and learn from the numerous other drivers we met on the road. Most drivers will gladly talk about their trucks. Some will talk and talk and talk and talk! We received many tours where they pointed out what they liked and disliked about their trucks.
Had we purchased our truck of our own straight out of the gate, we would have had a usable vehicle that got the job more or less done. Having waited and learned, we believe we are in a much better position to spec out the truck we really want.
The other advantage of driving for a fleet owner first is you don't have to lay out any money of your own to get started. If it turns out that expediting is not for you, it will be easy to back out of it and move on to something else. If you buy a truck and then find expediting is not for you, the truck could become a liability that you'd rather be without.
If you drive for a fleet owner, your gross income will be reduced because the fleet owner keeps a chunk in return for the truck he or she gives you to use. But your operating costs will be significantly reduced. That increases your margin for error as you are learning the business. In other words, make your newbie mistakes while you are driving a fleet owner's truck, not your own.
Finally, a good fleet owner will be available to you if you start in a fleet owner's truck. He or she will be eager to coach you so you don't make a lot of mistakes while driving his or her truck.
Again, we could have bought a truck of our own the day we started. If we had it to do over again, we'd start with a fleet owner again. It's a shortcut up the expediting learning curve and a chance to think through the truck features you want.
Hi,
I just wanted to say that my husband and I drove for owner-operators for 6 months before we decided to take the plunge and buy our own truck. Six months gave us a good start on learning the business, and time to decide if it was right for us. It's been 2 1/2 years now, and we haven't regretted our decision. Good luck on your future endeavors!
I just wanted to say that my husband and I drove for owner-operators for 6 months before we decided to take the plunge and buy our own truck. Six months gave us a good start on learning the business, and time to decide if it was right for us. It's been 2 1/2 years now, and we haven't regretted our decision. Good luck on your future endeavors!
I jumped in head first and made plenty of mistakes. Some of them costly. That is why I get sometimes passionate towards certain posts or suggestions. The only thing that saved me was having a seperate business from trucking at that time to absorb the loss. Read as many of the posts as you can to thoroughly educate yourself. You want as clear of a picture as you can get prior to entering. One of the largest failures is either over specing a truck, paying too much for one to begin with, or not having 3 to 6 months of living and operating expenses in reserve before you start. I can't tell you how many times I have seen young couples with a truck payment over $2,000 a month and wondering why they are broke.
reading all this should help you make up your mind you need to look at it this way why go and buy something you dont know you want to do yet if you are new to trucking then you realy need to go with a fleet owner first when i got started i worked for a fleet owner for a year that let me see if i liked driving and what i wanted in a truck later on down the road now im ready to buy my own and i know what i need and what i want plus i know what is the best truck for the loads my company hauls it makes it alot easyer if u go with a fleet first then to have that big payment every month starting out you are not going to know the hot spots and the cold spots a good fleet owner should know and will tell you all that like some one else said in a post here learn in some one elses truck that way when you get yours you get to make more money