According to a survey conducted by Overdrive Magazine, most owner-operators are making less in 2018 than they did before the ELD mandate went into effect. This is despite the capacity crunch and rising freight rates.
Overdrive conducted a survey of drivers where they asked owner-operators how much they were expecting in net income for 2018. They also asked whether they were making more or less money than before the ELD mandate went into effect.
Overdrive doesn’t provide any raw data in their article such as number of drivers surveyed. But according to their analysis, 65% of drivers reported that they expected to net less money in 2018 than they did before the ELD mandate.
Here’s a breakdown of O-O estimated net income in 2018, and the change from pre-ELD days:
- 21% of O-Os estimated a net income of more than $70,000 (decreased by 27%)
- 50% of O-Os estimated a net income of $40,001-$70,000 (increased by 14%)
- 29% of O-Os estimated a net income of less than $40,000 (increased by 21%)
Top earning truckers dropping into lower pay categories would make sense if it was a slow freight market. But freight volume hit the highest tonnage in two decades and freight capacity hasn’t been keeping up. O-Os should therefore be seeing a dramatic increase in rates, but according to Overdrive, that’s not happening.
Instead, these numbers point to a serious problem for independent truckers.
Source: overdrive, prnewswire, trucks, freightwaves, businessinsider
James S Scotland says
I’ve been on e-logs for about 7 years now, and I actually prefer them to paper logs. I seem to get more sleep, and make more money, as when I start my 14 hour day, I work. No more screwing around, stopping here or there, doing some sightseeing, etc, I work. At the end of my day, I sleep. No more supporting documents. No more losing a mandatory 15 minutes for a possible 5 minute fuel stop. No more wondering if I wrote down the right town name when I’m in the middle of nowhere. I’ve also had the best financial year of my career in 2018, having made approx 45% more than years past. I find it funny how many are trying to blame their problems on an ELD. There is NO difference between an ELD and a LEGAL paper log. Drivers may be displeased with the current HOS, but an ELD has no bearing on that beside it holds you to a legal work period.
Alan says
I to agree to that. I actually made around the same amount of money this year as I did last year. If you want to make money you get up in the morning and work. Dont lose your time on stoping here and there. Do your things after you finish your work day. And get back to work when your 10 hr rest is over not after 15 hours. ELD’s do make your life harder sometimes but its not so horible as many describe
Jeff says
Well said from the company driver. When you end a sentence with the word period is a period still needed?
Kevin Chevalier says
yeah that’s a pretty boring life you have the same ole crap day after day nothing like seeing world through a windshield right your stuck where
ever that restart puts you if that’s what you want better you than me.
Charles Cannaday says
I dont do the same thing aside from drive. We arent here to sightsee or flirt with 5 waitresses a day. I seldom do a restart unless I take a couple days off at home. I’ve been on elogs since I bought my Volvo 4 years ago and because of the great ecconomy my gross has gone from 165k in 2016 to 205k in 2017 to 240k in 2018 Im striving for 300k this year
Don says
Amen
Bryan Johnson says
“Overdrive doesn’t provide any raw data in their article such as number of drivers surveyed.”
So what would be the point of writing this article other than rile up drivers who hate Elogs? The Elogs have nothing to do with why they aren’t making money. If they aren’t making money now, they weren’t making money on paper. They need to do better research
Jason says
Incorrect. They’re not making as much on electronic because they can’t lie anymore like they could with paper. Notice it said o/o’s are making less. Company drivers have been on electronic logs for years.
Don says
Exactly. It’s like when your watching the news and someone says: “I feel” or “I think” at which point this transitions from factual to non-sense. Excellent posting Jason.
The dude says
Ummmm duhh!!! Now they can’t run three logs anymore. This is part of the reason ELD’s were put in place! Drivers cooking their logs, driving while exhausted and killing people when they get in an accident. I’m frankly surprised this is even being reported this way.
John says
Look at the stats pre-elog. Companies on elog had a higher crash rate and more violations than those that ran paper. Elogs we’re put in place by the big companies to get rid of owner/operators. The big companies had the government pay for their elog systems years ago.
Jon says
Well, not quite. Remember when elogs first appeared, who was using them? Major carriers only, the Swift’s & Knights, they of the
50 new drivers per week, and 70-90% turnover, sure they crashed more trucks. Quality of the drivers was very poor. Non representative sample. However, you got the second bit right, the
Industry and corrupt government want all independents gone, that driver niche has shrunk as a result. Refer & flatbed are still lucrative, plain van? Not any more. All 3 trailers for each truck, big carriers only.
