Dang insurance/bad week

[ccoop769]

What are the odds my cargo insurance company went under!!!!!:eek::eek: While my new steering rack i just installed had a major leak from the tie rod. While I just picked up a load that paid great and it was a 62 vette, 55 bellair, 64 malibu, all red, all mint but no camera.:eek::eek: What a week:cool:

But hey, everybody is off this week which is rare, so its nice to have a little vacation time, other then getting a new cargo insurnace company while I still have to pay for my old coverage that went under, weird huh. while I have to rma my steering rack, install it for the 3rd time while paying for alignment again. Not much of a vacate buy hey, its life. END RANT

[Tosch88]

That's a little funked up about the insurance deal. You thought you got a good deal on the front end parts didn't ya:D. Sometimes spending the money for quality stuff is worth it, sometimes the bargain stuff works out:p

[ccoop769]

Yah, only have a few more months till policy is up. So i had to embrace or some word where national edeminity will cover the cargo and will expire the same as liability so I dont have 2 different covereges at different renewals. Paying a little extra for it but whateva. Still aiming for a single axle semi by renewal. Not to mention I still have to pay the finance company for the insurance my premiums still even though they went bankrupt. Getting screwed out of this deal. Pissed about my steering rack blowing out on me in georgia, had to have my mom run 6 hours each way because it was saturday. Did a rack change at a rest area just to make it to ky to deliver my 4 vehicles, 3 of which were these sexy classics while my independant extra was a old ford f100 that by lucky chance was red too. Would of made great pics, which i didnt get. awwwwww, so maaddddddddddddddddddddddd. anywho, life goes on, got approval for my old driver, gonna see how things work out.

[NDanecker]

Sorry to hear about the insurance thing. That does stink.

So I guess the 2wd trucks have racks and 4wd still has the old steering box/recirculating ball type setup? Never owned a 2wd truck being in the northeast so just curious....

[ccoop769]

Sorry to hear about the insurance thing. That does stink.

So I guess the 2wd trucks have racks and 4wd still has the old steering box/recirculating ball type setup? Never owned a 2wd truck being in the northeast so just curious....

Yes you are correct. We only have 2 outer tie rods, while the inner tie rods are on the rack. Both my inners were shot. Reman racks can be bought for 212 dollars. New from dodge about 700. Easy job, takes about 30 minutes with normal hand tools. When changing it out on road, i dont know specs for alignments but i had it toed 1 notch on the tape measure or basically almost even on front and rear of tire. Actually didnt do a bad job considering steering wheel was only off about 1/2 inch and truck drove straight!!! But im definately doing another alignment once I install the rack again once it gets rma'd. Hopefully since i paid for overnight shipping origianlly they will honor again with the rma.

[NDanecker]

The rack setup must have a nice tight feel compared to 4wd. I don't care too much for all the moving parts of the 4wd setup, but can't do without it. I already replaced the inner tie rods under 100k, and all ball joints when I did the free wheel kit (which is nice!).

Good luck with the new unit once you get it.

[smr500]

Coop, do you not drive because you don't like life on the road?

[ccoop769]

Too busy at home doing other things. Its good to get on the road for a weeks trip maybe once a month if possible, but im just too busy at home trying to accomplish other things. Got another 100 hours I would like to put in my website, still working on this brokering thing and getting another truck, but it just seems everytime I get ahead to do something else, something else gets in the way and gotta back track. I need another 1 of me that doesnt mind working for free!!!! hehe

I just aint never gonna grow if im doing all the driving. I would rather be put out of business then be a owner operator the rest of my life. 3 kids all young, im strapped for 18 more years before I could actually enjoy the open road with my wifey if I dont venture on into another business by then. As for your situation, why dont you hire a driver. Your prolly never gonna get what you paid for if you financed it all, most times I see people go out of biz, its always repo. You have nice equipment, you should stay at your job, just hire a trustful family member or something. Hate to see you sell your stuff and take a big loss or even worse a repo!!! Your all setup, its nice to have seperate incomes and another business that you wouldnt even have to worry about. It would be like BIG CHECKS FOR CHILD SUPPPORT. hehe, either way, good luck to you buddy!!!

[smr500]

Thanks, I pay a huge check for child support, never been on the other end of that one lol. I thought about hiring a driver but don't know where to find one, don't have a family member to help. I'm not experienced enought to train them and could not dispatch them with my current job.Thought about leasing my equipment to someone also but I've been burned and am leary. Why would you rather go out of business than be an o/o?

