How much profit per mile??

whoa....dont bring me into this tiraid

shesh i thought this was one of those political pages untill i saw the trick my piece-o-crap mentioned

 

Oh you cant get off that easy Bronc .... you do have a good example of making money on here .... just needed an example of how it is done for the ones that cant do it right

 

Hey Brick, If you remember that fr8liner century that they did on the show for the brothers(I believe it was a stealth truck theme), they were leased to TSMT. I also recall seeing Landstar decals on one of them as well.

 

No Brickman that is not the same company. If you do a google search and type in Trans-States Lines fort smith ar purchased by Burlington Motor Carriers of Daleville In you will come up with a news paper article showing the details of the purchase.
As I stated the company formerly owned by a banker (Hembree) was sold first to the management group that was hired to revitalise the company but after the fleet was downsized from around 700 trucks to less than 300 trucks, (lost many lucrative accounts such as Carrier) and the owner was still losing money on it he threw in the towel.
The Management group attempted to bring the company back through offering a lease purchase program (but ultimately failed some 30 months later).

Now for Deputy. I view your attacks as the rantings of a spoiled child. Name calling was big in elementary school but we are adults now so act it. If you have nothing "constructive" to offer the members of this site then I suggest you keep your comments to yourself. I will attempt to address each point you raised so I do not get accused of dodging the subject.

You claim I am jealous? Are you for real? I am not the one who came in on his fourth post boasting about your truck Lockdown. Sounds to me like YOU are the one craving attention and recognition. I leave it to you to use some "self reflection" on that buddy.

I rely upon my own "experiences" in trucking for the last 16 years. I have had many friends and associates who have attempted the lease purchase route and all have come to the same clonclusion. In the current market it is not profitable (for them) to be an owner operator. Even guys that have owned their truck for years have sold out. Big and small companies are closing their doors practically every week.

I offer my insights and show my "perspective" in the hopes to forewarn drivers of the potential pitfalls out here. Lease purchase has a bad reputation on each forum I am a member of. This is because it's a poor deal in almost every instance. Stick to what you know and offer a counter point to the post without attacking that person. If you want to offer your perspective then take the time (as Eskimo did and Carolina beaver Teaser did) to show your figures. This forum is supposed to be about helping others not tearing them down. Keep it positive and you will see more will actually agree with you and your reputation will go up accordingly.

As for companies that charge drop fees; This was an example of "possible" deductions included with a list of other deductions. Each lease program is written differently and if you believe they are all the same you are mistaken.

As for truckload carriers offering only 1 day off per week I am sure there are some that do that. Most are giving at least 34 hours off to take advantage of the current hos reset option. Wether those drivers actually get home for this time is debatable. Some will, some won't. This is why otr truckload is mostly for entry level drivers. After the driver gets some real world experience they usually will go to the better paying companies with steady home time.

We do agree 34 hours off each weekend is insufficient to do many things but this is where paid days off comes into play; 6 paid holidays, (some offer more I know and yes some do not offer any), paid sick days and paid personal days (for which I get 5 per calendar year), and 3 weeks paid vacation. So instead of only having 1 to 2 days off per week which are unpaid I in fact have 26 additional days of paid time off. Union drivers have an even better deal for their time off benefits and usually have a dedicated route to enjoy their home time.

As for believing everything I hear from truck drivers (or what comes from the media, wether it be magazines, newspapers, or tv) I keep an open mind until I have heard several confirmations of the information. I do not; "know it all" as you claim but I do speak my mind AND will defend my positions.

For a wannabe o/o they usually do not have money set aside to buy their own truck nor do they have the necessary credit to finance 1 without a co-signor. Companies take advantage of this and offer a truck to an inexperienced businessman and let them run their tail off while the company skims a large chunk of the profits off the top with very little liabilty costs. Making a profit off of the backs of their o/o's. The question is not wether this is just but rather how much profit is just for the company?

A lease operator will in fact start each week several hundred dollars in the hole (this is the weekly truck payment and weekly expenses charged to each lease operator) so for them to take a week off will result in a negative paycheck as others have posted in other threads. The only way to avoid this scenario is to have financed your truck elsewhere (rather than thru the company you are leased to) and ideally to have your own plates and permits so in the event your lease is terminated or you quit you will still be able to drive YOUR truck home. Having 10 grand as an emergency reserve is also very important for any wannabe o/o as well as having a handle on your personal finances at home.

 

