Question:
question for the experts real quick, is training for a bed bugger and then driving for 52% linehaul a good deal? My brother in-law drives for lawrence moving systems under the united name and claims he will take care of my cdl training while I lump for him(getting paid $100 per day) and then after i get my cdl-a lease on with the company and gross 52% of line haul which should be around 250k per year. Its either a deal like this or a cdl mill or a training company.would you like to make that sandwich a combo?.....no, just give me an order of fries and a drink with that.

Answer:
Claims being the key word in the scenerio.
With all the "claims" in trucking every Driver should become
a millionaire. That being said in reality you've got nothing to lose
concerning your BLs offer. Give it a shot for a taste(yuck) of a gypsy vagabond
lifestyle.
Answer:
52% of line haul. All depends on how you look at it. If the line haul is high(expensive move), you make money. If it is low, you lose.
Just keep in mind when you are paid line haul you are responsible for ALL expenses to the truck. That also includes the helper that unload the truck. YOU PAY THEM(or there agent)SPEECH IS WORDS THAT THEY WILL BEND
FREEDOM WITH THIER EXCEPTION"
Metallica "Eye of the Beholder"


Answer:
thanks for the replies guys, I just talked to his "boss" I was told its an owner-operator setup on my end(I.E. like rose said all wxpenses come out of my pocket) and he said(and is sending me documentation to back it up, at my insistence) that realistic expectations for my first year $175 to the truck running under his athourity and base paltes ect. with about 30k-40 k to my pocket depending on my business expertise and expense. a little back ground on my situation: I just got out of the army on a "medical" discharge that would exclude me from fighting but not from much else(in other words no running for more that 1'4 mile and no carrying a fighting load) I'm getting a disability payment from the va. My house is payment is cheap(less than 600 monthly) and the bills are reasonable, however I'm currently in a job that only pays $6.25 hourly and no more than 36 hours weekly. I used to be a cab driver so I'm used to running hard for money and driving 14 + hours.would you like to make that sandwich a combo?.....no, just give me an order of fries and a drink with that.

Answer:
Have the agent hire you on as a helper. Get them to train you and get your CDL. Drive there equipment, get paid by the hour. That's what I did for five years with Allied.
Just keep in mind that work does slow in the winter time, handle money wisely.SPEECH IS WORDS THAT THEY WILL BEND
FREEDOM WITH THIER EXCEPTION"
Metallica "Eye of the Beholder"


Answer:

30 to 40k is attainable as a company Driver with out the hassle of owning
a depreciating investment. Realisticly if the proposition was a
high profit deal they wouldn't be recruiting you.
As a Vet look into government financed training at an acredited driving school.
The cards of inexperience are stacked against being successfull as a leased operator at any carrier let alone a seasonal one like HHG.
I suggest forgetting about any high profit margin concerning trucking and begin with the basics needed,training and a few years as a "company" driver
where you can gain the experience of learning the true cost of "trucking".
Answer:
How in the hell can you make money at 52% of line haul. I get 75% of 98% of 100% plus fuel most of the time, and no way I'm getting rich. 52% aint jake it would seem. And why does the leassor company need 48% to stay afloat if Landstar only needs/TAKES basicly 26.5% off the top?

Answer:
double r, thats exactly what my bl is suggesting, plus according to him its run like heck from april to thanksgiving then tak a "vacation" until the next year and still gross a high amount.
Rambelam, thats another avenue I"m looking at, however we have two cdl mills in the area and the local community college will start their program back in the winter quarter and I know from an army buddy that lives right down the road and drives otr for an o\o that their training is about the same level or lower than the mills. driving as a company driver for one of the major carriers is looking better by the second, the pumpkin has offered me training and a contract, and millis is sending me some info.
again I really apreciate all the advice as I don't like going into something like this blind, a carry over from being a cav scout for the army.would you like to make that sandwich a combo?.....no, just give me an order of fries and a drink with that.

Answer:
Hmmm...I'd say it depends on what the line haul rate is.

