Hey guys.

So I've recently defected from the near on-call world of frac sand hauling for the Texas oilfield to hauling toys regionally. I did it for the regular schedule not the pay, I hated getting a call at 10pm after being up all day telling me I need to be 500 miles away by 5am so here I am.

Now after a month of the bureaucracy and the micro management from a mega trucking company, I WANT OUT!

I've read some great posts on the start up costs of becoming an independent driver, but I wanna know the difference in pay between being an owner op vs independent to help me weigh the options.

Of course I realize it's dependant on the freight, broker, etc... But let's say a guy running a 53ft dry van no hazmat in a 1000 mile radius of dfw, what kind of cpm would I expect?

Also has anyone used the jbhunt load board for loads? How do they work, I know you pick and call in, but how do they pay? How long from unload to payment?

I really appreciate any come back, I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I jump in and get the hell away from this company!! Thanks again.

The company I pulled for years ago never hauled anything below $1.55 before surcharge. If it went to Florida it paid $2.14 a mile. Anything below I4 had a $200 bonus. Texas freight paid extra because the back hauls were cheap most of the time. I'm a company driver now and it costs around $1.50 without surcharge to run me up and down the road at a steady 3k miles a week. It costs them to use outside haulers (owner ops) a $1.30 to run their trucks. I was an independent in the mid 90's. There's good reason these companies like owner operators. If haven't followed up much on it lately but I've heard the freight prices plumes since I've left the scene. It cost about a buck a mile to run a truck with no more than $3500 in maintenance costs. Try to leave at least a dollar profit and don't do anything for free.