Companies and Teams

[davekc]

All things are not necessarily equal. For a fleet driver much depends on the carrier and the fleet owner. I have never had much trouble showing many owner operators that our fleet drivers out earn them.
A whole lot of things go in the mix. There are no absolutes.

[nightcreacher]

Big Bob,if I ran 20000 miles a month,running where I do,I dont know how or where I would spend all my money.As Ive stated many many times,expedite isnt about miles,its revenue.If I wanted to run tons of miles,Forward Air has a great program,your just going to wear your truck out before its time.Most solos running truck load average more miles than I do running team.My truck is 5 years old and has less than 700000,The 1st year it was leased to Con-Way Now,not by choice,but I'm not going into that,that 1st year we put 200000 miles on,and I'm still working on getting my head above water.Its a slow process,but it's happening.

[nightcreacher]

If I bought a truck If I teamed in it, then I would make more than I am now. yes you are right on that.

But splitting it 3 ways and getting paid off the bottom

I make squat. compared to off the top.

Im telling U your right. but my bottom line is what counts
to me.

Ice, notice I didnt call you Kevin,or Marvin,if your not making at least 1000 bucks a week,your running for the wrong owner,and you wont do that running solo on a steady bases

[iceroadtrucker]

Ice, notice I didnt call you Kevin,or Marvin,if your not making at least 1000 bucks a week,your running for the wrong owner,and you wont do that running solo on a steady bases

nightcreature your right, the above has been my pet pieve this whole time.

My bottom line of a 1000 is after I take out my taxes and my 60 bucks for food. thats min.

No with a team on this truck I make way less. One week maybe 12oo before tax the next week 500 thats the pits
my point is this. When I run single I can make my thousand easy each week.
The man that owns the truck dont like that
He wants a team well, it the equipment were newer and if he had some clout maybe Id get those runs.
My point I young I want the equipment I proven I can drive and back and put the truck in every hole Ive been given.
I know how to handle Snow and Ice, Ive chained this bull up and did it by myself while Charles stood aside with hands in pockets/ I dont want a medal I want the equipment to do the job all the bells and whistels. May be I want to much BUt I dont think so. Im young full of vigor and enegery and I dont have a problem working. IF Im going to be out here the months at a time I am then by golley I deserve to make the monine so when I go in for a week I dont got to feel that after in 2days I got to get back out here or the family will go bust. That is what it has been the last 3 years. So Im saying straight up Im going to move up not out and hopefully I will make the monie U stated yourself I should make. Bar none then when I go home I wont have to worry about well its two days every 3 to 4 months and I got to get it out. Truthfully that is what it has been for me. Now the longest times I have been in were when I renewed my license this Sept which I got home late at night on the 9th of Sept then got back underway that friday of the following week. I waited on my Lenses for my Glass Frames, other wise Im only in a couple days every 3 ta 4 months or my better half will come to the 104 and we will have supper together. Thats it. Ya Nightcreature Your right and U hit the nail on the Head.
Now U know what Im going to do and Its bigger than we all are and I got to do it. For myself and well being as well as my family sake so I once again I can have a family life. At least more of one than I have now. More home time and not staying out 3 months then home for 2 days.
Thanks again NightCreature and take care of yourself

[iceroadtrucker]

Night like I said Your Right.

[BigBusBob]

if you stay out for 3 months and only get/go home for 2 days and whine about it...
here's the cold truth... that is your own fault. I would run out for 2 months and take no less than 4 days off. I know expediting is about revenue, and the miles are far less than in regular freight, even teaming. However, even as a team - you should be making more than what you are currently making.

By the way, you mentioned you saw the bills for the truck so you know... what about the owners house payment, car payment, health insurance, home insurance, and personal vehicles that he/they own.
Don't think that the owner is laughing all the way to the bank when you guys are out there suffering - I'm sure he and his family suffer to some extent as well.

I'm not going to say Teaming is the way for everybody, but if one wants money and doesn't mind a decent co-driver that they can get along with - then it works for some people very well.

3 years doesn't mean the transport biz owes you a chromed out super sleeper truck, or even a "nice truck" with a great engine and great features... What 3 years means is you can now come off the road and go work for a local food service co. or lumber co. or a nice local/regional freight co. if you have a decent MVR and you can be home nearly every nite with somewhat of a predictable schedule.

Personally, I don't like to team myself, though I have done it when needed... I like the idea of being parked while I sleep. However, I like teaming in the sense I have somebody to help me out with sliding tandems, drop/hooks, cleaning, and general help with driving/logging. There's pro's and con's to both.

