If you could change one thing about Trucking ?

Fast Freddy

Well-Known Member
Simple Question. If you could change one thing about this industry what would it be and why?
 
Increase the cost and complication of getting an authority dramatically. Startup into this industry as a carrier is way to simple and cheap and allows people who have no business trying to run this type of business easy access.

It creates nothing but problems for everyone else.
 
Increase the cost and complication of getting an authority dramatically. Startup into this industry as a carrier is way to simple and cheap and allows people who have no business trying to run this type of business easy access.

It creates nothing but problems for everyone else.
What would you like it to cost and require?
 
Yeah that's easy to say as someone who already has authority.

It's like guys who were thrown the keys back in the 70s bitching about the lack of driver training.

Has nothing to do with me already having authority.

This business is probably one of the easiest there is to start up, costs almost nothing in terms of other startups.

As a result, the industry gets flooded with startups, most of which cannot operate properly and fail.

At the same time, they are always showing up, operating at below operating costs, and make it much tougher for the rest of the industry to maintain proper rates. They also far too often operate sub-standard equipment until they do fail, only helping to bring in additional over-regulation to everyone else.

Then, when they fail, they simply start back up again under a new name, for the same zero cost, with the same horrible equipment.
 
Has nothing to do with me already having authority.

This business is probably one of the easiest there is to start up, costs almost nothing in terms of other startups.

As a result, the industry gets flooded with startups, most of which cannot operate properly and fail.

At the same time, they are always showing up, operating at below operating costs, and make it much tougher for the rest of the industry to maintain proper rates. They also far too often operate sub-standard equipment until they do fail, only helping to bring in additional over-regulation to everyone else.

Then, when they fail, they simply start back up again under a new name, for the same zero cost, with the same horrible equipment.
Photography is another one you can get into cheap and ruffle feathers. Same story of they don't know what they're doing, don't belong here, don't charge enough, but aren't good enough to charge what we charge, etc etc etc.

Probably the same in just about every industry.

I dunno what the answer is but I don't think it should be harder or more expensive to get started. A lot of guys like myself don't have a buttload of resources but we aren't too stupid to do it safely.

It becomes a good ol boys club if you make the barrier to entry too high.

But anyways this is just an opinion thread so I apologise for even debating.
 
What would you like it to cost and require?

Couldn't give you an exact number, but the authority would be in the Thousands, not $300 or whatever it is now.

I would want more oversight into a startup. First year or so of operation, a more thorough look into the equipment, and the experience of those driving.

Getting my authority was a joke. I let OOIDA do mine, and it still only cost me around $600, and their entire fee that was over the authority cost being waived since I got insurance through them. Nobody ever looked at any of my equipment, I simply uploaded a small list of documents and two weeks worth of logs less than a month into operation (that was the extent of my new entrant audit).

I signed up for prepass, and it was almost three years into having my authority before I ever received my first DOT inspection, and that was just a quick paperwork check, no inspection on my equipment at all. I could have been operating the worst of equipment that entire time, nobody would have known.

I have flown completely under the radar. For me personally, that is awesome. But when I think of how many suspect companies can start up in the same fashion and operate absolute crap equipment, it's a bit scary to think about what is out here.
 
But anyways this is just an opinion thread so I'm not gonna argue with you about it. I apologise for even getting started.

I don't see it as arguing, I think it is good to point out the positives and negatives of everything. It's how we learn.
 
Couldn't give you an exact number, but the authority would be in the Thousands, not $300 or whatever it is now.

I would want more oversight into a startup. First year or so of operation, a more thorough look into the equipment, and the experience of those driving.

Getting my authority was a joke. I let OOIDA do mine, and it still only cost me around $600, and their entire fee that was over the authority cost being waived since I got insurance through them. Nobody ever looked at any of my equipment, I simply uploaded a small list of documents and two weeks worth of logs less than a month into operation (that was the extent of my new entrant audit).

I signed up for prepass, and it was almost three years into having my authority before I ever received my first DOT inspection, and that was just a quick paperwork check, no inspection on my equipment at all. I could have been operating the worst of equipment that entire time, nobody would have known.

I have flown completely under the radar. For me personally, that is awesome. But when I think of how many suspect companies can start up in the same fashion and operate absolute crap equipment, it's a bit scary to think about what is out here.
I was under the impression that they sent someone around to look at your stuff at your home base shortly after you apply and get approved.

If not, yeah that's cool yet scary at the same time.
 
Has nothing to do with me already having authority.

