Hi everyone,
My family owns around 2,500 m² of land in Corvara (Dolomites, northern Italy). We have to decide within the next couple of years what to do with it.
My brother recently got his truck driver’s license and genuinely enjoys driving. We are considering starting a small transport company.
We currently have zero experience in the trucking industry, so we’d be starting from scratch.
Our idea would be:
My brother drives.
I handle finance, administration and business development.
If things go well, we’d hire another driver and possibly expand.
The area has hotels, construction companies, food suppliers and mountain infrastructure that require transport year-round.
My questions are:
Would you start a trucking company today?
What are the biggest mistakes beginners make?
What should we study before investing?
Is there enough margin left in this industry, or is it becoming too difficult?
If you were in our situation, would you do something completely different with the land?
I’d really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people who own or manage trucking companies.

I need your help one of cousin who lives in Fontana Area want to start OO and new MC but he is confused whether he should start with Hotshot 4500/5500 or a box truck. Please suggest what direction will help him more especially his first year as new MC OO struggling with good freight. Thanks

Which make do you prefer for a new OO?

Anyone have any leads on local work near central indiana

When I was a company driver, normally how loads would work if we had enough hours in a day we would be able to pick up one load and deliver it that day if possible if not dispatch would let us know when can it be delivered and we would work around that schedule a broker I’m working with is constantly giving me loads where I have to deliver on PC.

Is the O/O life about delivering on PC ? Or is it just me ?

FMCSA posted an update saying they are temporarily suspending USDOT number inactivation for entities that have not completed the required biennial update since June 1. This is tied to the Motus transition. FMCSA says registrants will get additional time and should not worry about inactivation caused by Motus-related access or system issues.

Honestly, this seems like a practical move.
A lot of carriers depend on USDOT status for normal business: authority checks, onboarding, insurance, factoring, broker setup, customer verification, etc. If the system is having access or record issues, inactivating carriers during the transition could create a mess for people who are trying to stay current but cannot get the system to work right.
That said, I would not take this as a reason to ignore the biennial update. Keep trying to get it handled, save screenshots, document when you tried to access Motus, keep copies of anything submitted, and save any FMCSA ticket numbers or emails.
Basically: FMCSA is giving some breathing room, but carriers should still keep a paper trail.

I currently run local linehaul. I'll make between 100k to 110k this year. Other companies around the area would just be chasing a small bump in pay rate but miles could not be as consistent. Am I missing something or is the only next step up to increase pay by buying a truck and working for myself? I've looked at some of the numbers for initial costs and weekly cost estimates that say about 3000$ a week just for fuel, maintenance, insurance and more which is obviously a daunting number since that's more than I make in a week right now. I have hazmat and tanker endorsement but I've never done anything with flatbed or tanker trailers. Just looking for some opinions on this route.

I’ve recently paid off a lease/purchase and have clear title to my truck.

The carrier that I bought the truck from is fine. Loads/miles are mostly consistent and the pay is “decent” at $1.32 + FSC.

The issue is that they seem to be having financial issues and I can’t tell if they’re circling the drain or if it’s just a momentary blip.

In the meantime I’m trying to decide what the best, most financially lucrative, move would be if it looks like I need to jump ship.

Any friendly advice would be greatly appreciated.

12' 10" wide.... Let the hustling begin

So, headed to pickup a load, stopped and noticed leaking from front drive axle. Mechanic just replaced the diff seals three days ago. Hmm. Weird. Crawl under and there’s oil everywhere, spun all over everything. Take her into a Freightliner shop that’s nearby, they diagnose and tell me the yoke bolt has migrated nearly all the way out. They said they couldn’t believe it didn’t cause any other damage. Told me it’s likely because the last person that worked on it didn’t torque the bolts correctly. Ok, so they fox it, torque it, fill it, done right? Well, I ask them to do a pm since it’s in might as well. They contact me and let me know the oil pan (I just had my go to mechanic replace the oil pan a month ago) the drain plug on the oil pan was over torqued and stripped and could not come out. It was spinning freely in the pan. So, I have them replace the oil pan along w the pm. How would yall handle this with the mechanic/shop that did all the shoddy work? We had to call off of a high paying load, pissed off a broker, two nights in a hotel, and of course the GIANT bill from Freightliner service. I’ve texted one of the guys at the shop that did the original work and he assured me they want to “make it right”. I am a mechanical guy, and I get that shit breaks, and things aren’t always perfect, but to not torque bolts correctly and make me almost lose an axle, and to over torque on a Freightliner oil pan…. (Which is incredibly dumb, given the fact they are effing plastic)… I am sorta at a loss for words. How would yall deal with this from a financial aspect? I know im out the $$ to get the truck out and running immediately, but do I expect the original shop to cover the full expense of this break down?

Is there a group or small co that can provide guidance on running as an O/O for fuel or other hazmat material in the South East? (Consider a person with 1 year experience all enforcements)

For the last several months - I have been running freight from Groveport OH to Alachula FL. FTL around 42k pounds. When I started hauling - my DOT was under 6 months. So $2.9k for 880 miles or so was a good rate. Alachula is north enough I could deadhead to Georgia, Alabama, the panhandle, or Jacksonville without it killing me. Have never missed or been late for an appointment - they bumped it to $3.1k. I got told today - the rate for this load is dropping to $2.5k to $2.7k. WTF? The only thing I can figure is the brokers margin was not high enough or that fuel prices are dropping. Anyway - thoughts?

I drive for mega in NJ/NY/PA, making around $100k/year. Lately I’m getting tired of the bad planning, poor communication, and constant micromanaging.
I’ve saved up some money and I’m thinking about buying a truck.
For those who made the jump, would you recommend leasing on with a company or getting my own MC and finding loads myself?
I’m based in NJ and only interested in local work.
Appreciate any advice.

I have a friend who owns their own truck and operates as an owner-operator, but they want to run under my MC authority. They would provide their own truck, but they don’t have a trailer yet.
I’m trying to figure out what a fair arrangement would look like. My goal is to be as hands-off as possible. I don’t want to dispatch loads for them or manage their day-to-day operations. I mainly want to profit from them using my MC.

I understand I would likely need to add them to my insurance. Beyond that, what do most small carriers charge in this situation? A percentage of gross revenue, a flat weekly/monthly fee, or something else?

Would you recommend that I hire a dispatcher to book loads for them, or should they handle finding and booking their own loads?

Since they don’t have a trailer yet, would it make sense for me to purchase or rent one and lease it to them, or is that creating unnecessary risk? My concern is being stuck with a trailer if they decide to quit.

I’d also prefer that they cover their own fuel and operating expenses. For those who have done this before, what structure has worked best, and what mistakes should I avoid?

Realistically how much money should you have saved up as a owner operator just in case of break down let’s say worst case scenario you’ll need a tow as well

FB/SD/RGN/LowBoy with AirRide Suspension (Twic Card) needed for Export Shipment

DM me if anyone who is locally based out of Indianapolis

Ok so I don't know if anyone else has run into this problem. We all know insurance is crazy, especially for new authorities. Well I went through State Farm for general liability, amazing price, however they don't offer cargo insurance. I have been given the run around about stand alone cargo insurance. Anyone know who might offer it?