[ccoop769]

Its easy finding drivers you dont have to train. Its hard finding drivers that wont burn you by either OOS, tearing apart you equipment, nor doing the work. Tosch can tell you plenty about that. I know everybody hear has heard some of my stories. Not to mention every time you hire a drive you will go thru down time, and extra work of the legailitys you have to do with drug tests and programs, verifications and such. But that is 1 thing im truly happy about with csa 2010 as now every driver has a profile so now it will be that much easier to hire drivers, but not enough people have stats yet so its kinda useless now. But 1 day it will be nice. As far as dispatch goes, theres plenty of enough people you can get that done with, everybody has that option to do billing and a/r and such which would be basically a turn key business for you. All you need is a business mind which im sure you do. Leasing is a tuff choice, ive leased out 2 trailers and my truck before, and i got burned hard on that, $15ks worth, and a new company name, but there was a few other things that effected that too. Being a owner operator is tuff, and ive always like to spend money so more greed comes into factor as always having the truck running and growing larger. Being an owner operator I cannot do that, as I dont enjoy a small truck, and ive noticed the best income with a 3 week out, 1 in type deal, and if I could keep my truck running on there off week with me driving, cha ching!!!!! I especially cannot be out on road that long with wife prego again, our 3rd 1. Due in a few more. LAST 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus with my other responsibilitys and in order to expand and make more money, I have to be home. But things would be different with no kids. So, that is why I would rather go work for somebody else or start another business if I fail at this one. And if I dont play my cards right, it would be easy to fail with that 1 wrong driver. Even if I could recooperate from the money, i dont know if I could handle all that stress again. Would rather just go work for somebody else, have no stress, be home every night delivering pepsi or bud light locally!!! hehe, not to mention the benefits. I havent worked for somebody else in 9 years, and im 29 now.

[haulin rv]

Thats the key you have not worked for someone in 9 years. I'm the same its been 8 years or so for me, 2 kids (no more here), so home time is important. But having to answer to someone everyday at a job doesn't appeal to me either. I just need to win the lottery! Heck I have two trucks and a trailer sitting outside right now that have not hauled a thing in over a month, maybe I need a driver too.......

[smr500]

I don't like the small truck either. I sold my truck yesterday for what I paid for it. Thought if the trailer sells then that will be it. I have my eye open for a semi though. That little truck and sleeper is no way to live on the road in my opinion.

[ccoop769]

So your staying in this business but you want to go larger already??? You sold the dodge with the sleeper for what you paid for??? Thats awesome if you did, and would be awesome if you sold your trailer what your paid for or dang near close. All and all you still have a good paying job and your more open minded and a little experience in this business. It was nice to bs with ya either way wether you hang out on the forums like brisco (hehe) does or just leave like most other people do when they go out of business.

[ccoop769]

Thats the key you have not worked for someone in 9 years. I'm the same its been 8 years or so for me, 2 kids (no more here), so home time is important. But having to answer to someone everyday at a job doesn't appeal to me either. I just need to win the lottery! Heck I have two trucks and a trailer sitting outside right now that have not hauled a thing in over a month, maybe I need a driver too.......

and another trailer. Or uship to haul boats cross country for 80cpm and hope to find something coming back for 20cpm. But take 2 weeks doing it:rolleyes:. God i love that place!!!!:D:D I feel so sorry for all them glums over there who have no idea what there doing:)

[smr500]

Yeah, I sold the Dodge for what I paid for it, 30k. I lost money on the cost of the sleeper, hitch, my time, etc. I will probably inactivate my numbers until I'm in a better financial position to start. If trailer doesn't sell, maybe it will be paid for by then. I will definitely get a semi though. I did not like staying in that cramped little truck at all.

[Brisco]

It was nice to bs with ya either way wether you hang out on the forums like brisco (hehe) does or just leave like most other people do when they go out of business.

Burning ears.......;)

I agree, just because you sold your truck (I sold mine back in 2007) it doesn't mean you can't hang out. I haven't done any "OTR" driving since 2007 either, but yet I still keep up with what's all going on out there. I do this because it's an ever changing business and one day, maybe, I will be back out there "behind the wheel" and would hate to have to start "fresh" all over again. Some new rule/law could come out that says "no passing gas" (Honoring Busters Request:D) while truck windows are up and if I didn't know about it, I could possibly be cited when that Trooper walks up to my closed window to ask for log book and is laid flat out when I roll down the window to give log book to him. Or something like that, know what I mean. (HaHa)

Plus, someone has to stick around and give these guys a hard time every now and then. I can say this, I will not be back on the road anytime soon, and I am not abandoning all the friends/associates that I've made over the years either. I've already put in play another business venture but will still have "Trucking" on my mind too.

Spend some time out there on the Open Road like we all have here and you'll learn it's just something that never leaves your system. Right now I'm sure you're (smr) driving to the same location/building every day, looking at the same walls every day, then driving the same route to the same walls you look at at home every day. "Live" out there on the road for weeks at a time. Different view every hour and every day. You could leave one place in the morning in heavy fog and 45 degree weather and park your truck that evening looking at bright stars or a clear sunset in 78 degree weather.

I'll eventually be back out there, just not now.

[haulin rv]

Well don't let the trailer sit too long, it'll get a case of lot rot and that's all ya need is to be fixing what you thought was a brand trailer as soon as you start rolling again.

[Buster]

Brisco you crack me up!!!! rotflmao

[Buster]

Shane, you might talk to chris32. His infinity is busted and he needs a trailer. Mabye you could work out a lease with him untill he figures out a permanent fix or ???.
http://www.autoexpeditor.com/showthread.php?t=331

[G4 Transport]

SMR, who did you sell your truck to?

[smr500]

Some guy from north central Iowa who hauls pontoon boats. he saw it on truckpaper