New trucking company

[Ahazen622]

No actual help for your question, just wondering what trade you currently work in?

 

[Sherman]

No actual help for your question, just wondering what trade you currently work in?

I’m a union lineman for a utility. Currently foreman of a crew.

 

[Billy Goat]

Here is what you got to look forward to....

TikTok - Make Your Day

vm.tiktok.com

 

[wind gypsy]

I’m a union lineman for a utility. Currently foreman of a crew.

Hell, seems like your doors are open in that trade. I work for the CA branch of a nationwide utility contractor and CA law is a **** about COVID but our employees have not been required to vax..

 

[307]

My bet is that after 2 years of starting/struggling the proposed trucking company, you'll truly appreciate what you have right now and gave up for "greener grass".

Owning your job is not owning a business. They are vastly different realities.

 

[Red Letters]

I’m in a pretty bad rut, this caught my attention

 

[Sherman]

Hell, seems like your doors are open in that trade. I work for the CA branch of a nationwide utility contractor and CA law is a **** about COVID but our employees have not been required to vax..

I used to work for the major utility in California. Born and raised. Best thing I ever did for my family is move out of California.

 

[wind gypsy]

As far as punching in and having to physically be present at work (I.E. now working from home), a lineman is a pretty good spot to be in right now.

 

[Tourguide]

With all of this COVID bs, vaccine mandate bs, lockdown bs, etc., I am thinking of quitting my job and starting a small trucking company. I currently make about $130-$140k a year. I have a CDL. I have enough money to purchase at least 2 big rigs and reefer trailers. I would run one myself and hire a driver did the second truck. My other option is to purchase one truck to run myself while keeping a nice nest egg, save more money and purchase more rigs as money permits.

I am tired of making other people money. I am tired of working for a major company that has too much influence over my life.

I have no vehicle payments, no credit cards, and my only expenses are mortgage, insurance, cells phones, and normal day to day stuff. I would buy the equipment for the company cash, so I wouldn’t have to worry about paying off the equipment before turning a profit. I am in a skilled trade in which I could always liquidate my assets and return to my trade anywhere in the US. If I do this, I don’t want to jump in half ass, keeping my job while running a truck or two.

Is there anyone familiar with the trucking industry that can give me a hand? I have done extensive research and have a pretty good grasp of what to expect with start up costs, taxes, obtaining an MC authority, DOT number, and the likes. I have broken down the financials and know what is required each truck to make per mile, miles required per month, etc. I am more in need of advice of the inner working of day to day stuff like how to obtain loads, using a broker, using a dispatch service, how to obtain dedicated runs and stuff like that.

Any help would be awesome.

After 25 years of working in the truck and engine repair/dealership world, drivers can make or break you. Repair and maintenance costs are only going up while freight remains stagnant. You can make a living at it, do your homework first. Truck repair is a little more lucrative.

 

[missjordan]

I owned trucks and trailers and trucked for over 30 years. At one time it was great but you need to really look into trucking of today. Regulations out the wazoo, electronic logs are no big deal but you need to plan your day and make it count, truck repair is out of sight, crazy high. I owned my own shop and did it all in house.

The last time I had a truck in a shop the A/C went out on a driver in Kansas heading to SoCal over 100 degree temps the bill for that 4 or 5 hours was $3,200. Drivers will either send you to the poor house or the nut house ! They don’t have anything invested and they have a cell phone in their pocket to call for a ride home when they quit you and leave the truck at a truck stop.

Find good brokers because they are not all good upstanding folks, some are but not all. You sit at a customer for 5, 10,24 hours and most of the time you don’t get a penny for waiting on your load all day and night but they still want it there ASAP !! I could go on for days……good luck.

All of this right here!

The world is in need of more cdl drivers although i don’t think i would want to own my own micro fleet. My husband loves negotiating for a little bit of weekend spending cash with the truck drivers that show up after hours and don’t want to sit all weekend to be unloaded

If it were me I’d take the cdl and get the hazmat and go haul for someone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HuntHarder]

Have you thought about switching companies in the Lineman field. Honestly, your salary is pretty low compared to what foreman make at my company. Have you lost your drive to stay late or work OT or does your company not offer that much? I get that you might just be burnt out. We have had plenty of guys get out of the tools and become planners, Apprentice trainers, Operations center, inspectors.

As for the trucking idea, It is a lot like being a lineman in that, you have to be away from your home to be earning $$$$. If I were you, I would look into a business that you can make money will not having to be gone as much.

 

[Sherman]

I’m in a pretty bad rut, this caught my attention

It’s not a good feeling. I hope everything works out for you. Sending prayers for you, bud.

 

[Sherman]

Have you thought about switching companies in the Lineman field. Honestly, your salary is pretty low compared to what foreman make at my company. Have you lost your drive to stay late or work OT or does your company not offer that much? I get that you might just be burnt out. We have had plenty of guys get out of the tools and become planners, Apprentice trainers, Operations center, inspectors.

As for the trucking idea, It is a lot like being a lineman in that, you have to be away from your home to be earning $$$$. If I were you, I would look into a business that you can make money will not having to be gone as much.

I work very minimal OT. I made way more in California than I do in Colorado, but in California I was spending twice as much as I do here. My $140k goes further here than my $250k did there, and I am home all the time. The utility where I work is in the top 10% of the wage scale for lineman in the US. It isn’t about the money. It is about being a free man, not making other people money, and being my own boss.

 

[HuntHarder]

Makes sense man. I got into the trade because I wanted the stability of working for someone. It's tougher working for yourself than it is to work for someone. One of the foreman at my company recently got signed up with Amazon to deliver packages for them. He says the routes are unlimited but it is alot of work. In order to get in on some of the better deliveries, he had to have atleast a 26' truck. He now owns 2 of them and plans on doing this for his last 5 years of his lineman career, in hopes of having something going when he retires. Good luck man in whatever you choose!

 

[Red Letters]

It’s not a good feeling. I hope everything works out for you. Sending prayers for you, bud.

I was kind of hoping someone would chime in about the money that guy claims to be making.

 

[Sherman]

I was kind of hoping someone would chime in about the money that guy claims to be making.

As lineman?

 

[Red Letters]

As lineman?

No that guy in the video that hauls RV’s, seems like he’s got a pretty good gig…probably too good to be true.

 

[woods89]

My dad drove OTR for about 8 or 9 years, ending about 10 years ago, so my observations are somewhat dated. He pulled a step deck for most of that, so it was a little different.

Other than the people who don't care if you get loaded/unloaded today, brokers who bend the truth, brokers who are late to pay, 5 figure breakdowns, the DOT, the general public's driving habits, dynamic fuel prices, loads that are too heavy, weird hours, and bad directions, it's a lovely occupation.

I'd think long and hard before you jump in. "Grass is greener on the other side" affects us all sometimes. Good luck with whatever you do!

 

[Agross]

No offense intended, and Not trying to sound like a dick, but I couldn’t imagine walking away from a job that I don’t hardly work any overtime and make 140k a year! Especially to deal with the headaches of starting and running a small business.

 

[HOT ROD]

There is no way on Gods Green Earth would quit a union lineman job to bye my own truck and start my own trucking company.... Say good bye to the 7am 3:30 pm life, union pension company paid vacation good health insurance company paid no one has mentioned the insurance for the truck cost $$$$ plus the 750,000 in liability insurance tack hazmat on and its even more...