Hi There- Just wanted to get some feedback on BR Units. Anyone drive them out there? Has freight picked up? Do you get offered dry freight and also Reefer loads? I'm currently in a DR Unit, however we do not use the Reefer (very long story). I want to be an O/O, I don't want to spend 100K+ on a ST. I want minimal overhead, maintenance, fuel, etc. Any advise, tips, suggestions would be great. I would be running as a team for a while, maybe solo for a little bit, etc. I live out West and I would prefer to stay out west as getting home more often would be ideal since living in a tuna can isn't all that great either. Thoughts anyone? Anything would help at this point? Thank you!
Tval- br units, help please?
- Thread starter rymilburn
- Start date
Daffyduck528
Expert Expediter
You could always buy a used class 8 d-unit. You'd spend way less than $100k and have a much nicer living space. Plus it'd probably last longer than a new BR will.
I have considered that. Sprinter's get twice the mileage as a D unit does, and expenses, maintenance are half the cost. I'd like to have more flexibility of having a smaller, more manageable unit. I have gotten popped a few times for parking a D unit in a residential zone....mistake learned! I'd like to be able to park something at a Airport if I need to, etc..... My plan down the line is to get a D unit, but I want to slowly ease myself in. I have a friend that is an O/O, he gave me his numbers on all five of his trucks, pretty impressive until he told me his profit margin was only 19% of his gross revenue. I'v been driving for an O/O for about 6-8 months, I'v learned a lot about this industry, put in countless hours researching on EO, I feel like I am ready to take the next step. I'm just not ready to jump in. I want to keep things "simple", if there is such a thing. Also DaffyDuck528, I don't think FedEx is allowing new BR units to be signed on. There have been three units posted for sale in the classified section just in the past week, so maybe there is a reason for that?
Its a long story, being in a DR unit were flagged for White Glove as we have done about 60% of our loads being WG. Without going into to much detail, because I'm sure my O/O read's these, the Reefer has had some issue's maintaining temp. Our revenue is about the same as a DR unit with a Reefer working, so the owner is just letting it slide for now. It failed TVAL testing three times, and Fed-Ex said no more. End of story on that. I don't know enough about BR units, that's why I was asking more questions about them and I appreciate the honest feedback. I'm just not ready to buy a class 8 ST just yet. Sure I'm making good money in it as a team, but what happens when I go Solo? There are a lot of factor's to think about. Even a normal Sprinter....can I do that? Or would I be better off doing a BR? I have contacted the guys about the BR Units, and they all seem way over the moon about them. Just finding out more information as go. I'm about to loose my girlfriend as a co-driver, mainly because she is just over it. I don't want to team up with some random guy, who can blame me right? My business plan is this....I plan to drive myself team or solo for the first 8 months, find drivers, then buy additional units. And I have a good amount of money in the bank to support all this.
Zorry- I do have Reefer Experience. TVAL Trained in Green.....Thermo king even took me through their crash course. I have the cheat sheet's and all. Doesn't seem like rocket science, and I'm a fast learner. I basically started doing this in a DRY box 8 months ago, and had to learn more things myself that I ever had to in my life. Heck, I never even drove in snow/ice until I started doing this. That's a California Kid for you. Oh & Zorry, I read your posts all the time. I love your advice and would welcome anything you have to say. You seem like a stand up guy and would welcome the chance to meet you out there on the road someday, I'll buy dinner in Vegas?
Trucking/expediting is a good way to retire with a small fortune, provided you begin with a large fortune.
It's a hard decision. I'm not planning to fail.... But you have to prepare yourself for it because so many do.
What can I get into with the least exposure? Highest re-sale value? Lowest overhead? I could run it for 3-4 months and decide to put people in there to drive, and buy my own ST.
What can I get into with the least exposure? Highest re-sale value? Lowest overhead? I could run it for 3-4 months and decide to put people in there to drive, and buy my own ST.
Those sleepers are kind of small for two people. Unless the BR freight is drastically different than CR/DR freight, you will find that will be more "team" freight than solo. Not totally sure if that is the case. It is correct for the CR/DR side of the house.
It is more so for the TVAL freight since much of those loads require constant guarding. I don't know how it has been out there. We are no longer welcome in CA. I am not up on current freight levels. I no longer have a clue what internal TVAL work there is in CA. I cannot recall EVER running a TVAL load that both picked up and delivered in CA, but like I say, it has been more than a year since we have been out there. Unless we get a different truck, we will NEVER be going out that way again. TVAL work out on this side of the country is steady.
California is a whole different animal. Really is. Obviously being TVAL, I'm sure you are used for surface loads/ normal WG/ air expedite... Etc.... If you accept them or not. I'm thinking the same in a BR unit. They have to be utilized for other things than just TVAL loads, am I on the right track?
Sort of. The problem with those BR-TVAL sprinters is the insulation. It cuts down on the size of the freight you can fit it one, by a lot. That will restrict the number of non-TVAL/Temp control loads you can handle in one.
When we were going out there we did do a lot of "DOD" loads, too and from different military bases. Most was not temp work. Most would fit in a "C" box. Most were under 5K in weight. We could have kept busy with those but, generally speaking, they don't pay enough to run a lot of them on a TVAL truck. IF we were a dry van they would have looked a lot better. I have NO idea how that end of the business is doing out there now. Those were also "guarded" loads.