No bills or obligations, simple life style. Expediting financially viable?

[J.D.]

I've been researching a little to see if being a solo driver is survivable in terms of having money when things get slowed down due to a lack of freight. I have a big question but here is a bit of background:


I'm twenty-six years old with no obligations to any family of any kind. I have no bills to pay unless you want to include a cellphone bill. I don't own a house and I never eat anything fancy. I eat a lot of canned and microwave type foods that are cheap and easy. I've done regional trucking back a few years ago and learned a bit about being frugal at truckstops the hard way.

It seems that the way to go would be a sixty to forty split between an owner and myself, being his driver. I don't think being an owner would be wise for me, considering I've never done expediting hauling. I would be okay with a lot of downtime (as long as it is off-duty/sleeper berth downtime) and can find ways to stay entertained for hours with a phone or laptop.

Home time wouldn't be an issue to me as long as I could have it after one month out. I don't think thirty days out and four to five days would be unreasonable to request. I live in California so I'm not sure if asking for just one month out is a big deal or not.

I have a Class A with a P endorsement but I'm currently driving a 26' 'ft' straight truck and a mercedes sprinter van for the county that I live in. I also secure my own loads and use lift gates, forklifts, and pallet jacks frequently. Most freight I move is for a food bank, so reefer related frozen and refridgerated goods for the most part.

Now for my big question: Could I make this work for myself from a financial side as a solo driver?

My deductions would be the cheapest food I could find, internet options, and a phone bill. The showers I could have paid for with large fuel purchases and carrying enough clothes could last for 30 days until home time so I don't have to waste time washing clothes at a truckstop. Although with the downtime expediters seem to get, it may be easier to have time to wash clothes at the truckstop?

Any advice would be appreciated from somebody who knows their stuff. Don't hold back and lay it to me straight, thanks.

 

[Ragman]

......lay it to me straight, thanks.

Seeing that the vast majority of expedite freight is east of the Mississippi and you are in California, you could have an issue.

 

[J.D.]

......lay it to me straight, thanks.

Seeing that the vast majority of expedite freight is east of the Mississippi and you are in California, you could have an issue.

Yeah, I thought about that.

If I lived in an east coast state or near Ohio, I would have already started driving for an owner to see what it would be like in expediting. My biggest fear is being stranded somewhere on the east coast with no loads or any source of income to even buy food. It has been hard to calculate an average monthly budget to work with because it seems like it is entirely random with maybe some experienced drivers getting a feel for how much they can earn.

If the downtime is long enough and happens quite often though, I feel I could be out for two months or more at a time. My average out time was around sixty days out with one day home time per thirty days, so I'd usually do two months on the road and two days home time. I'd have stayed in trucking if I could have had a forty-eight hour reset or more.

The biggest hurdle I feel is trying to figure out how to get into this career path without getting stranded and broke on the otherside of the United States. The home time is secondary and I would trade my home time for just free time. I've got nobody at home to go back to anyway.

 

[Moot]

Now for my big question: Could I make this work for myself from a financial side as a solo driver?

Financially, compared to a county employee in California with steady hours and income plus benefits like health insurance, pension and marijuana discounts, probably not. You are an employee and not a contractor, yes?

 

[J.D.]

Now for my big question: Could I make this work for myself from a financial side as a solo driver?

Financially, compared to a county employee in California with steady hours and income plus benefits like health insurance, pension and marijuana discounts, probably not. You are an employee and not a contractor, yes?

I WISH I was an employee. I'm a private contractor technically who also volunteers a lot of free hours to help out because they don't really have the budget to keep people hired. I'm one of two drivers they still have for our area. I've been driving for free a lot lately so they don't have to close down food bank operating hours to certain days.

I mean, maybe the marijuana would be enough to make me want to work for free.. If I was allowed to smoke it as a driver.

 

[Solar]

......lay it to me straight, thanks.

The biggest hurdle I feel is trying to figure out how to get into this career path without getting stranded and broke on the otherside of the United States. The home time is secondary and I would trade my home time for just free time. I've got nobody at home to go back to anyway.

Yea, could make it.
You’ll need an account to have money direct deposited.
I think the first time I went out, simply as a driver, not a owner/operator, I had $500. Those first 2 weeks are nerve wrecking, because you need money to come in, and as soon as I left the classes I got one load in, and the engine pully and belt broke, van was in the shop half of the next week, so I didn’t get any real miles until the 3rd week, which means I didn’t get any real pay until the 4th week.

I don’t foresee that happening to you, just saying, that’s the kind of stuff that can happen. Take more than $500 if you can, but you can make it on that.

