florida owner operator????

No. No. and No. Avoid it like the plague.

 

It's bad in fl. I live in central fl. Have to load in Jacksonville or the panhandle or south ga. To get out rates are cheap out not much better coming home I pull flats . I would recommend north fl. Much better living. Less crime and most still speak english.

 

Words mean nothing in this day and age.

 

I've got a good friend who is trying to move out of florida after selling his home and relocating his family to the orlando area. He made the move 2 years ago and tried the flat bed deal and said he nearly went belly up but decided to switch and lease on with a reefer company doing the produce deal but that's only a summer deal then it went to crap as well. Now he's pulling containers out of the ports and the money he was use too before moving to florida is only a dream because he's making way below what he was when they lived in the atlanta area. His wife is trying to get her company to let her transfer back and if they do he's outta there.People will tell you anything to get you to make the choice but for you and your families sake check check check it out, then check it again, Myself I wouldn't even dream of it because I see the rates in and out of florida everyday and I know what I can get else where. Good luck with your decision and be safe

 

You can survive if you're lean on spending and business smart. Plan on taking a cheap load out to get to ATL, SC, or TN to find something good and then circle around to find a good paying load back home that will allow you to deadhead out if need be.

 

If you are the type that likes to go out and run for 4-5 weeks at a time then location shouldn't matter. But if you are looking for a life outside of the truck then spend time working the load boards figuring out what the freight is like in, out and around where you would like to live.

FL is typically a black hole for trucking most of the year. Rates are just evil in most of FL.

 

Not much freight coming out of Fl, but it can work if you only go home once a month. I spoke with another flatbedder who routinely flys roundtrip to go home in Orlando. He leaves his truck in the midwest. I've even done it 3 times in the last year. Time is money too, its not just the low rates that I weigh in the equation.

Currently, I'm looking into renting a small place in either IN or OH just because I like to run up there so much. I keep would keep my primary residence in FL for tax reasons, besides I own land there and like to spend a lot of off time there as well. It's just the sitting in the truckstops over weekends is getting to me. A crash pad for work would be nice, and the mechanics are better in the midwest too.