I am a Newbie I want to be an O/O HELP

[SC Rydah]

what defensive driving course ?

Thats a course you take when u wanna lower your points, or your insurance rate - or a court orders you to go. You can take them online or in person. It pretty much says a qualified instructor taught you what you're supposed to do behind the wheel.

Like a "refresher course" on what you learned in driver's ed in high school. Only with videos and talk of stupid stuff people do while driving and gruesome crashes!

I thought u asked what it was! HA! Depends on where you live. Make sure it's a "state approved course". Not some online crap from California and you're from Kansas! That won't work.

 

[lunachic]

Yes I did intrastate,But we never used trucks we did'nt know. For the most part it was flat work and when a truck loaded off the ship the driver had to know what was good and what was bad or the buyer would have been stuck with a load of lumber. And when we hauled pipe we wanted it to stay on the trailer any load for that matter.
You don't need what is required for a intertate broker.
We worked thing different then most the trucks new what the load paid, They had been givin the same rate sheets we had.And as soon as they got the paper work to me a check went in the mail weather we had been paid yet or not.
The norm was 10% when another broker of sort was involved it was a 50/50 split.
5% /5% so a truck was never charged more then 10%.
Alot of paper work involved and a phone to your ear 24/7,Rare for everything to always go right.
During that time it was 98% direct loads. I think if you want to learn trucking learn how to be a driver first so you can feel the pain of living the life in now time.......

 

[lunachic]

Thats a course you take when u wanna lower your points, or your insurance rate - or a court orders you to go. You can take them online or in person. It pretty much says a qualified instructor taught you what you're supposed to do behind the wheel.

Like a "refresher course" on what you learned in driver's ed in high school. Only with videos and talk of stupid stuff people do while driving and gruesome crashes!

I thought u asked what it was! HA! Depends on where you live. Make sure it's a "state approved course". Not some online crap from California and you're from Kansas! That won't work.

Not if you hold a c.d.l. they did away with it..........
For awhile the way around it was court ordered but they caught in..
Ah the good ol'days..........

 

[SC Rydah]

Yeah that's what I thought..for some years! But I got 2 points taken off my license recently. Now its back down to 0. I checked my MVR. So I don't know what they do in other states, but I got mine removed. You're right. I need to see what it's like now. I just don't wanna work for someone else anymore. So is being a broker the way to go as an O/O? Or doin it as a company driver to make some extra cash?

 

[lunachic]

Yeah that's what I thought..for some years! But I got 2 points taken off my license recently. Now its back down to 0. I checked my MVR. So I don't know what they do in other states, but I got mine removed. You're right. I need to see what it's like now. I just don't wanna work for someone else anymore. So is being a broker the way to go as an O/O? Or doin it as a company driver to make some extra cash?

you don't have a c.d.l. yet I would guess,So then you can go to school.
In Fl it's 5 times in a lifetime now. 0 on a c.d.l.
If you have never driven I dont see it working as a Indep. Their is much more to it then just driving a truck. Stuff the schools don't really teach you as far as loading. And that's just not only flats.
Anything you decide to do in the trucking industry will take school or time under someone learning the ropes.
It's not the best time to be coming into this, if it's money you r looking for I'd be checking other area's......
Good-luck to ya.
Know one can tell you what's best to do but yourself...........

 

[Larry]

Money isn't anywhere these days Luna. You got to know people to get the good paying jobs unfortunately.

 

[lunachic]

I don't know it's still bad that's a given thou some work is starting to pop up here. We have been down so long it's a hopeful.

 

[patriciajnsn]

Perhaps a shrink can help you?

Talk about delusions of grandeur...

Lmao
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[greybeard]

I am very new here I want to start trucking and have thought about buying my own truck and finding my own loads because I have no verifiable experience. HELP what should I know?

Not to be curt Matt, but.. A LOT!
First thing I would ask is.....in this economy...WHY?
Sorry! Just seems a little crazy to me...

 

[Chae Transport]

Matt, if you are new to this industry, go find a company to drive for. At least get 12 to 24 months under you before making the truck purchase decission. This Industry will eat a person to the poor house fast if they do not have the experience to help them with operations.

 

[SC Rydah]

Nah luna. I've had my class A CDL for 6yrs. U can check my earlier posts. I just haven't been in a big truck in a while. And Grinder and Patricia...u r sooo funny! HA!

 

[slimer]

Not sure if it still applies, but last i knew is insurance companies will not touch you 'cause you have no verifiable exp. Knew a guy that went thru this and he already owned the truck and his own loads already set up. He was going to be a chicken hauler. He had to go to a company for a year as a company driver to get exp.

I know of a guy that bought a truck with no experience but got the experience by hiring an experience driver then teamed with him.
That may be an option.

 

[Zoto1a]

Good advice!

 

[DBevinstrucking]

THANKS

Thanks for that info to Chae Transport

Welcome Matt and I commend you for willing to take that jump, and would like to express my thoughts. Please remember this is only my opinion and you have the access here to a lot of good people

All I wish to do is express my opinion: Do your research before you take that leap. Check the markets, check the individual sides of the industry-flatbed, reefer, dryvan etc.
You will make sacrafices, if you are married with children your entire family will have to make sacrafices. Because when you purchase that first truck you are not just a professional driver at that point, but a business owner. The only person you can depend on to make that business succeed is you and your family.
Depending on your choices and how hard you chose to run. Unlike a company driver whom can walk away from the spot they are in. It is not so easy for an owner.
Please do not think I am trying to perswade you from making that leap to Owner/Operator, but being a company driver for a while will give you the opportunity to look into the industry with a little more dept then you get at the first jump. I am all for having more business owners out here.
Like I mentioned I am not trying to perswade you not to or to make
that leap. I just don't like to see bad things happen to good people

 

[NightWind_TruckerSpaces]

No experience =no insurance= no truck

No experience ,no insurance hence no truck. Get a job with a company for at least 5 years save every dime, run the truck like every expense is coming out of your pocket then decide if you really want to be an O/O. It's not something that some one with no experience or money should try to do. I wrote a very extensive blog about this very topic you can read it here Getting Started As An Owner Operator
Maybe that will give you an idea of what you're thinking about getting into.
Happy Trails

 

[snowflake]

and remember being an O/O is not a job with a regular paychek...you are a business owner and that means LOTS of extra hours, hard work, and sometimes little to NO paycheck.....it is not a glamor job ......instead of getting that Christmas gift I wanted this year we get a new rearend instead...or at least will be working on the one we have either way I proboblay will not go shopping for the new chair.......sigh......:thud:

 

[amlavor]

why not if the state authority aprooved you in a test? and gave you the right to drive a truck? being experient behind the wheel means a lot, but doesnt make yourself perfect...and 100% accident free...
Actually is good that insurance companies are giving those opportunities, and if it wasnt profitable they for sure wouldnt offer that for new professional drivers, and about work as a driver for a company, is hard because they ask for experience, those companies asking for brand new cdl, will rip off a starter...as we can read in this forum...
it is a really hard decision....
im going to team up with an experienced driver, and will buy my own truck... thats the way out, we will find people complaining about their jobs everywhere, as you will also see people saying a lot of good things about their ocupation