What if there were no....

[Dakota]

I would think without fleet owners, the companies would lack trucks. Not everyone wants to take all the risk and responsibility of owning a truck. At a certain point they would have to change their business plans, hire employees, or raise the pay per mile to attract new drivers.
Cargo vans are a different matter since cost of entry can be low.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

We;ve heard from the straight people...

Now how about them Cargo/sprinter fleet owners....could we do without them? Are they hurting us single O/O's?

 

[Dakota]

My opinion for what it's worth(not much) is that fleet cargo vans are a waste of time, there isn't enough money for the owner and the driver to keep everyone happy. This is where the Sprinter has the advantage, lower fuel cost(some may say higher maintenance but that is debatible) They can accept more loads, that won't fit in a cargo van and they get more per mile.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

My opinion for what it's worth(not much) is that fleet cargo vans are a waste of time, there isn't enough money for the owner and the driver to keep everyone happy. This is where the Sprinter has the advantage, lower fuel cost(some may say higher maintenance but that is debatible) They can accept more loads, that won't fit in a cargo van and they get more per mile.

Yes the extra load available more then make up for the added PM costs.....some carriers don't pay extra for them...which really sucks...they'd be a no go for me...and should be for anyone...

 

[Dakota]

Yes the extra load available more then make up for the added PM costs.....some carriers don't pay extra for them...which really sucks...they'd be a no go for me...and should be for anyone...

Since the cost of entry is higher for a Sprinter, I wouln't even consider a company that doesn't pay "Sprinter Rates"

 

[Moot]

I would think without fleet owners, the companies would lack trucks. Not everyone wants to take all the risk and responsibility of owning a truck. At a certain point they would have to change their business plans, hire employees, or raise the pay per mile to attract new drivers.

As an O/O I would rather compete against fleet owned trucks vs. company owned trucks. There's always talk of fleet owners getting preferential treatment, and I'm sure it happens, but not to the extent company owned equipment would see.

My entry into expediting is somewhat an anomaly. I started as an employee, driving company owned or leased equipment. I was paid per mile; and also got per diem, paid motels and my 401K stayed intact.

 

[greg334]

Ok Greg...spill it out...what is your line of thought on this...?

Well I don't know ... may be it is the many threads about bad owners and claims that there are soooooooo many of them ... or may be it is the lack of a division between van fleet owners and truck fleet owners when discussing the issue ... may be when a company (and their contractors) make claims of fairness and 'partnerships' while preferring owners over individuals, it is a problem for a number of people ... may be it is many times owners come into this marginally equipped to handle either the operations or the finances and tries to force the driver to take any and everything that comes along.

No matter what, truck fleet ownership should be allowed to a point with qualifications other than owning the truck while van fleet ownership shouldn't be allowed.

 

[highway star]

I was offered the opportunity to start with a fleet owner when I started and I turned it down. I had a lot of experience in T/T behind me and had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into. Of course, there was plenty to learn, no doubt. I came to find out that the F/O I would have been hooked up with was one of the a-holes. I know a guy that had to take him to court to get what he was owed and had no problem winning his case. This F/O had a major reputation of trying to rip off the drivers that left and frequently got away with it. The company, of course, had a hands off policy.

I think the companies need to take another look at how they handle their relationship with the F/O. While they certainly don't need to be involved in every petty squabble, when there begins to be a pattern of questionable behavior they should take a look. It would be in their best interest as it is their freight and reputation involved. There just seems to be something very wrong with the way some of these drivers get screwed, sometimes for very significant amounts of money, and the company just says "too bad" and allows the F/O to put another victim in the seat.

The companies will get the units they need even if the fleet owner goes away. The good fleet owners are a great asset, but the companies should start to be more discriminating.

 

[Falligator]

Dave...Great answer...still wondering what Gregs counter answer is?....

That maybe the shortest post on EO from greg. Lol. My answer is better. Simply because I wouldn't have been able to purchase my own van if I didn't drive for a fleet owner. However, I agree that there's a lot of bad fleet owners who can make this line of work discouraging.


Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

 

[OntarioVanMan]

I was offered the opportunity to start with a fleet owner when I started and I turned it down. I had a lot of experience in T/T behind me and had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into. Of course, there was plenty to learn, no doubt. I came to find out that the F/O I would have been hooked up with was one of the a-holes. I know a guy that had to take him to court to get what he was owed and had no problem winning his case. This F/O had a major reputation of trying to rip off the drivers that left and frequently got away with it. The company, of course, had a hands off policy.

I think the companies need to take another look at how they handle their relationship with the F/O. While they certainly don't need to be involved in every petty squabble, when there begins to be a pattern of questionable behavior they should take a look. It would be in their best interest as it is their freight and reputation involved. There just seems to be something very wrong with the way some of these drivers get screwed, sometimes for very significant amounts of money, and the company just says "too bad" and allows the F/O to put another victim in the seat.

The companies will get the units they need even if the fleet owner goes away. The good fleet owners are a great asset, but the companies should start to be more discriminating.

I am thinking if one could prove a pattern of fraud and theft....and it could be linked to the carrier allowing this crime to happen...couldn't they be named in a suit...as being a known accomplice?

 

[skyraider]

Some good feedback here and angles I hadn't thought of...

So there is a consensus that the fleet owner has a beneficial use..to new and older drivers alike...

Good news for once for the fleet owner...that we seem to be ripping apart in here...

Just the dishonest scumbag fleet owners.....[and we do the same for the dishonest scumbag drivers, too.]

Dont make Red angry, u dont want to doooooo that,of course IMO

 

[jelliott]

Many fleet owners develop into carriers......

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Many fleet owners develop into carriers......

So says he that has first hand knowledge....LOL

 

[davekc]

I somewhat get the impression that there is numerous fleet owners based on some current posts. I am not so sure. Kinda hard to put a count to it, but I would be surprised if there is more than 75 of them now for the whole expedite side of trucking. Of that number, only a handful are real repetitive with their ads.
That would be folks with three or more trucks.

 

[moose]

Many fleet owners develop into carriers......

as a F/O in the making, i have no expectations to ever handle dispatch or the freight, better yet having Own operating authority, or negotiating rates and loads.
i do not think it takes the same set of skills.
and i will never have those skills.
my long term goal, is as simple as a good repeated ROI on equipment, while providing a worthwhile contract.

my supper long term best case scenario, is to own a larger fleet/business that was paid for in full by others, and to find an investor wishing to buy it from me in full.
kind of what the other Jacobs is doing now.

as to the OP ?
drivers of F/O trucks are the Expedite version of Company drivers.
for some wise rezone we do not have many carriers owned trucks, like they do in general trucking (some exceptions apply),
nor an employed drivers.
ever wondered why ?
i'm still scratching my head on this one.