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ok. thanks for all the good insight. i think, after talking to our partner, that we have decided to buy new freightliner 8-class. that way we won't have repair issues. we are going to use a couple of my buddies to drive the truck. they are going to school now and really want to get...

so wait, is it at all feasible to think about buying a new cab, with used sleeper/box?

no, just trying to gather as much information here as well as other sources, make an informed decision, and buy (or not) one truck. we will be keeping our jobs.

thanks greg. yes, we are sorely inexperienced. have never driven a truck and never plan to, but do own a beautifully rusting 1972 Volkswagen Bus. i and my partner are 35 years old. we both have good solid full-time jobs, but despise the grind. so, in your opinion, besides forming an LLC...

alright. points all well taken. but. . . if we do still want to do this, after a day of reflection and looking at the responses i have formulated a short summary of things we need to do before 'pulling the trigger'. . .of course, there are probably dozens more. 1)get financing in order...

well, yes, we do want to hear that we can become millionaires!!! we do want to hear that it is possible. otherwise i'd be watching college football. we're just two guys with optimism and a working model, looking for knowledge. again, we DO APPRECIATE the responses.

agreed, RLENT. points taken. and yes, those rates are on the home, which is paid for. personal assets exceed price of home, so although the risk of losing home is real, in actuality quite small. we are trying to get best rate possible, obviously. with your point on NOT knowing what...

well said, turtle. as to the question on burlington, i just had a chance to get back to the computer, and have not googled or called my partner. My answer: an unequivocal "not the foggiest idea". I suppose that if we actually did get a truck I would hope I would be more versed in...

again, making money on his four trucks, saying his trucks are running strong and last month averaged 3K a week. sorry, but we're not going to give up just yet. we know it's going to be a lot of work, and a steep learning curve. but why the animosity?

you know, you'll all get a kick out of this: actually, i'm not the spreadsheet/financial guy. my partner might/will be doing this. i'm actually the guy to call with problems on the road.

thanks greg for your time and insight. we are, as stated, genuinely surprised as to the candor and foresight given in the responses, especially yours and dave's. Would you be willing to share with us a summary of your body of work in the industry? years, experience, ups/downs, philosophy, etc?

well, i don't think it is appropriate to respond to someone's inquiry by implying that that person is a fool, which we most certainly are not. if we were fools, we wouldn't be here, learning from those with knowledge; we would be blindly pushing forward into an abyss of debt. personally...

regarding gas prices, we are being told that price fluctuations really don't significantly affect the owner's take, since any increase in fuel is offset by higher charges from points above.

but isn't it true, though, there are many driving teams available? we know that driver turnover is a leading cause of owner problems/bankruptcy, but doesn't that also imply that there are ample numbers available? isn't it true that there are teams looking for work, ready for action, and able...

well, our colleague with four profitable trucks is at panther. we plan to use them. we are not planning to drive the truck. from what we have been told, the temp controlled loads get a fixed price, regardless of need to refrigerate

i guess we just did the math, with an average yearly repair number included. interest rates are low right now. our colleague is sitting at 13% from a couple years back. now it's at 5%. yes, we understand there is a learning curve. we understand truckers and the trucking industry are a...

so what is the general consensus on average weekly miles with an expedited truck? I'm hearing from the two of you that it is a struggle, whereas our colleague (with the four trucks and at panther) is averaging 2-3000. Guess i don't understand why i should be so pessimistic.

well that's what's been recommended to us-- that we hire a younger team with as little experience as us. Here's an example of why we think we can be profitable and build: let's say we can get a well-running vehicle for around $100,000. With interest rates being remarkably low (banks are...

well, I do appreciate experienced fleet owners giving advice. the reason we are entering (and we do plan to use panther, unless anyone has other ideas) is because a colleague of ours has been profitable with four reefer trucks, despite the recent financial downturn. We simply hope to duplicate...

hire, preferably husband/wife team