How to get in the intermodal game as an independent O/O?

You can't. Steamship lines only work with fleets. Each one has their own definition of how many trucks makes up a fleet. You'll have to find a place to lease on to. Start with your local Craigslist.

There's a section of the forum here that's specifically for intermodal. Talk to those guys too and see what they have to say. I ran out of Seagirt before I got my own authority and it was absolutely horrible. I made less then a company driver. Just saying.

 

Trust me you don't want to. It's like taking a chance hooking up with a girl that has herpes but isn't acting up. Still have a chance you'll get it Lol.


Might not of been the best analogy but you get the jist

 

If it's something you really want to do you have to find an intermodal carrier somewhere they will work as a broker that will give you the loads. Others have said they'll broker you those loads for 90% or 95% but there is probably no way to actually verify that.

I'm not sure why you're looking in that direction, but I can tell you the ports sometimes you wait all day. The rails or maybe a little better but if you have to have a chassis switched or loaded that could take you hours.

Most of the chassis are junk and they run old bias-ply tires that by today's standards are basically unsafe. On top of that you have to carefully look the tires over because if you pull that chassis out of wherever you're at and it comes back and you missed that the tires have any flat spots on them you're paying for those tires.

And the loads historically do not pay very well.

 

Where do you live?

 

Be careful what you read in the news headlines. I’m sure that’s why your thinking it’s a good idea to jump into that snake pit. There is a reason why they are short drivers for containers. Plenty of trucks, plenty of brokers, plenty of containers. Just falling short on the suckers/truckers that they need to put through the ringer. Only way to jump into that fire is to get direct contracts. Which isn’t possible right now. But good news is, if guys can lay off the sauce for a few more months it will be open season. Happened once back in 1981, for those who were there they can verify that containers paid what they should. Lasted for like 18 months or something. Seems like we are approaching that again. Eventually the suits and regulations will back things up far enough that workers will need to get hands dirty. But who knows, maybe things will work themselves out.

 

If you already have family connections or know office people at the port you might make it alright. If you're just diving in cold you'll be fighting a battle to survive.

 

I can get you in

 

I don’t want to speak on west coast operations bc I am unaware of what that landscape truly looks like, just hearsay right now. But as far as East coast ports. Very easy to get in and pull freight. The big hurdle is getting direct access to that freight. The intermodal system and brokers that have their arms wrapped around that freight will continue to fib about actual rates on those containers. They will make it as easy as possible to “lease on”, but the reason they have to do that is bc if companies get a peak at what percentage they are actually skimming off the top nobody would haul for them. Everything is legal, I’m not suggesting foul play, but for example their 90% o/o program. That 90% is based off the 70% actual rate. 30% goes to them even before they skim their 10% off the O/O program. So the playing field is skewed to say the least. I have met very few drivers that have spent their entire career hauling containers. Maybe they exist, but I would bet most move on to other forms of transportation.

 

Speaking from experience?
Cause .....you sound bitter....