However, don't think that after 3 years that owners and/or co.'s owe you good equipment.
If you want better runs, better equipment and/or a better owner/co. to run for... then go search and find it and quit whining.

IceRoad, Sounds to me that you need to run more miles in a week and tighter schedules to get a real feel for trucking. Somehow I just don't believe you've really been delt enough of some "good" runs and "tight" runs and "hard" runs. However, it also sounds like either you and/or your co-driver aren't getting the runs you should be getting as a team... and maybe the dispatcher you work with that gives you the runs isn't tossing you the right runs for the truck.


That's my 2 cents, I rest my case.

[nightcreacher]

Ice,its not the age of your truck,or as you say the clout of your owner.at FECC,it will always be being in the right place at the right time.That 6000 dollar load to California is nice,but if you dont get reloaded,you can make that much without ever crossing the Mississippi River.Whats even worst is a high dollar load to the north west,and you get to dead head at least 1000 miles for layover option.I know your getting over $2.50 a loaded mile,but that dead head issue can knock the wind out of your sales.In the last few months you have written about the reefer trailer not being fixed,If it weren't for my being off work for 6 weeks,and even when you take away the fuel surcharge,in actual money ,up to the time I took off for my eyes,this is the best year i've ever had a FECC.Yes Ive been out west,if i hadnt,my revenue would have been even better,oh and by the way BIG BUS BOB,we at FECC dont have to run a ton of miles to make a living.As Ive stated many times,my miles as a team are most likely less than most solos running truck load freight,but I guarantee they can't match my yearly revenue.

[simon says]

I agree- but I don't want to beat him to death, but I still do not know if he drives a truck of any type or a van. Would be nice if people told us up front what they drive...that would make a difference way back at the beginning.

[simon says]

Dave KC is spot-on. I have done well as a solo, but at some point in the past, teamed with my significant other, I might have done very well. Solos are now becoming dinosaurs, unless one finds a niche and CYA- take every opportunity to make $$. No pets, get hazmat, etc. There are no absolutes as Dave says. You do not do short runs? Do you know what is waiting for you at the end of that short run? Some folks set up straw horses, so they can knock themselves down...

[BigBusBob]

Dave said He does Not have much trouble showing that fleet drivers earn more than the Owner of the truck? That's interesting.

Steve said he doesn't have to run a ton of miles to make a living. No, nobody does.

He says he's stated many times, his miles as a team are "MOST LIKELY" Less than Most solos running truck load freight, but he guarantees they can't match his yearly revenue.

Well, that's easy to understand... 1st, he's an owner and driver in his team truck, so he's only paying one driver, to an extent. As the owner and 1 of the drivers, he can give himself a paycut or payraise anytime he wants with no problem.
The deal of 2 drivers splitting 40% or 60% does not apply, truck needs tires? money is tight, an driving o/o ina team truck can just dip into his/her own 20 or 30%.

He stated Most Likely the miles are less in his team truck than on a solo truck, so that tells me he's unsure- Personal opinion is I would think team truck miles are slightly higher than a solo in regular freight. Miles are prone for arguement, so it's best to just drop that.

However, with that said, I would believe his weight hauled would be considerably less than a solo in regular freight. What does that tell me, that tells me there's less sliding of tandems and less re-weigh's - which means considerably more time for that team to run more runs with Most Likely Less Miles. Another point I just realized too and not yet mentioned, is the solo won't get nearly as much per mile versus the team in expediting. The rates are considerably different, which is where the miles and time managment make all the difference. A solo running regular freight versus an o/o teaming in expediting may not make as much money, but the solo probably has less stress to deal with.

I'm trying to convince a friend of mine to go run team with me, he's in the same boat as I am, trucking semi-locally with a small family at home and struggling to make ends meet.
He has a '97 Pete 379?? I think, it's a big Pete I know- I saw a pic of it once, he inherited it from his grandfather who used it to haul peaches. He wants to run it, but can't afford to put insurance on it. I'm trying tell him if we ran team he could put money away to a savings acct. and get that rig up and runnin on the road again. He inherited the big Pete in 2005.
His grandmother runs a peach operation of some kind that the truck was a part of.

In Jan. after the holidays I may go back out and do regional work in an operation where I can be home on the weekends, at about .40 cpm with about 2,300 +/- miles a week.
Or I may convince Les to run team with me by then.
I've got the OTR exp., he has some, but not much.

To end on a lighter note, overall, I was doing fine financially....
Then I got married, got a house/land, car payment, and had a baby... all in one year!!

BigBBob