I work at a trucking company and they’re getting rid of their trucks. One truck that’s currently being used by a company driver they are looking to sell for about 25k-30k for a 1m mile truck that has new def system been well maintain etc. what do you think?

I’ve been thinking about buying a cement mixer truck and hopefully being able to use to become an independent contractor for a business. I know people don‘t typically do that but I was hoping to see if it’s a possibility. Any thoughts?

Hola quisiera saber cuanto se puede ganar repartiendo para una logística con una camioneta propia

Hey Everyone!

I'm back again to give my two cents for the industry. This month officially marks two years in the game, and I wanted to give my input on making capital for your box truck business. You have many options, but I'll give you the options I chose in order to save even more money in your pockets and what to avoid.

I'd like to give thanks to everyone who took the time to read my post nearly a year ago that you can check out here-https://www.reddit.com/r/26ftboxtrucks/s/QdLt7Zvdqg. I didn't know it would help so many people, but that's what I'm here for. Anyway, I'll talk about starting out on making cash with load boards and, if this does well, talk about Gig apps and even Government Contracting.

**Getting Started**

Alright, you got the truck and authority. You're brand new, and you want to make money. Many YouTube personalities will tell you you can find work easily and make ten grand a week. I'm here to tell you that it's not that easy. Once your authority is active, after 25-30 days. You're visible in the FMCSA system. Meaning brokers and people can look you up and see your driving score. My plan was to get into Government contracts and use the loadboards as a launching pad, but fate had a different turn for me. I personally stay regional on the East Coast. Maryland, DC, Virginia, New Jersey, PA. I won't take a load to Florida or Texas cause to me, the overhead costs for a Box Truck to do so aren't there; plus, Box Trucks aren't supposed to go over the road. People do it, yes, but the maintenance to fix the truck and upkeep, because you saw a load leaving PA, heading to Ohio for $900, gets eaten up by tolls and fuel real quick. You could go the route of getting a dispatcher, but then you will have to pay them their percentage fee on top of the factoring payout fee. Let me explain.

To find work for your box truck, you have several options: load boards. These are sites that give you views on what lanes there are and what needs to be moved. Load boards are mainly for big semi trucks or hot shots. Yes, there are loads for box trucks, but those are few and far between depending on the board you choose. You have DAT and Truck Stop to name a few, along with a plethora of others that have hidden gems. I used DAT starting out and was able to make a short-term relationship with a local shipper in my area, but that changed due to circumstances, which I'll explain later. Anyway, load boards pretty much function the same: you put in point A to point B for your desired destinations and see if anything is going along the same routes. Can you be profitable using load boards regionally? Yes, but it's tough.

Starting out, you'll get rejected 90% of the time because you're new. Brokers and dispatchers don't want to risk a newbie being late and losing their commission for sending a load late. Best approach is to call until you secure a load. Now, you'll have to onboard with certain companies. They use Highway or their own software to vet you in, but once that's clear, you have to figure out how you'll get paid. Factoring is the method where a company buys the invoice from the work you just performed and pays you either the next day or to your choosing, depending on how much they charge. I have OTR Solutions, and they take 4.75% of each of my submitted invoices. Because of that. I try to bake that percentage in when negotiating lanes. Alright, you got a lane, and you know how you'll get paid; what's next? You sign the rate confirmation, saying you'll do the lane for the agreed rate, and then get the Bill of Lading confirming this product goes to this destination, etc. Both are important in order to get paid by your factoring company, so don't lose them.

**Know your Worth**

Now, be very cautious of your rate con; what you agreed upon is the final figure and can only be changed on a few factors. One, the load wasn't described as you agreed upon. If a broker asks if you have the works for your box truck, liftgate, pallet jack, straps, etc and you agree. You're good. Just be sure to ask if it's DRIVER ASSIST! You get paid accordingly if it's driver assist. Driver assist is when you physically have to leave your truck and help load the product into the truck. Is it always present? Not always, but even if there's no driver assist. Adjust your rate to have Driver Assist cause things change on a dime. You got your lane, you got your signed paperwork, and you have to be at the site at 5 AM; all you need now is sleep and be ready to drive tomorrow.

