New Guy Browsing The Forum

So, as can be seen from the age of my account, I'm new to TT. I've spent the last day or so just browsing through the forum to get a feel for what topics are really brought up. I thought I would make a thread telling a little about me and see what advice I can get.

I have been driving for about a year and a half, though it's been on a as needed basis, I've had months where I didn't drive at all, but also months where I drove almost every day of a specific week, even if only for a couple hours. I've had trips where it was four or five hours, and I've had trips where it was pushing my allowed hours. I have hauled hay on flatbeds and sheep in bull wagons.

I work for my dad in the family ranching business, and while there are months where I barely have a bit of time to myself, there are also months where there is almost nothing to do. I try to find things to do, which has led to me building small trailers, but I'm hoping to start doing more driving now that I have my CDL A.

I had honestly hoped that I would be picking up more hours driving than I have because my father was going on about all the hay he wanted me to haul that he now didn't have to, but there hasn't been anything on that front.

I started college a few years ago and am hoping to be able to finish out my associates withing the next couple years. I plan to start driving truck full time after that because it happens to almost align with when I was told to expect my father to retire, at which point the plan is for him to sell the ranch. We gave up on trying to inherit it years ago because he refused to teach my brother and I what we need to learn in order to take over when he retires.

My plan to continue getting a decent amount of experience driving was to pick up a part time job driving for a local company but looking at what I have learned from some of the threads about training, that doesn't look like a very viable option. I was trying to communicate with a recruiter for a company to ask about part time work but looking at the information I got from a thread I have responded in; I am thinking I will get a negative response on Monday when they get back to me.

Due to this, I am thinking that maybe I should get my own truck (separate from my father's) so that I can do an owner/operator kind of deal and pick up loads from a dispatch company. I know that trucks are expensive, I have been looking for the last year because I like to keep an eye on the price of equipment I use, it helps me be more careful with it. But its either get my own truck or find some other kind of work I can do part time.

I feel that this has turned into more of a rant than an introduction/request for advice on what to do next. um, if any moderators feel it best this not be posted, I completely understand.

Welcome!!!

I get where you are at. I was second to youngest and grew up on a family farm long ago. I made the decision to go my own way in life.

Finding part time work will be a very tough go with big trucking companies. They just aren’t setup for that model. Roehl Transport has a 7 out 7 off and a 14 out/14 off. Or they used to.

Some small company may be able to work it out possibly. But if a truck isn’t moving it isn’t making any money.

Buying your own would be very expensive. That is not only the equipment cost, but the monthly fixed costs. IE insurance. You may go under a farm, but then that severly limits what you can do. Works the same as forestry.

To haul otr or regional your costs would be high. Insurance, plates, Heavy use tax. Dispatch services in my opinion are a waste of money also. They search load boards. You can do that yourself. The brokers they work with will probably not give them any better rate plus your paying them.

Theft has been rampant for the last couple years and many brokers have adopted new policies to combat it. One in particular is they won’t work with anyone that has had their authority less than 18-24 months. If you find one that will, they are probably a bottom feeder to start with. once in awhile you can find one that isn’t but they are very rare.

I don’t want to dash your dreams, I just want you to know the truth what your looking at. I like to see folks suceed not fail.

Wishing you the best!!

Hi Zach, welcome to the group!

The comment from PJ was good advice. He’s the only O/O in the group, that I know of, and knows how hard, risky and expensive it is to start out with your own truck. I certainly wouldn’t consider it at all, but I’m 71 and trying to keep my life as simple as possible, not complicate it more. Owning a truck and making it pay off for you would be very complicated.

Whatever you do and however you do it, get some extended time in as a company driver. It doesn’t sound like the ranch is going to be your future, so, can you break free from it and get started with a solid company doing OTR for 1 year? Time and again, that simple path proves to be the best path to take in a young person’s quest to becoming an experienced driver. You already have a head start. Make a commitment to applying to a company or companies, go through their training and do it full time for a year. Then you can step back and evaluate your situation and how to proceed from there. You will know much more and be able to make an informed decision when you get that year of experience under your belt.

Nice to "officially" meet you PJ and Bruce.

So, on the owner operator thing, I would likely go through my brother's company. He has a broker he's been working with for years and would maybe be able to help me get loads. No guarantees, but it's a possibility.

I can't really start driving for a big company right now because I am currently going to a local college, and I really don't want the credits I've earned to go to waste. I know I would not be able to do full time OTR , regional , or local and still keep up with my studies, which is why I would prefer to do part time. If it can't be in the industry for now, well I'm sure I can still find something.

There are a few local industries looking for drivers I might be able to work something out with, and if not then I will just have to be happy with what few loads I can get working for my father while finding other potential sources of income to help keep the bills at bay.

The ranch isn't my future, but until I finish college I can continue working there. As I already mentioned, my father is going to retire around the time I finish my current degree, and then I will be free to do as I wish.

I really appreciate both of your responses, I came here looking for advice, and you gave it. No hopes or dreams dashed. I already know the part time thing is a longshot. I found out as much yesterday looking through the threads, but I had already reached out to a few companies at that point since I was looking for work and thought it was at least worth reaching out.

I plan on getting a few more endorsements like doubles/triples and maybe applying for hazmat. I noticed a lot of part time jobs where they wanted someone with one or both. I know the hazmat would take some time, there are classes you have to take and a background check of some sort, but I honestly should have done the doubles/triples when I did the testing for my permit as that would have saved me some time.

Again, thank you for the advice and wisdom from your years of service, and it was nice meeting you both.

So I talked with the recruiter for swift earlier, and while I need to go through training for about a month, she said that because of the specific terminal that I would be working out of, they actually have a part time position I would be able to do depending on how I do during the training and if the manager of the account decides to hire me for it. its not a guarantee that I will get the position though. she said that I would have to go drive at least one day every three weeks or so to keep my company ID active, but I would be driving at least once a week or more during the semester, so it doesn't look like that would be a problem. what do y'all think?

Zach, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sounds like a situation that would suit your current situation. Frankly, I’m pleasantly surprised that you found that opportunity. Go for it, I think.

I'm with BK. Sounds like you found a rare opportunity that matches your specific needs. Worth a shot to see if it works for you and your educational goals. Good luck!

And I got rejected because they apparently don't like the school I went to to test. I put down on my application that I attended one of the schools that happens to be near the facility I applied to because I went there and fixed my training after I got scammed by a so called trainer in my area. Last year after I got my permit and finished the classroom portion of my eldt, I went to a local construction company that claimed they did the behind the wheel portion, I went and drove with them for a day thinking that was all the training was, they marked all the training as done. They scammed me so bad, and I recognize it was my own fault, if I had read the regulations online I would have known, but we thought things hadn't changed all that much since my brother got his cdl , in fact my dad was insistent that they couldn't have changed all that much. My brother got his cdl almost 20 years ago, my dad got his back in like the 70s, and there wasn't anywhere near as big of a change between those two points as there was in 2021. Anyway, I did about four hours of instruction at that school to fix my issues and then took and passed the test. But I'm unable to get the job because of it. Basically I screwed up.