Same or similar pains

[tom tinker]

I was reading in HotShot Hauling, about guys hauling below a reasonable rate, just to get the work. If they had to deadhead or not, they don't charge extra! Cutting each others throats. A guy coming to retirement from auto mfg. was saying he was buying a rig to hotshot. Between the lines I think this guy, has the idea if he gets $1 mile app. he will do fine as not wanting to get rich. The experience person told him he better be careful, the way he was thinking he would be useing his retirement to support his new career.
My reason for posting this is it reads like o.e. Looks like trucking will get swamped by a bunch of rookies. Maybe with loss of mfg. this is only career if done right can pay anything?:-(
Sincerely Tom Tinker G.R. Mi.

 

[Broompilot]

Already here, I heard an expierenced driver came across a 06 T-300 Bentz nicely equiped or loaded 38K miles for under $60. Whats that say? Ones loss another ones gain? Hate to see people jump into this without understanding the risk vs reward.

 

[LDB]

The latest projection I've seen is for a shortage of over 110,000 drivers in the next 5 years. Most will be as company drivers in a 53' but some will come into expediting as well. Some of those will jump in feet first and fail. The one who use their head first will have a decent chance. One huge problem is these license mills where they turn guys loose in only 3 weeks. Then the OTR companies put them with a "trainer" who maybe observes the first half hour the guy drives. After that he's just a cheap team operator endangering the highways with a total of maybe 30 hours driving a big rig.

I would put MUCH tougher standards for licensing in place. I won't be popular but then again don't know when I've ever been. I'd require a minimum of 100 hours behind the wheel and 100 hours observing at an accredited training facility prior to being allowed to test for an operator permit. I'd require companies to operate as a 14 hour team for a minimum of the first 100 hours the new guy drives. I wouldn't give a license to anyone without at least 30 hours of college including at least one class each of accounting, economics and finance. Anyone already driving would be grandfathered but anyone new would need to meet the requirements. That should lead to far far fewer people stupid enough to deadhead all over creation and haul for foolish rates. It should also greatly reduce the turnover rate.

Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
Highway Watch Participant, Truckerbuddy
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[ATeam]

Failure in business is nothing new and not exclusive to trucking. Depending on the study providing the statistics, statistics show that half or more of all small business fail. The rate for businesses without employees is even higher.

Not too encouraging, is it? Yet no matter how much business experts, government officials, bankers, and a lot of just-plain folks preach about the risk and doing your homework before jumping in, people continue to jump ill-prepared into business ventures of all kinds.

With their posts, EO Open Forum members have helped create an excellent research resource for expediter wannabees. But how does that saying go again? You can lead a horse to water....

 

[randy123]

yes you can lead...but time will make the horse drink.. you just have to know when to lead, i have read alot of the posts on here an i jumped right in, but i read the posts after i jumped... alot of things i read on here are not true..i would advise that a new guy not read the posts, i started when it was slow so i was kinda mad when i did not make the kind of money i thought i would, UNTILL i discovered something... i made a run to janesville and i sat and sat with no loads...i wasted a day sitting...so i took off and headed back.. got back at 4.15 went in the office and sat down and handed in the paper work.. an avonlake run came up so i took it and off i went.. delivered the load and came back to the house..next morning i got a load to sharonville delivered that load and came back because dispatch had nothing in cin or dayton... that afternoon around 5.00 i got a load from livonia to doraville... made the run and took a nap till noon and back home again... i have learned not to sit i head right back and its been thay way for awhile now and i dont see it changing... i got a buddy to buy a van and he followed what i was doing and he isdoing just fine... so i dont wait any more. and i found that this works for me...sure i run alot empty heading back, but if you can run for five days and clear 1300.00 after your fuel costs why not.... i have allways looked at it this way, IF YOU DONT JUMP INTO SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO DO THEN YOU HAVE ALREADY FAILED. if this is what you want to do then do it.. randy

 

[tom tinker]

Your change of attitude of this career, went from negative to postive once you got the hang of it?? I think Broompilot had a rough start also if my memory serves me correctly. He is posting some real postive sound advise now also.
I seen on R.F.D. tv Sat. am Ag.show farmers cost this season up I think somthing like 12.5% just on fuel and oil. Same thing expediters run on. Do you adjust for higher cost or do your companys add on for this???? In 99 when fuel went up and everything else went down several o/o told me they wished they were out of o/o, most ran tractors. They are probably still doing it, have dsl fuel in vains instead of blood.:+ ;-)

 

[randy123]

they up the bid on the loads.... so we get a little more for the added fuel cost...

 

[Crazynuff]

Farmers use off road diesel which is priced a little lower because road tax isn't charged . However they don't get to charge a fuel surcharge or increase the price of their crops . Their prices were hurt considerably last year when the closing of New Orleans ports slowed exports .