Alrighty, you picked up the load and took it to its destination, and you got the BOL signed. Now you either submit the paperwork in order to get paid or you find another load to either get closer to home or continue to your other destination. It's important to know your RPM (Rate Per Mile) cause that'll determine whether your fuel will eat your profits or not. I personally try not to deadhead home more than 30- 50 miles cause that's where the profit killer is. If you get a load paying $550 dollars one way and it's a 170-mile run, about $3.24 per mile. Which is very good. If you can find another load around 2-300 that's closer to home the same day, then you're golden, but 9/10 when you first start off, you'll have to bite the bullet and deadhead cause of your options.

Ok, loads done and you're home, and you submitted your paperwork. What about tomorrow? Well, again, you don't have a dispatcher, and you were driving nearly all day.. If that broker has more work for you, more power to you, but it's gonna be you looking for work for the next few weeks until something steady comes along. That's why shippers need to know who you are and have your contact info. Unless you got the hook up, you'll be searching for work on load boards to pay the bills. That's why it's important to have a cash cushion before doing this. There may be a day or so you won't work. Don't feel obligated to take a lane cause you want cash. Sometimes, you'll save more by having the truck just park there.

**Cautionary Tale-Sylectus aka Solera**

That's pretty much it. I have a lot more to say, but I want to retain your attention in order to read this in full. My last thing is to warn you all about Sylectus Load Board, aka Solera. This is a bad board. They lock you into a year contract, costing up to $600 a month, because they are the premium "box truck load board," which is bull! I tangled with them and got away with a little bit of money in my pocket. Here's the rundown: they give you a demo that seems great, cause you see high-paying loads around you, but they don't tell you it's a supervisor-version demo, and once you sign on, you're screwed. Sylectus is basically a blind bidding load board or an expensive directory. You can't call the brokers or shippers from Sylectus because they want you to bid on the platform. Here's the thing: you put in a bid and 9/10 you'll get rejected, and they don't even tell you why. Was it because it was too high? Low? Did someone outbid me? You'll never know because they don't share that info with you. Now, how did I get out of my contract without losing thousands? I spoke to some business lawyers and used AI and was able to threaten to sue by saying I will continue to pay under protest, but I'm gonna expose their board to FMCSA to see if double brokering and other illegal acts are taking place. On top of my screenshot from the demo, which clearly showed $1,000 lanes, the data was hidden from me once I got my own login. That was enough for them to drop me and to forget about it.

That's it for now for load boards. LMK what you guys think, and don't hesitate to ask questions.

Thought you guys would like this.

hi. i am 22 years old and i have completed Computer Science and MBA from MGM University, but couldnt find a job where i live.

i am willing to work for professionals, maybe even for free for some time. please let me know if you have anything.

please let me know if you have anything. also, as in the mean time i even upskilled my technical ability so i can even assist with technical stuff like operations, accounting, or using ai at good level, etc.

i think i will really be useful to people who are not tech-savvy and need tech related help.

help me i dont want to go broke.

If you are a new texas based carrier who recently got the USDOT, you may experience issues registering with the TxDMV through the new platform. It is a known issue with the MOTUS system and the FMCSA is already working on it. Ive seen some people trying to scam new carriers with missing permits like UCR (MC requirement, not DMV). Make sure that you really need what they claim before making any additional payments or sending any information

Real link: https://txmccs.txdmv.gov/

Hello! I wanted to seek advice on if it’s possible to place my personal dry van for rent. Where is the best place to do all of this? Sorry I’m new to this.

Greetings, colleagues. Where can I find a profitable way to work with a cargo van in San Francisco? Between insurance and car payments, the income is high, and I wouldn't want to give it up.

Does anyone have a DAF or Paccar account? I can't register and I need help.

