QuestionYou mentioned a dispatcher getting paid more than a chemist being a "historical first." I should point out (just since I am an information maven) that: When I was working as a truck driver I was making MORE than I would have been as a Chemist. The market price for a Chemist (then as now) is about $15/ hour, and almost all of the jobs are contract to hire. If working for a company like Werner or CRST that can keep you moving, it is nothing to make $1000/ week. (Now that I think about it, $600 is about how much you would make in a slow week.)
Thanks, though, for the points that I hadn't though of about the truck blowing an engine the day after I bought it laying all my well laid plans to waste.
You say that a broker must have good credit. Is there a license involved doing this job? I know that in the state of Michigan, if a person has bad credit, he cannot get a license as a real estate agent. Is it much of the same story for brokers? (My credit took a bit of a beating because of an unpaid hospital bill.)
Thanks for your good answers.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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I have worked behind the wheel of a truck (over the road) and found that: It sucks.
The principal reason that I didn't like it is because I can't stand being in a small moving box with another man for weeks at a time with no woman. If I could get a wife and get her into trucking, then it might be tolerable. (This is something that I am looking into.)
It also occurs to me that there are other aspects of trucking, such as dispatching and brokering. Can you tell me how a person would break into brokering? I know that dispatching would be harder to get into because there would be a lot of truck drivers that work with them every day and would be licking their chops at the thought of being able to work at a job that gets them home every night.
It happens that I'm an educated man. (MS degree. Chemistry. The Chemistry job market sucks right now for Synthetic Chemists. I'd make more starting off as a truck driver and DO have a CDL class A.) I'd like to think that this education would qualify me to do something other than shifting gears day in and day out.
Can you offer any other suggestions?
Lastly: I am told that a person can become an owner operator for an initial investment of $1200. There has to be a catch. What is it? (I'd like to try this for whatever girl I marry.)
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Hi Lemas.
For starters, you should really think hard before buying a truck. Running teams and running solo are two different worlds, but if your hesitant at all, don't buy a truck. It is a huge responsibility and you need to go into it like your starting a business. Start by laying out a business plan. What kind of truck? What will I be hauling? Who will I lease out to? What is my expected income and expenditures? Etc.
Will $1200 start you out? Perhaps to get you in the seat. I know other small fleet owners who'll give you a truck if you sign on the dotted line. Problem is, it's a used truck with no engine warranty. Got $10,000 laying around for an engine rebuild if it blows? If not, you could be out of business on day two. Then, guess who stills wants his truck payment? I wouldn't advise buying a truck unless you had 1)engine rebuild money in the bank and 2)you love trucking.
If you find a job in dispatching that pays more than a Synthetic Chemist, sure grab it (it would be a historical first). Dispatching is a tough gig with unhappy drivers, shippers & recievers. You may find a company, though, that really is great to work for with great pay and benefits. Look into it and feel the companies out. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Being a Broker is also starting a business. I could write a book about it, but for starters, you'll need to have great credit, be great in sales, and do a lot of leg work finding customers and trucks to deliver. Again, do a lot of research before you venture into brokering.
I would look into driving locally or dedicated. I don't know where you live, but somewhere in your area, there is a company that can get you home every night. My company is out of Clearwater, Florida and I have three trucks that just run the state of Florida. These guys are home every night. In your area, look for trucks with daycabs and apply to those companies. This way you can see if you like trucking enough to maybe buy a truck down the road. There are plenty of local (or regional) owner-operators, too. The great thing is that you be home enough to find that future wife!
Good luck!
Bob Stephens
AnswerHi Lemas.
That's interesting you could make more money driving then being a Chemist, but a Chemist and Distpatcher look to run neck and neck on the pay scale.
I've seen countless drivers go under when they've bought their own truck. They don't plan on all the expenses. I've seen one guy spend all of his savings on a used Peterbilt only to have the engine blow a few months later. He didn't have the cash to fix it so he parked it in his driveway while he drove a company truck. He was still paying the note on the broke down Pete last I heard. Most guys don't budget for engine repairs, tires, etc. and that's what'll kill them when it comes time to pay the piper.
You would need good credit to be a broker. You must apply for your authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) allowing you to act as a freight broker, post a $10,000 Surety Bond and file your BOC-3. After you have everything in place, then you have to pound the pavement getting loads. Realistically, it could take you from 6 months to 5 years until your business is up and running how you want it to. It takes a while to build a relationship with shippers. You'll be handling a lot of money. I've seen where a shipper didn't pay a broker because the truckload of ice cream melted. The driver still wants his money saying that the reciever didn't have a refrigerated dock (and the coolers were far away from the dock) and it's not his (the driver's) fault. Guess who's in the middle of this argument? You may deal with shippers who slow walk you on payment, which means you can't pay the drivers timely. Good drivers who get slow walked on payment will then find other brokers. It can be a tangled web, so if you decide to be a broker, study it long and hard.
If you live in Michigan, there are countless local driving jobs. You may look into companies like Werner, US Xpress, Heartland Express, etc. for regional opportunites where your home every weekend. Once you get some experience under your belt (I'm assuming you have less than a year of driving experience), the doors will open for you and you may have a better idea on which way to go.
Good luck.
Bob Stephens
