Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/29112
HOW TO BECOME AN O/O MAX KVIDERA Carrier Hunt n your search for a carrier to lease on to, remember you won’t find the perfect fit. No carrier is likely to meet all of your speci- fications. Yet doing your home- work, including writing a list of questions and interviewing other truckers, will help provide informa- tion needed to make an informed decision. I Some of your investigation can be handled by examining company websites and recruit- ing ads, but much of the pertinent infor- mation comes from talking to people. Networking with other owner-oper- ators can give you current information on pay packages, options and com- pany culture, says Joe Rajkovacz, director of regulatory affairs at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. You want to practiced isn’t easy. You can get an idea how they will treat you by talk- ing with a recruiter or dispatcher, says Chris Brady, president of Com- mercial Motor Vehicle Consulting. “How open are they to giving you information?” he asks. Ask for independent contractor references and other outsiders who might dis- cuss the carrier’s business practices and reputation. IF THEY HAVE CUSTOMERS THAT ARE A PAIN TO DEAL WITH AND SLOW TO PAY, THAT’S USUALLY INDICATIVE OF A CARRIER THAT IS NOT WELL RUN, EITHER.” work with a carrier that will treat you fairly and answer your ques- tions honestly, but detecting if that’s 36 TRUCKERS NEWS MAY 2011 Randy and Sandy Dudney are talking with other drivers, often getting an earful of good or bad reports. If a driver praises a company, the Dudneys ask about interactions with dis- patch and how the company performed if the driver had prob- lems. “We want to find out who was at fault,” she says. — KARL PHARES Karl Phares desires a smaller carrier where he can “be treated as a human being rather than just a number,” he says. “Some compa- nies I want to stay away from will hire anybody with a CDL. What Karl Phares is looking for a smaller carrier where he can be treated as an individual rather than a number. In evaluating carriers, Randy Dudney says it’s important to interview other operators to see how they’re treated by a company. kind of customers do they have? If they have customers that are a pain to deal with and slow to pay, that’s usually indicative of a carrier that is not well run, either.” PAY PACKAGE One of the most important ques- tions you’ll want to ask is about pay. Ask if fuel surcharges are avail- able and if they are packaged with base pay or paid separately, Brady says. David Wolff, fleet lead busi- ness consultant at financial services firm ATBS, advises checking if the fuel surcharge is nationwide or regional and what miles-per-gallon the surcharge is based on — 6 mpg is common. Confirm that 100 continued on page 83 COURTESY OF RANDY AND SANDY DUDNEY COURTESY OF KARL PHARES