1 BIG question

Willis327 · Jul 29, 2016

Good afternoon everyone.

I'll preface this by saying I have ZERO logistics experience, but I have a close mentor who has 30+ years experience in owning a large carrier. I believe at one time he had over 100 trucks. He's walking me through things to see if this is something I'm interested in.

I only have 1 question that he can't answer due to never running vans. Can a person own 5 cargo vans(at minimum), pay people to drive them and still make enough money to have a good living?

I currently make $65k-$75k at my desk job. Can I rival this income by owning/operating a mini van fleet?

I need someone to squish my hopes and dreams before I start writing checks...

Thanks

xiggi · Jul 29, 2016

Keep your desk job. There really isn't enough money in vans to split two ways. Out of 5 vans you would probably have two empty at anytime because of Driver turnover.

Willis327 · Jul 29, 2016

That bad, huh?

How much can an individual van o/o make annually?

tknight · Jul 29, 2016

xiggi said:
Keep your desk job. There really isn't enough money in vans to split two ways. Out of 5 vans you would probably have two empty at anytime because of Driver turnover.

And maybe 3 empty due to no loads too!

xiggi · Jul 29, 2016

Willis327 said:
That bad, huh?

How much can an individual van o/o make annually?

Net, probably 20 to 30 grand if you don't have major repairs. If you work all but a few days a month, get lucky and find the right company that works for you right out of the box. If you want health insurance, have a mortgage or anything else people consider normal there isn't much left.

Willis327 · Jul 29, 2016

I see.

Well you've told me everything I need to know. I'm completely out in left field and need to find another business model.

Thanks

Turtle · Jul 29, 2016

Now split that with a driver.

Willis327 · Jul 29, 2016

Not going to work.

xmudman · Jul 29, 2016

I've driven a desk, and it's boring. But to be perfectly honest, unless you're about to be fired/laid off, or you desperately hate your job, stay home. Your wife, children, etc will thank you. Ya wanna play trucker? Get on Uship and do some weekend runs with your minivan/SUV/whatever.

Willis327 · Jul 29, 2016

I'm not ineterested in "playing trucker". I don't want to drive at all, just trying to find a way to start a profitable business. Which is why I mentioned hiring people to drive the vehicles that I would own.

Obviously the money isn't there for me to collect anything above what the driver would/should be paid, so this equation is a failure.

Thanks everyone for your input.