Starting out Brand New to the business.... Please Help!

[Ernest1982]

I'm starting out new in the trucking industry and was planning on buying a straight truck with a 18ft box with NO sleeper (26k GVW), i figured i can carry right around 12K in loads, and plan on getting my own authority to find my own loads on load boards.

No need for modesty here, just let me have it, am I going down the wrong path here or is it how much effort i put into my work.

Can I make this work or not?

I'm always confident in everything i do, I know a lot of people around me who have started dispatching from no experience are are doing pretty good, people who i may add I'm a lot smarter then, I just don't see why I can't do this.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[jjoerger]

Get a sleeper or you will be paying for a hotel room every night or fuel to deadhead home.

 

[cableguymn]

I'm starting out new in the trucking industry and was planning on buying a straight truck with a 18ft box with NO sleeper (26k GVW), i figured i can carry right around 12K in loads, and plan on getting my own authority to find my own loads on load boards.

No need for modesty here, just let me have it, am I going down the wrong path here or is it how much effort i put into my work.

Can I make this work or not?

I'm always confident in everything i do, I know a lot of people around me who have started dispatching from no experience are are doing pretty good, people who i may add I'm a lot smarter then, I just don't see why I can't do this.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Can you make it work? Maybe.. you'll need to log and you will need proof of your stay at a hotel. A truck with no sleeper and that small of a box is best doing local work.

 

[paullud]

I would suggest starting out as a company driver so you can learn the basics. There are people with more knowledge and experience than you are likely to have that went under.

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[Lawrence]

Plan to attend this event!

 

[Ernest1982]

I appreciate all the responses guys, if anyone has anything else to add don't be shy.

My dad has been an owner operator for 20 years driving for companies(never under his own authority) and keeps on re-routing me to go to school for my CDL A and drive for a company, accept i have no interest in driving a tractor-trailer... I would prefer to get into this thing with a straight truck to see how i handle a Medium Duty Vehicle before jumping into a big boy toy.

This is his truck right now.

 

[paullud]

I appreciate all the responses guys, if anyone has anything else to add don't be shy.

My dad has been an owner operator for 20 years driving for companies(never under his own authority) and keeps on re-routing me to go to school for my CDL A and drive for a company, accept i have no interest in driving a tractor-trailer... I would prefer to get into this thing with a straight truck to see how i handle a Medium Duty Vehicle before jumping into a big boy toy.

You can do very well with a straight truck as a company driver or an O/O. There are just so many issues and pitfalls that can come up even for an experienced driver let alone a newbie. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is picking the wrong equipment, this can cost you thousands of dollars and potentially cause you to fail.

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[tryhours3191]

You can count on a payload of about 8.5K to 9K with a 26K truck. Where did you come up with the idea of an 18' box? Those of us who run D-units with large sleepers have 22" boxes. Straight trucks with day cabs usually have 24 or 26' boxes.

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[Ernest1982]

You can count on a payload of about 8.5K to 9K with a 26K truck. Where did you come up with the idea of an 18' box? Those of us who run D-units with large sleepers have 22" boxes. Straight trucks with day cabs usually have 24 or 26' boxes.

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It's only cause i found a good deal on this particular truck with a rebuilt Cat C7 that has only 40k miles on it. Otherwise i would of went with a 24' box.

 

[Ernest1982]

Plus nothing is in stone yet, hence this thread.

 

[cableguymn]

It's only cause i found a good deal on this particular truck with a rebuilt Cat C7 that has only 40k miles on it. Otherwise i would of went with a 24' box.

There is a good reason why it's a good deal... No one wants it.

honestly, 22Ft a a minimum on a 33,000 lbs truck with a sleeper big enough for your liking is what I would suggest.

That also means getting your CDL. but your going to have to do that anyways if you sign with someone. They are going to want you to have a hazmat endorsement.

While your own authority frees you up to be picky on what you take and leave on the dock it also comes with it's own pitfalls. Sign on with an owner and get some seat time before you start spending a lot of money on a truck. Or start out like many of us did (and still are) in a cargo van or sprinter.