Douglas Kirk says
How many drivers are you personally acquainted with who ran 3 log books and killed people? These stupid electric babysitters make me try to keep going when I should be able to sleep a few hours. The moron that came up with the 14 hour rule needs to be tied to the front of a Swift truck. If I can drive 11 hours in a day, who could possibly care when or how? Some days we are at our best, some days it is more of a challenge….so why does the so-called “safety” administration keep trying to make it harder to actually BE safe and take care of business at the same time?
I wonder why this subject makes the company drivers so sanctimonious and scoff at actual truck owners…..who individually and as a group have a better safety record than any of the 30 day wonders who cause so many problems
Kevin says
I cannot speak for the other guy but in the 70’s,80’s,90’s, quite a few of my friends that ran the west coast out of PA ran 3 logs. One friend of mine turned the coast in a week left on Sunday back on Friday from the valley. That is until his heart attack. I never believed him until he showed me his paperwork for the load leaving and the return load. Pilled up of course all of them.
James Allen Oglesby says
Most people driving these days don’t remember back then. I assure you, before 91 or 92, that was pretty much the industry standard as far as I knew… they didn’t call log books “comic books” for nothing. Where did the phrase “California Turnaround” come from?
Maybe I’m just an old fart, but I really like the HOS rules… sure I’d tweek a thing or two, but driving five days straight with just a few hours sleep here and there was idiotic then and, but for drug testing and ELD’s, would be now.
TheRealTrucker says
Yea sure, so you heard that your brothers, girlfriend’s best friends, brother ran three logs.
Sheriff John says
Amen Douglas! It’s company drivers I see driving like morons. An o/o would not risk their livelihood and investment by driving recklessly like thosr “30 day wonders” out there! Lol!
Darin Prater says
Those stats are incorrect. You just made them up.
BC says
17
Jeromy Hodges says
So in other words, 65% of O/O can’t make enough money without running illegal. That is exactly why ELDs became mandated.
Douglas Kirk says
Amen
James Allen Oglesby says
I drive less than 50,000 miles a year… by choice… let’s say “semi” retired. I net about $50,000 a year. I live frugally and am happy. But, I can’t imagine any O/O who is young and eager to work not making 80 to 100 grand or MORE net… I pull my own van with Landstar and I work their system.
TheRealTrucker says
Sounds like you don’t have a clue with your 6 months experience
Rufus says
I don’t lose my money to my log. “Except, when I have to do your 30 min break, because I need fuel.” I lose my money at shippers and receivers. Appt times that don’t match my drive time, leaving me sit on freight, leaving me sit in door, because they can’t seem to unload me in less time than it took for me to drive to the place. Then my log wouldn’t affect me much at all.
mark a davidson says
I used to make a lot more money when I ran paper logs. Not that you know exactly what I’m doing and when I’m doing it, I lose money. Very easy to see the reason why.
Noble says
Where are these oh so high freight rates? I saw a huge drop in rates back around September that hasn’t gone back up.
Alex c says
June,seems to be best brokers don’t jam ure rear as hard
Dibrahim says
I was thinking the same. Rates have gone down about 25% since September from what I’ve seen. This is not just locally where I drive but also OTR where my other trucks run.
Tim Mitchell says
I call BS on this survey as well. I had a 25% INCREASE in income in 2018 compared to 2017. The ELD mandate has nothing to do with it as stated by other drivers. If you run LEGAL it hasn’t changed a thing.
Andy B says
So we are expected to take their word that they are making less. It looks like O O’s are just saying that because of how much they don’t like eld’s. So one would assume that in order to make money you have to run illegally, ridiculous. The problem is they have to actually work now and not stop and fart around ever hour. If you drive your 11 hours a day I can’t see how you are making less money.
Earle Dubee says
But you can’t drive 11hrs a day plus do on time for fuel shippers and receiving with out running out of the 70hr by the 5th or 6th day ( 11×6=66) that leaves 4hrs on time so there’s recaps and no working 7 days a week and have to reset every week. I like running 7 days a week so that means 9 to 10hr driving and change your clock from on time to of duty at 10 minutes. My company said you have to stay on duty for everything even doing paperwork if you stand in line at shipper 45 minutes waiting for your turn at the window you lose your 70hr and have to reset. I tried it can’t be done. So I arrive at fuel stop go on time in line 10 minutes change to off duty and so on.
Tim says
And let’s not forget that there have been never ending reports about record truck and trailer sales. How many owner operators have bought new equipment in the last two years?