I never said this quote about you jlkklj777..You also stated,
"The short answer is you will make less money as an o/o" ?? You said this ?"The only way to be a true success as an o/o is to have your own truck, trailer, and operating authority" ?? Yes you a re mistaken. Probabally talkin from your onwn exp on this quote maybe ?
You siad ?"I must have missed his episode. Maybe someone can let me know the plot of his trucks makeover and why the chrome shop mafia crew would donate all that time and money to a self proclaimed successful o/o" ?? Yes you must have missed the show?
You said this also? "All my posts have used published data from trucking magazines as to what they offer in compensation and what is included in that.
This post is an excellent illustration of the wide gap between the different o/o positions." ?? Yes very wide gap.
Brickman said " If you watch the episodes closely yes you can see company names, truck numbers and DOT numbers, on some of the trucks" YOU ARE ABSOLUTLEY RIGHT !! I apolgize to you . I admit when I'm wrong and Some do have the Dot and trucking co on them,when they are finished they do not have anything on them. I'm very wrong on this and I apologize to you.
As for jlkklj777, TSL went out of business and most of the head people went to USA as well as my Uncle did. You named a bunch of information you can find on any lease from any Co? I never called you a liar but you do speak from Information that you yourself on this forum stated you get from reading , from TV and from other drivers. You can not run from what you stated on this forum. Yes youmay have tried it as a o/o and unfortunatley you failed. If you go back and re read what I stated I said I was happy for you! I also said I was happy for all the Co drivers who are happy with what they are making and their job. I also remeber saying that not every 0/0 is making it !!!!!! I also stated that some with teir own authority are doing good, but yes not all of them. For the ones saying .90 plus f/surcharge isnt a o/0 lmao what can I say. Oh yes you say I'm big headed?? I speak from MY exp. Having your own authority is not allways the best route. Brokers do rip you off. 85% of a load isnt much after ALL those same expenses that jlkklj777 said on here ,and no pay for deadhead,layover,scales etc. After all this even a rate of 2.25 a mile is only 1.91 to the truck, then subtract base plates,permits,DOT number,filing fees,etc and deadhead,detention time,layover,cargo-truck-bobtail insurance,maintenence,tolls(if any) fuel tax,lumper (if any) taprs,chains,load locks,occupational ins,medical ins,cell phone,food,hotel. the list can go on and on and on. So please if theres a co that pays you a awesome rate and you after all the expenses that anyone with good old common sense has,and you still make over 2.00 a mile I'M VERY HAPPY FOR YOU. I said it on a previous post I will say it again for the short term memory some of you have. I am happy for the ones making money, not very many are making that.if theres a co like that there must be a long waiting list for drivers to hire on to. Landstar,fikes,mercer and many others DO not pay that much over what I'm making.After your base plate and expenses that they charge you for. I never braged about what I'm making, I said what I avg and that I'm happy with what I'm making. For the.

Brickman if your making 4 times .90 a mile good for you. Maybe your hauling for uncle sam or explosives or something or maybe your just special.I do not know nor do I care. My whole complaint on here is
jlkklj777 saying being a o/o you wont make money!! Some of you on here say .90 is not being a o/o ?? Now thats just silly. 90% of the co's out here pay about only that.If you make more great but do not forget to subtract your expenses like jlkklj777 stated. Also being leased to a co gives you pretty good discounts on tires and truck repairs which you do not get with your own authority. Dont make it sound like your getting rich driving a truck,people may laugh at you.

jlkklj777 as I said before ,if your making good money and you get your 36 to 48 hours of a week, GOOD for you !!! Just dont get on here and tell people thato/o dont make money like your 1200 a week, That is nonsense. I do that everyweek and get lots more hometime then 36 to 48 hours a week. The ones on this forum with their own authority I'm sure work alot more hours a week and stay out much longer then myself.If they like that good for them. I value my hometime.

No I wasnt intentionly braging about my truck,but yea your right I'm proud of it,thats for sure. Is it CHARITY ?? lmao ,no. For you to talk down about something, anything,any subject and say you get your information from READING<TV and from what you HEAR , what are people to think? Is it Jealousy or that its frustration from not making it ? WE do not know.
Statements like "I have heard the interviews and seen the specials on the trick my truck program "

Brickman, LOL you said I called you a liar I rememeber asking you for the shows that showed truck numbers ??Here is my quote
"Brickman please name the truck with DOT numbers and Co lettering thats clearly seen for me ? Thanks" did I sound ####y? Yes I did,not any more ####y then any of the guys on this forum. At least I apologized ! lol again I'm sorry. I was caught up in the moment responding to jlkklj777

 

"The short answer is you will make less money as an o/o" ?? You said this ?"The only way to be a true success as an o/o is to have your own truck, trailer, and operating authority" ??

Yes I said that and stand by it. A true independant as defined by the above statement will make more money overall. They will have more expenses but will also have much more control over their business than a lease operator who relies on a carrier for plates, permits, equipment, loads, etc. What happens when your lease is terminated and you dont own the truck or plates? You cant drive it anymore.

I missed your episode and asked for someone to let me know what the premise was. A legitimate question I thought. I was in fact under the impression (based upon interviews I have heard and yes seen on tv) trick my truck was an attempt to raise the publics awareness of the trucking industry and the drivers who move this nations economy. Selecting human interest stories appeared to be geared towards sympathy. Many episodes I have seen discussed how tough the driver had it and due to his other obligations couldnt AFFORD to fix his/her truck. You claim it was an honor to be on there thats fine. Many drivers spend thousands of dollars and man hours paying for and upgrading their trucks for annual truck shows. I have more respect for them than a guy who got a truck pimped for free.

You have made blanket statements about how well you do. Prove it. List your truck payment, fuel costs, and each and every deduction your carrier pulls out of your statement. Do not forget to mention all the appropriate insurances as well. You know, medical, dental, vision, disabiltiy, workers comp, escrow accounts, maintenance funds, retirement accounts, charge backs for plates permits, fuel taxes, road use taxes, 2290, etc. Cmon deputy you wanted to encourage Crunch and others so lets get right down to it. No more obfuscation. No more he said she said. Lets get right to the hard numbers.

 

Sure Brickman by all means weigh in. I applaud and encourage any and all o/o's (especially ones that are lease purchase) to give a nuts and bolts breakdown of their particular operation.

How else can we truly inform drivers of the costs of going into business for themselves than to illustrate with real world numbers.

Blanket statements will always ruffle some feathers. I intend to make this a comprehensive discussion on the ins and outs of being an o/o from a lease purchase perspective. I hope to get some validation from owner ops that went thru a lease purchase and why it didn't work or in some case DID work.
I crunch the numbers from time to time to check on the viability of getting my own truck but it never adds up to what I get as a company driver (when I factor in all the benefits and the fact I do not have to actually worry about the business end of things).

Wether people hate me or love me is immaterial so long as I have furthered the discussion and dragged into the light the true costs of being an o/o as well as the additional responsibilty and time required to actually run that business.