Most companies are basically working a minimum 2-3 weeks, then time off, but I’d suggest on your first go, get in 4 weeks at least, before taking time off.[/QUOTE]

 

[Solar]

The biggest hurdle I feel is trying to figure out how to get into this career path without getting stranded and broke on the otherside of the United States. The home time is secondary and I would trade my home time for just free time. I've got nobody at home to go back to anyway.

Yea, you could make it.
You’ll need an account to have money direct deposited.
I think the first time I went out, simply as a driver, not a owner/operator, I had $500. Those first 2 weeks are nerve wrecking, because you need money to come in, and as soon as I left the classes I got one load in, and the engine pully and belt broke, van was in the shop half of the next week, so I didn’t get any real miles until the 3rd week, which means I didn’t get any real pay until the 4th week.

I don’t foresee that happening to you, just saying, that’s the kind of stuff that can happen. Take more than $500 if you can, but you can make it on that.

Most companies are basically working a minimum 2-3 weeks, then time off, but I’d suggest on your first go, get in 4 weeks at least, before taking time off.

 

[Solar]

I’d also like to throw this in there.

Sometimes we all have to eat cheap. It happens. But this business is notorious for bad health, so eating cheap doesn’t mean that you’re saving money, it means that you’re going to pay for it later.

So, little things I do is buy a bag of apples or whatever fresh fruit you like, grab a large bag of sunflower seeds, grab a jar of peanuts. Snack as much as you can on things like that. Try to avoid candy and ramen noodles.

Those $1 burgers are part of it, it’s quick, and not the healthiest. Try to cut that down to a minimum as soon as you can afford to.
Just wanted to say, don’t make eating cheap a lifestyle, eat healthy as possible.

 

[BigStickJr]

Are you adverse to becoming an employee?

 

[J.D.]

Most companies are basically working a minimum 2-3 weeks, then time off, but I’d suggest on your first go, get in 4 weeks at least, before taking time off.

I've no problem with that, as long as I get enough time to wash my clothes every once in a while and take a shower at least twice a week. When I ran west coast regional in a tractor-trailer pulling reefer, I'd run two months before taking two days for home time. The ONLY reason I took the home time was for checking mail and doing all my laundry or picking up a new set of things for the road that I ordered online.

Even relocating my home address wouldn't be out of the question.

 

[J.D.]

Are you adverse to becoming an employee?

I'm not entirely sure I understand the question but in a way, yes. I've got a spotless driving record and have been a class A holder for two years, going on three now. I've been offered local jobs that pay seventy to eighty thousand a year.

The forced ten to fourteen hour a day, five to six days a week schedule is not appealing to me. I enjoy a simple life, by myself. One of the major reasons I'm considering expedited vans is because it seems much more free than trucking is currently. I remember maybe two weeks when I did trucking where I didn't burn my seventy hour clock out and only ran like two days that week. It was so nice, even sitting at a truckstop.

I may not be an employee for the county, but I drive local for them and when they ask me to drive for them, I usually make time. I run like an employee but I think mentally it helps knowing I could say no at any time (even though I never have).

 

[FlyingVan]

I would be all over that $70-80k local job. A few vanners are left with half that much, the rest less.

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[J.D.]

I would be all over that $70-80k local job. A few vanners are left with half that much, the rest less.

If I had a family to support, sure. I don't see the logic behind making that kind of money, renting a house or buying one here in California to have it sit empty other than eight hours when you come home to sleep and get ready to drive the same exact routes over and over. There has to be a reason people are still expediting even though the claim so far is: "the pay is so low".

It seems like most people who get into expedited that have money issues are the people who also have a family, house and car payments. That seems to be the only real issue is the pay but nobody talks about how bad the actual job is and if it has as much stress as trucking. I like money and freedom both, but I value freedom a bit more than money.

I'm a fairly young guy too, twenty-six. I don't have a lot of stress, I'm good with saving my money and balancing what I need and don't need. This is why working ten hour or more shifts don't appeal to me. I'm okay with running hard sometimes, but not six days a week.

 

[Grizzly]

I would be all over that $70-80k local job. A few vanners are left with half that much, the rest less.

If I had a family to support, sure. I don't see the logic behind making that kind of money, renting a house or buying one here in California to have it sit empty other than eight hours when you come home to sleep and get ready to drive the same exact routes over and over. There has to be a reason people are still expediting even though the claim so far is: "the pay is so low".