With a 3-5 year depreciation window it shouldn’t be too difficult to make less money going forward each year with new equipment.
Simply stated someone with a new 150k tractor can expect somewhere near 50k per year in depreciation which will hit their tax return as an expense which lowers their net income.
We won’t even go down the road of sky high maintenance costs and repairs to the emissions systems on many mid decade used trucks. Those costs also are a direct hit to net income.
cyrus curenton says
Let me tell you a real-time story of how ELD / Qualcomm logging hurt me.
Many times I would arrive in (for example) San Antonio the night before my delivery. I’d arrive at 9pm and begin my break in the Petro because HEB was nearby but didn’t allow drivers to arrive until an hour before appointment time.
At 0500 I’d have to get up and drive a few miles to HEB to make my appointment, thus voiding my sleeper break.
3 hours later the lumper knocks on my truck and I’m free to go, but all I can do it drive BACK TO THE PETRO and re-start my break all over.
So, I start my sleeper break in the middle of the morning, broad open daylight, when my body is awake and ready to drive.
The old days, I woulda shown taking the whole break at the Petro and woulda shown the delivery at the end of my break.
The sleeper time before 5am and during unloading would have refreshed me enough to drive again.
Technically illegal, but it WORKED.
I challenge you to check me.
I worked for Wiley Sanders (Troy, AL) for most of my driving time. We started logging strictly legal in ’93 and ALL MY ACCIDENTS happened while trying to hurry up and work by the log / qualcomm.
I got frustrated and worked for other companies (AMX, South East Carriers, Western Express, etc.) where we were pushed to fudge on our logging, and I never had an accident and very few tickets while working at the places that encouraged us to stretch our logs.
I know I am not “all truckers”, but I got out of trucking partly because I found it impossible to run legal and drive safely.
Lady Doe says
Rates did drop and bad, brokers putting more in their pockets and they do the bidding for freight. I don’t know where they drive but, bad traffic has not change and spending most of your drive time at shippers and receivers, and drivers parking at the fuel island for break, . you two need to let everybody else on to where you get your high paying freight and not having to wait all day at shippers and receivers. But mostly you are company drivers talking out the side of your neck. o/o pay has went down bad, and I DON’T WAST TIME, BECAUSE TIME IS MONEY.
Sheriff John says
Go Power Only Loads to include Oversize. The best way to go. Plus have a few hundred brokerage companies you can book from. You’ll do well with that
Harry W. Gauer says
I started driving when in came back from Korea, and was a driver for freight lines for over 22 years, and got a retirement, i then became a O/O of many operations van, reefer,tanker, rgn, flat, and you mean to tell me you do better with a e-log than paper, mister you have to stop if your red light comes on 15 minutes before your get to your house and take a 10 hour restart be for you can continue and that is the e-log rule, and tell me you are doing better, i dont thing so, Iam from the old school before a/c, 4 and 5 speed 2 speed single axle with vacuum brakes, YOU would not last.
Scooter says
Not surprising. Companies that have run ELDs before the mandate learned what they had to do to make appointments on time. Delays happen and have to be anticipated and taken into account when setting appointments. Those that waited til the last minute have to run that learning process. The ELDs are not the problem…it’s the DHOS rules that have to be changed to get into the 21st century.
Rambo1 says
” Aw shucks ! “
Fozzy says
They surveyed truckers and expected factual, real information? LOL!!!! They should have gotten the same information about who has the prettiest truck or why the farcical yearly trucker strike is going to happen
Sarge says
I’m still on paper and my revenue is $11,000 every 9 days with less than $1,500 spent on fuel. I get plenty of rest (too much actually).
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I run when I want and sleep when I want, I eat when I want, I stop when I want, I wake up when I want, I trash around when I want.
I know my body better than any damn computer.
ELD’s aren’t “safer” if they were, the number of commercial vehicle accidents would plummet, rather than increase drastically.
Enjoy your leash, the only way I’ll ever run an ELD is if I’m also punching a time clock.
23yrs, ZERO accidents and 1 speeding ticket in 2004 (in my pickup), never in a CMV.
I’m not forced to drive when I don’t need to, I run the Rockies and the Northwest ALL YEAR, the ELD doesn’t make anyone safer, the training and experience does!
If YOU want to run ELD’s then by all means, please do, but why should I be mandated to run something that I don’t need?
