Asking For Advice/professional Opinions

Hi, I am just looking for some professional opinions from experienced owner operators.

1. What advice would you offer to someone just starting out in this line of work?

2. What is the best/worst aspect of being in this business?

3. Which carriers are best to haul for?

4. Which load boards would you recommend? (I usually like to haul vehicles)

5. In which geographic part of the country is it most profitable to operate? Or the best location to do business? Why? (I have been working the east coast but the snow this winter has me reconsidering)

6. How do you handle setbacks such as poor weather conditions?

7. How should I handle traffic accidents, violations, and/or fines?

Barb S. Welcome to the forums. With that being said......

Since you did not list or say what kind of experience you have In trucking I only have the type of questions to go by and it sounds like you have little to no experience with trucking. The main reason I come to this conclusion is the last question you asked. If you had any experience then you would know that all accidents ,violations and fines are handled the same way as if your were a company driver.

With that being said we deal mostly with helping new drivers get their career in trucking off the ground. But we asked we try our best to steer people away from owning or leasing a truck. We do have a few people here that have had their own truck. I myself have had two trucks at one time so I know a bit about what I am talking about.

Questions 2 thur 6 are questions that anyone would know that has been around the industry for more than a year.

Freight lanes ,the most profitable areas, change week to week depending on demand for certain freight types and since humans are the End User or consumer if you will the demands can swing wildly from day to day.

The best carriers are the ones you can make money hauling for. You mentioned hauling automobiles so that pretty much eliminates 99% of all the companies out there. You will not get rich in transportation. If your really lucky you will only make 3% to 5% more than a company driver makes after exspenses. Really not worth the risk.

Accidents,violations and fines you try your best to avoid but if you do happen to have to deal with them you take care of them just like any responsible person would.

Weather delays......no way around the weather. Just have to deal with it. As an owner op and dealing with brokers if your late you get fined. Does not matter why. If the road gets shut down for 2 to 3 days then you can expect to be fined everyday your late. That is part of the risk. Does not matter that it's mother nature. You agreed to deliver on a certain day and if the weather delays you then you failed in your agreement that you signed with the broker and have to take the consequences That comes with failure to up hold a contract.

The best advice I can give you right now is to spend 4 to 5 years in the trucking industry as a company driver and you will learn most of this stuff yourself through experience which is always the best teacher.

In conclusion the questions you asked shows that you don't have enough experience to start a business in transportion. I would recommend against starting a freight hauling business.

A few other drivers here have own trucks and perhaps they will go more into detail about the pit falls of trucking. Yes I said details cause I only talked in the broadest terms just to give you an idea of what you can expect.

Thanks so much for the time and effort in answering my questions. I really appreciate it. Since there is so much to learn about this industry, it is sometimes overwhelming. You have a lot of useful information. Thanks!!

Did you already buy a truck Barb? If not there are much better ways to get into trucking!

Yes, already have a truck. In it now! BTW, do you know of good GPS devices that can track IFTA mileage?

Yes, already have a truck. In it now! BTW, do you know of good GPS devices that can track IFTA mileage?

The Rand McNally 520 and 720 tracks it be state and by trip and by month.