They may need that 48% depending on what they pay as compared to
Landstarve. Considering what Landstarve offers to contractors
26.5% of the top is more than generous on your part.
Answer:
I'm a disabled vet from the Army too.. Had to get out after 13 yrs. invested..
I don't know how bad your disability is but have you checked into "vocational retraining"? You should have been made aware of this when you processed out of the Army.
If not you can try to contact your DAV center for help with getting hired by companies that are looking for veterans? There is also the Veteran representitive at your local unemployment office.. Lots of possible avenues for furthering yourself.
I assume you are registered with the VA hospital seeing as you are receiving disability payments. What percentage is your disability rated at? I might be able to help a little? Just PM me for more info if you need to?
As for becoming a O/O with no experiance..... Please don't get sucked into this idea that your going to make all this $$$. There is more to becoming a sucessful buisnessman than buying a truck and going to work for someone else.. Please research this fully before signing anything. GO & GET SOME EXPERIANCE! Before jumping into any buisness deal. (Would you rush out and buy a plane just having started to fly, to open your own airline?????? Think about it the analagy is strikingly similiar. Too many stary eyed newbies want to go for the golden ring so to speak and "Jump" into becomming an O/O. DON"T DO IT! Read some of the threads in the O/O forum, and use the search featchure in here. Bed bugging is hard work and there is $ to be made but not for the novice. Educate yourself before making any snap decisions!
Answer:
thanks for the input gonzo, I am working with the VA as much as I'm permitted. I only got a 20% rating from the VA and 0% from the army, so no voc rehab. Stopped by the unemployment office and was told" the va will foot the bill for anyschool you waqnt to go to and its going to take something along those lines to get you gainfully employed to the point you can support your family. However Bujangles is hiring for crew members in your area, try them out."
The owner-operator thing with my brother in law just went out the window yesterday as he got stopped for a dui in his truck out west somewhere, mysister in law said" the he@$ with him, let him rot" I'm a former cab driver who loves the freedom of the road but I don't want to go back into driving a cab due to four of my friends losing their life this past year in cab robberies, so I thought trucking wiould be my next bet. So far I've got the big orange, swift, and millis interested in training and hiring me.
Any help or advice you could give me Gonzo is most appreaciated as well as any others who want to chime in, I'm all about reaserching and taking advice from those in the know before i leap.would you like to make that sandwich a combo?.....no, just give me an order of fries and a drink with that.

Answer:

I should check these newbie threads more often.
I get 52% of the linehaul from my carrier, plus accessorials. My gross linehaul for July was around $65,000. You do the math.
The 48% they are taking is for the origin agent office, the corporate office, the move coordinator, the destination agent office, and the salesperson. It isn't like general freight, where you have a broker who books the load, and that's it. It is a hand-holding process, where you have many people leading your customer through the process from beginning to end.
__________________________________________________________
I'm in the HHG business, as an Independent Contractor. If your brother in law is offering you $100 per day to lump, he is getting you cheap. I pay my labor $15 per hour, with a 4 hour minimum. Most loads run me $130-$150 per person.
You might think that $175,000 per year is a lot, but that would be a horrible year. This year, I will gross between $250,000 and $300,000 to the truck. About 2/3 of what I earn will go towards expenses.
I spend between $35,000 and $50,000 per year on labor alone.
Get some driving experience, or at the very least, some HHG labor experience. This business isn't for everyone. If you want to be successful as an OTR HHG operator, you should expect to spend a lot of time away from home (months at a time), and should have a sizeable amount of money put away. in an average week, I will spend upwards of $1200 just for labor. That money can take up to 2 weeks to make up (waiting for the load to pay), so I need AT LEAST $4000 available to me at any given point in time. And that doesn't even count my other expenses, such as fuel, truck payment, insurance (which for a HHG O/O is quite high), food, etc.

Answer:
General freight usually involves the manufacturer/farmer/livestock producer, buyer, shipper, receiver and maybe a broker all independant or usually independant of a trucking company. Large companies have all the above plus customer service agents, load planners, dispatchers/driver managers and sales people. There is no "that's it".

Answer:

Okay, if you want to get technical about it, then HHG involves the manufacturer, buyer, shipper, receiver, broker, customer service agent, load planner, dispatcher, salesperson, driver, and private retail customer, just to get it to the customer's house. Then, on top of that, you have all the people involved with the HHG shipment.
So there.

Answer:
Don't care about technical. Just clearing up your "that's it" nonsense.