I’m safe, I’m courteous, my CSA score is PERFECT, Oregon bypasses me, Washington bypasses me, even COLORADO bypasses me and yes boys and girls, I still run paper while the fleets of ELD trucks are filing into the Ports and Weigh Stations and still failing inspections and driver fitness.
Safe my ass!
Sheriff John says
I DISAGREE with the lower crash stats with companies who run on ELDs. Crash stats have actually gone up. This is due to racing against ” ELD Clock,” i.e. looking for parking, racing to shipper/receiver before 30 minute break, or any other reason a driver would drive crazy to get stopped. Yes I know, poor planning, but with a log book you can make that minor adjustment(s).
I do AGREE that ELDs are not the problem, just the 14 hour clock. I did well in 2018 making a 6 figure net income running on an ELD. Though, I could have made a little more money if I wasnt wasting my time on a 34 restart and having to turn down loads. But I still did well.
Percheron1 says
Crash stats are up because you have rookies training neophytes
Darin Prater says
That minor adjustment is called lying/falsification.
ChromeGetsYouHome says
Shippers/receivers not valuing drivers’ time is a huge issue that ELDs make worse because of HOS rules and there’s certainly a lot of time being wasted waiting days for shops to be able to look at trucks (too many aftertreatment issues are clogging up the shops/leading to insanely high labor rates), but it’s hard to imagine an O/O making less in 2018 than in 2017, unless the O/O is at a mileage pay carrier that hasn’t increased pay rates in the past year. Rates are so much higher than they were for most of 2017 and the number of good percentage pay carriers has increased, giving O/Os more options. Most O/Os I talk to are making more money – and often a lot more money – than they did prior to ELDs. Many even make more money while running far fewer miles than they did before rates went up.
Alex Knolls says
Yup, serious problem for the high-earning independent trucker, because they are the ones cooking their logs, and they can’t do that any more! Lol
It just bumps them back down to be competing on a level field with the motivated and honest guys.
Stephen Easton says
What utter nonsense.
Trog says
Cut rate mileage drivers must not care about a lot of things: especially
What they look like.
How they drive
Who they drive for
What their driving in
Being a number instead of a name.
What they’ve done to destroy public confidence.
Or that they being nothing better than bugs killed many motorists along the way to get things where they are now!
I’d agree that what they do care about is the .28 per mile they’re given to take a giant crap on us all
Pete says
Elogs were brought about by lobbying Congress by the Mega Carriers. They aren’t able to compete with the O/Os and small trucking firms and the Elogs are a way of making them able to compete better. Their ultimate goal is to drive the O/Os and small trucking firms out of business. Their next step, which they are trying to get implemented at this time, is to have speed controllers installed in ALL big trucks as that will be the nail in the coffin of the O/Os and small trucking firms.
Elogs and Speed Limiters are both touted and sold to the public as a way of making our highways safer and is nothing but a scam.
Kevin says
I’m saying this straight, if you’re not making a decent profit, you’re either hauling the wrong product or a lousy business person.
I’ve been OTR for 20 yrs and I am making more now than I ever have. I admit, I’m in chemicals, but I’ve seen other driver bills. Most look pretty decent.
With that said, I’m always in for making more.
Stephen Easton says
There is no freight boom it is the opposite. The rates are down and that is caused by freight being scarce. I know because I am out there negotiating prices. Freight boom what nonsense. Thank god fuel is coming down to make up for it a little.
Wayne says
I agree
William T. Nowicki says
SOUND LIKE THE PERFECT STORM IS JUST ABOUT TO HAPPEN !!! JUST LOOK AROUND AND NOTICE WHAT’S DONE … WE ARE BARKING ON EACH OTHER… AND THOSE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE ARE STILL HIDDING.
Kevin Chevalier says
there used to be a day when long haul was pushed to run hard, they would
tell you whatever it took to do the run but try to keep it legal ahhh those were
the days white cross and coffee lord that’s all that I need and it’s all rite by me
truck drivin man, I feel the need for speed put the hammer down driver 10:4
break break what’s the 20 on them bears got my chrome plated gouging stick
in place I need a clean slab come on, Lol!!!
Kevin Chevalier says
What ever happened to professional time management? the formula to figure
how much time a run would take to make it from point A to point B (MPH divided
by mileage = hours + breaks + fuel = time + an extra 2 hours for the unseen =
a good ETA) I guess GPS and electronic logging is supposed to calculate that, traffic, accidents, weather are not part of the initial ETA that only recalculate’s when enroute, we rely to heavily on these devices to think for us and as our
technology invades our lives at the lowest levels it’s easier to push a button
to get the answer rather than to think.