It seems like most people who get into expedited that have money issues are the people who also have a family, house and car payments. That seems to be the only real issue is the pay but nobody talks about how bad the actual job is and if it has as much stress as trucking. I like money and freedom both, but I value freedom a bit more than money.

I'm a fairly young guy too, twenty-six. I don't have a lot of stress, I'm good with saving my money and balancing what I need and don't need. This is why working ten hour or more shifts don't appeal to me. I'm okay with running hard sometimes, but not six days a week.

I disagree with part of your assessment. In my experience the people that make less money, potential financial issues, are those with less financial pressure .. like yourself. You're willing to take loads for cheap.

Also keep in mind vans do not have hours of service restrictions. Long hours in the saddle are the norm ... 10-14 ain't nothing ...

 

[FlyingVan]

14hrs driving for cheap, then wait for the next 2-3 days then do it all over again.

It seems to me that you are going to do this no matter what we say. If you really want to expedite, get into a straight truck. Yes, a bit more regulation, so you won't be driving like a fool, money will be better, but unfortunately, still less than 80k, unless you drive team.

I just reread your posts. On top of it all you are going to drive for an owner. So basically the cheap rate that the vans are running at now needs to be split between you, the owner and the van. There is just not enough money to go around with the over saturation of the van segment.

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[Grizzly]

Believe it or not, you get an MO in this business.

No wife, kids or mortgage ...
You're over 60, waiting for retirement ...
You just don't know or don't care what your services are really worth ...
You want the expediting "lifestyle" ...

You will get squeezed ... plain and simple. Hourly wages at McD's and Wal-Mart will look attractive ... and that's no BS!

With the class a and your driving record, getting into a straight truck is a no brainer ... FlyingVan is spot on.

 

[J.D.]

14hrs driving for cheap, then wait for the next 2-3 days then do it all over again.

It seems to me that you are going to do this no matter what we say. If you really want to expedite, get into a straight truck. Yes, a bit more regulation, so you won't be driving like a fool, money will be better, but unfortunately, still less than 80k, unless you drive team.

I just reread your posts. On top of it all you are going to drive for an owner. So basically the cheap rate that the vans are running at now needs to be split between you, the owner and the van. There is just not enough money to go around with the over saturation of the van segment.

You know about a year and a half ago, I called Panther because I was curious about doing straight truck because it seemed like the perfect balance in trucking. They put me in contact with a guy back east that offered me a nice truck to drive with a sink, fridge, APU, ect. It sounded nice until I asked him what would it be like running solo in a straight and he pretty much told me it is stressful with no peace. He made it sound like you would be woken up on resets and sleeper birth hours to accept loads.

How bad would it be running solo in a straight truck year round? What kind of downtime do you get and how predictable is it? Do certain endorsements increase pay but decrease wait times? How often would I be eating up a seventy hour clock?

How likely is it that an owner would ask you to drive his straight solo, but then force you to go team or kick you out of his truck if you don't team? That is honestly the scary part because once I'm out there if I decide to go out east and try a hand at expediting, I'm pretty much at the mercy of the owner unless I saved up a large sum of money before hand.

 

[BigStickJr]

Take the $70-$80 per year job.
Bank $35-$40 per year for a year or two.
Then do what you want.
Or are you too lazy ?

I just retired.
I have money in the bank. A Teamster Pension. At 66 I’ll draw about $2200 per month SS.
Why wait until 66 to draw my SS ?
So I can make unlimited income.
I retired on Tuesday and was working on Friday.
I like to work. And I like having $$$.
The place I’m working pays a good wage. 1.75 x on Saturday and 2x on Sunday.

We are going through a transformation this spring, changing schedules, and pay rates, because they can’t attract millennials. They have no interest in forced OT. They are dropping to only 1.5 x weekend pay to cover costs of more people, working less hours. More days off for all involved.
I’m working 8 hours per day with 2 breaks and a lunch.
When it’s time to go home I feel like my I should be kicking into high gear.( after 42 years of trucking.)
I guess my generation watched our parents work out of the Great Depression and prosper thru the baby boomer years. We were taught to get out of the house and get to work. Work for what we want or need. And save for our futures.

Good Luck to ya.

 

[Solar]

If you drive a van for a owner, you’ll average $.25-.35/mile. When it’s all said and done, you’ll average about $600/week. You’ll have $1,000 weeks and $200 weeks. You’ll average a $30,000 year.

After you know how it rolls, get your own van, that doubles.

So, you can see how they are stressing you can make more money and drive locally. If you don’t want to buy a house, buy your own rig. Owner op, make even more $, live basically out of your rig, because that’s what you’d be doing in a van anyway.