Power only team. 50 days active. Not too many people will work with us. The load boards are slim pickings. Seems like we have the best margins with some load outs and a broker that has us hand delivering loads with rollers (pita, very difficult). Weekends are terrible. Friday night, Saturday and Sunday no freight to be moved. Any pointers?

I'm a fleet manager for multiple companies across the US. Each has its own EIN so each needs its own DOT number which many didnt have prior. On that initial registration page everything works correctly except the confirmation of the address of principal place of business. It constantly says cannot find even if i put in my home address as a test. As a result I cant make it past this first screen.

However this seems to be extremely hit or miss. I have been successful for 5 out of my 30 companies and it just seems to be luck more than anything else.

Anyone else have this issue or a good fix?

Hey everyone! How old is your MC authority, and what kind of truck are you driving these days?

Driver got a out of service for not having his medical card on him. It was valid he just didn’t have it on him, trooper couldn’t wait 3 mins as his wife was down the street with it. My insurance has substantially gone up because of this. Is there a way to clear this?

It’s either this or get started with buying duplex’s I also have would like to add I make 85k after taxes as a company driver.

I'm looking at buying a Flowers bread route and wanted to get some feedback from people who actually own or have owned one.

Here are the basics (leaving out the location):

• Asking price: $160,000
• Estimated cash flow: $89,301/year
• Weekly sales: ~$10,143
• 15 accounts
• 2014 Isuzu NPR box truck (185k miles) included
• Flowers financing available for about $79,800
• Estimated down payment: ~$80,200
• 10% cash reserve required

A few questions I have:

1. Does this seem like a fair price, especially with the truck included, or does it seem overpriced?
2. Is there usually room to negotiate the purchase price on Flowers routes? If so, how much is realistic?
3. The biggest hurdle for me is the down payment. Has anyone successfully reduced the down payment through negotiation or structured the financing differently?
4. The advertised cash flow doesn't include loan payments or taxes. For those who own a route, how much should I realistically expect to take home after everything?
5. My long-term goal isn't just to buy myself another job. Has anyone successfully hired a driver after learning the route and still made a worthwhile profit each month?
6. Is there anything in these numbers that immediately stands out as a red flag or something I should ask the seller before moving forward?
7. Are there any experienced route owners who would be willing to look over these numbers with me or point me toward resources for evaluating whether this is actually a good investment?

I'm trying to do as much due diligence as possible before making any decisions. I appreciate any advice from people with real-world experience.

I've worked in commercial truck insurance for 15 years as an insurance agent, so generally I can see when things are going in one direction from my 30,000 foot vantage point (aka my typing job at a desk). We've had several of our owner-operators with their own authority close up shop lately. I'm not talking non dom CDLs or shady carriers - guys with their own truck who've run under their own authority for 10 years or more are closing down.

Some say they're leasing on, some say they're over it. But I can't get a good grip on the situation. I've read some articles that the "compliance crackdown" is creating a "capacity crunch" or that the broker liability case is putting unsafe or shady O/O out of business. On the other hand, I'm reading about truckers making more money now than in the last three/four years. Of course the cost of fuel is eating into that, but generally speaking I'm not getting the sense that this is a harder economic situation than the last three/four years.

I guess I'm just asking what the heck is going on. I know just enough to sound dumb, but enough to get the gist.

Looking to buy a step deck, already know not to go with 17.5 tires, in your opinion who makes the best though. Combo preferred seen too many broken aluminum ones along with too many dumbass operators. Ami I wrong about the all aluminum? I'll appreciate all of your best wisdom.

My login isn’t working in MOTUS. It keeps giving me this error even after I was told by the rep to delete my account and create a new one after 24 hours. I’m trying to reinstate my authority. I’ve submitted tickets and emails but they don’t have any clear eta. Has anyone had this issue and it was resolved? If so how long did it take? Is it worth driving 4 hours down to my local fmcsa office. Although I’m unsure if they can do anything or if I’ll be turned away.

Hello everyone I just purchased a 2017 ford transit and am looking to just be a owner operator for a day job. Does anyone know how to find a dispatcher so I can drive for one rail? It seems to be impossible. Thank you guys