Business Idea. Opinions?
Posted by InitiativeHonest8394@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 8 comments
I’ve been an OTR driver for about 18 months now and looking to transition into a different segment of the industry working for myself. I don’t really want to keep driving or do 3PL but I had this idea and wanted to see whether any of you (particularly O/Os) would see any value in it as a service.
This might already exist in some way but what I was thinking was to find a few small carriers and basically act as a sort of virtual assistant for them, finding loads, negotiating with brokers, making parking reservations, and scheduling maintenance for them so they can focus primarily on driving.
Let me know what you guys think.
Stupid idea? Redundant?
Fluxus4@reddit
Honestly, it sounds like you want to run your own small trucking company. You want to do everything but drive. If you can get the capital to fund your start up expenses, hire a few drivers and build a relationship with a decent factor, then you're all set.
jqmallah@reddit
The hard part is liability and trust. Small carriers already get burned by bad dispatchers, so they will ask how you get paid, who talks to the broker, who books the load, and who owns the mistake when pickup or delivery goes sideways. If you test it, start with one carrier you know and keep the scope boring: load search, appointment tracking, paperwork, maintenance reminders. Do not book loads until they trust your judgment.
InitiativeHonest8394@reddit (OP)
I can definitely see that. Thanks
ConsciousAwareness69@reddit
Bro I swear you already posted this shit a few days ago. Mods should just ban hammer this soliciting
Quiero_Mimir@reddit
I’m not sure there are many OOs that would be willing to pay for a fleet manager but are not leased onto a company that already provides that.
Rough-Method8876@reddit
To be honest, OP..if an O/O is paying you to do these things? Then they’re definitely not putting that money into their pocket. Another middle person isn’t what we want. Most of us want one less person in the mix (at least in my network).
JOliverScott@reddit
Not stupid but given the razor thin margins already I doubt anyone is going to be willing to pay for one more service or share a cut of their revenue. Plus adding a layer of bureaucracy to communications like between drivers and brokers is only good to slow things down as info keeps getting relayed back and forth.
Doyin360@reddit
Company driver here, you might as well start a trucking business