 

[Ernest1982]

There is a good reason why it's a good deal... No one wants it.

Or start out like many of us did (and still are) in a cargo van or sprinter.

Could you please explain how is this 18ft truck that i'm looking at that "no one wants" is worse then driving a cargo van.

 

[BigCat]

Could you please explain how is this 18ft truck that i'm looking at that "no one wants" is worse then driving a cargo van.

Well I think what he means is without a sleeper many carriers may not even look twice at bringing you on. I have seen some companies website that the equipment requirement involves a dot approved sleeper.

From the sound of it you are looking at a local delivery truck. Good if you can lease on with postal service and run short hub to hub loads where you dont have to log. But for expedite it may not work.

I have seen some really good deals on expedite trucks on here. Have you checked here?

 

[Turtle]

Could you please explain how is this 18ft truck that i'm looking at that "no one wants" is worse then driving a cargo van.

It's worse than driving a cargo van because you'll have to log, and since it doesn't have a sleeper and you can't log as sleeping in the truck, you'll have to get a motel room every night in order to log the sleeper berth, and you gotta have receipts from the motels. With a van you don't have to log, and you can sleep in the van.

As with most anything, you can't just use any ol' tool and try and make it work. You have to use the right tool for the job. An 18' truck with no sleeper is a local delivery truck. If you want to run local air freight or something, that's what you need. If you want to run expedited freight or OTR general freight, you need a truck with a sleeper.

 

[Ernest1982]

I have seen some really good deals on expedite trucks on here. Have you checked here?

Yeah I've been browsing between this site, commercialtrucktrader.com and truckpaper.com pretty much every day, and am still looking, hopefully something better will come up. If not I think i might just have to go through CDL school and just get the CDL A to have a little more breathing room.

 

[cableguymn]

Yeah I've been browsing between this site, commercialtrucktrader.com and truckpaper.com pretty much every day, and am still looking, hopefully something better will come up. If not I think i might just have to go through CDL school and just get the CDL A to have a little more breathing room.

Wise choice.

Why no one (including you) wants a truck with a 17 foot box and no sleeper. Hotels are spendy. Even the dive ones. Load offer comes in, 11,000 pounds, 12 pallets. Pays 2.50 a mile!!! To bad it won't fit and would overload the truck.

A small truck like that has "CITY TRUCK" stamped on it's forehead.

 

[EASYTRADER]

I would think, you would first decide on the type of frieght you want to run and then buy a truck to fit the frieght. Buying the truck first especially the one you described seems like folly.

That truck would be good for very little, outside of maybe airport runs, mail, junk hauling like "2 men and a Truck".

If you add a lift gate to it, you might add to its vrsatility, with a lift gate, you coulde deliver appliances, or do inside deliveries for local LTL terminals.

I think if I had your plan of getting an "authority" I would get the authority first and then scout around load boards to see what frieght is common in your area, and then pick a truck to match.

Getting a CDL is a good option because if the truck you purchase is a "tractor" you can haul anything. From large trailers to little pups. Their is also no shortage of work fo tractors.

I have a straight truck with a sleeper, cost the same as a tractor and makes 30% less revenue, with less opportunity for work.

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[EASYTRADER]

Also DON'T GO INTO DEBT,
The economy is gonna crap out again as soon as gas hits 5 bucks and will be KIA for months. That's not a political statemnt just a fact of life.

I would be very surprised if we don't have another 6 month period like 08,09.

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[Ernest1982]

Thank You guys for all your help, i can't stress enough how much this post has helped me out .....

My decision is made after reading all you guys have to suggest plus my fathers suggestions this past month......

I'm going to complete a CDL A training at a local school and go to work for a company through a student program like a lot of them offer for 12 months and get the experience that i will need for my future career in this business.

Again. Thank You all for all the input .... and I wish you all success in your future endeavors!!!

 

[Ragman]

I'm going to complete a CDL A training at a local school and go to work for a company through a student program like a lot of them offer for 12 months and get the experience that i will need for my future career in this business.

Make sure you check out the completion rate of said school/student program. Too many of them are nothing but CDL mills.