This business is probably one of the easiest there is to start up, costs almost nothing in terms of other startups.

As a result, the industry gets flooded with startups, most of which cannot operate properly and fail.

At the same time, they are always showing up, operating at below operating costs, and make it much tougher for the rest of the industry to maintain proper rates. They also far too often operate sub-standard equipment until they do fail, only helping to bring in additional over-regulation to everyone else.

Then, when they fail, they simply start back up again under a new name, for the same zero cost, with the same horrible equipment.
There are other businesses besides trucking where this is true. While I agree with your sentiment, I would not be in business today if the cost to get started were much higher.
 
There are other businesses besides trucking where this is true. While I agree with your sentiment, I would not be in business today if the cost to get started were much higher.
You might be.

If the risk is higher, usually the reward is as well.

My idea here is only a small part of the entire idea that I have. It would be much more in depth to also keep the large carriers in check by eliminating the allowance to be self insured. I would want them under the same stipulations as us, which would put them out of business for hiring horrible drivers. It would also force rates up higher because their operating costs would increase.
 
Aa
You might be.

If the risk is higher, usually the reward is as well.

My idea here is only a small part of the entire idea that I have. It would be much more in depth to also keep the large carriers in check by eliminating the allowance to be self insured. I would want them under the same stipulations as us, which would put them out of business for hiring horrible drivers. It would also force rates up higher because their operating costs would increase.
I can get behind the level playing field with self insurance.
 
Increase the cost and complication of getting an authority dramatically.
If they're running unsafe equipment around, government can enforce safety rules.

Putting up red tape roadblocks and requiring US citizens to pay big money to the government for their permission to engage in capitalism is just downright un-American.

Operating a business is a right, not a privilege. It's none of the government's business as long as it's not a public safety menace and they're not ripping people off or dumping toxic waste or something.

If you want to get rid of the fly-by-night carriers, push for an end to the selective enforcement of existing safety regs.

(Yeah there's a reason they'll let ten ragged old can haulers cross the scale, then pull the brand new Kenworth around back for inspection.)
 
Simple Question. If you could change one thing about this industry what would it be and why?
more fresh roller dogs at all truck stops, convenience stores, and customers, and terminals, and toll plazas, and DOT scale houses.

and a ravioli bar would be nice too.........
 
If you want to get rid of the fly-by-night carriers, push for an end to the selective enforcement of existing safety regs.

And you can just as easily require an actual inspection of all equipment during the 6 month probationary period. Make it mandatory that the equipment gets inspected. This could easily happen via the officer in charge of your new entrant audit, or it could just as easily take place on the road by a random inspection.

None of the company's trucks should make it past the 6 month period without being inspected.
 
You might be.

If the risk is higher, usually the reward is as well.

My idea here is only a small part of the entire idea that I have. It would be much more in depth to also keep the large carriers in check by eliminating the allowance to be self insured. I would want them under the same stipulations as us, which would put them out of business for hiring horrible drivers. It would also force rates up higher because their operating costs would increase.
Oh trust me, the risk was way high. At 27 with a young family and it being a struggle just to make ends meet working for wages EVERYTHING was on the line.

The level of risk is not necessarily equivalent to the number of dollars.

Edit to add:

Also, I think you might argue the other side if we talk about health insurance. I am all for starting a health savings account and essentially self-insuring after a generation or two except for catastrophic events. That is pretty much what the big carriers do with liability insurance so I will not be a hypocrite and argue against that.
 
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Increase the cost and complication of getting an authority dramatically. Startup into this industry as a carrier is way to simple and cheap and allows people who have no business trying to run this type of business easy access.

It creates nothing but problems for everyone else.

I’ve often thought it was too easy to get a CDL. Maybe it it was a 6 months to 1 year school in a community college to get a CDL instead of these 3 week CDL mills then we’d have a lot less trash out here. Fewer pee bottles and parking at fuel islands.

What I’d like to change is all the things drivers don’t get paid for. Like waiting time and fueling time and all that. A driver should be paid for all task nothing should be for free.

I’d like to also see more and better parking and stronger enforcement of the English language requirement which is already a law, but there are many in Texas who only speak Spanish and literally can’t read road signs.

On the owner operator side I’ve never understood why customers can set the freight price. You can’t go into McDonald’s and say I’ll pay this much for fries. Yet a customer can say I’ll pay this much to move my freight.

I’d like to see Megas more accountable for all the accidents they have because of their revolving door of drivers.
 

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