how?

Mileage contracts suck... you are giving the majority of the $$$ to the company...why would you do that?

 

Well if u run the numbers it's not much difference,if your with a good company.On %,yes u get a bigger slice of the pie,but what about DH miles? And cargo/liability ins? And trailer rent?If you have your own trl,still have upkeep.If you have a reefer u can drop 5000 in an afternoon getting that unit going.I know everyone has different needs.But everything we have is paid for and I did it at WS on mileage and drop pay.So I've reached a point of contentment.I dont have to make more next week than I did this week.I am a blessed man

 

It don't matter how many discounts you get on stuff or if your tag is paid for or what your insurance cost. $1.17 a mile is cheap freight and they say that includes the fuel surcharge. I wouldn't start my truck for that. I am starting to think some of you don't know what it cost to run a truck you just look at the check and the end of the week and say "I did good this week and pat your self on the back" I have had owner operators pulling freight vans for some major companies tell me a $1,200 check at the end of the week was a dam good check, that is driving wages. Thank God you guy's get discounts so you can make a livin.

 

The $1.17 u refer to was in 2007.But even then they were paying more than that with stop or drop and hook pay.Yes,we get paid for every stop or D&H. But it seems u mght be basing ur opinion on ur needs. The guy with the $1200 check might be happy running 1600 miles.U say that's driver pay.Not true.U said work smarter not harder.Well,for a driver to make that he would have to run 3500 miles or more,right?But keep in mind some of us get discounts at our local tire place,or at MHC because we can pay cold hard cash.Because we run on mileage and are not very smart.

 

They need to update their website then, it says as of 2007. I guess they are not much into recruiting newbie owner operators if they are posting rates from 2007 which were pretty dam cheap in 2007. They can pay what ever for stop, drop and hook but you still got to get a good rate to haul it down the road and I but it isn't much more then what they were paying in 2007. Believe me those guys are running 2500 to 3000 or better miles and after fuel and other deductions they are making driving wages but hey they can keep on working for wages and tell everyone they are a big truck owner. I never said you wasn't smart and I am glad you pay cold hard cash that tells me that save your money it doesn't say anything about hauling for a good rate. Just like an owner operator running down the road in a new truck, that tells me he or she has good credit not that they are making good money.

If you are on with a good company that has good rates or you have your own authority and are hauling for good rates you will do better then anybody running on mileage pay and with freebies, it doesn't even come close. Been there done that.

 

And not to many company drivers I know of that are clearing $60,000 - $70,000 a year AFTER paying for health insurance and other little incidentals like I am. The net I said I was getting was after every expense. While it may be true that there are some company drivers that might GROSS close to those numbers, there are few, if any, that are taking home that much.

And considering I do not have to line up the loads, roughly 30-40% of my stuff is drop and hook, I get paid on the deadhead, my loads, almost all the time, keep me within a 500 miles radius of my house, I do not have to pay for fuel taxes and the filing, my truck plate cost is reimbursed to me each year...... Yeah, I may not be making Bill Gate's money, but then, I am not having to kill myself either. Most everything, except my house mortgage, is paid for... including 66 acres of prime Iowa farm ground (which has gone up considerably lately and market value is approaching $6000 an acre) , 2005 ag tractor, 2006 Jeep Liberty Diesel, and a 2006 International 9400i. Didn't do all of this overnight or in one year, but those statements that leasing on and working for mileage rate is dumb, just doesn't hold water for some of us.

And if the company is keeping more than I am, so what. I am glad they can command a good enough rate to do that. I am not in the poor home by any stretch.

 

Cowpie,give it a rest. You have made your point,but some are just unwilling to see it.

Some people just think that anything other than their way is not only the wrong way,but the stupid way. They use terms like "work smarter,not harder", which is often just their diplomatic way to call someone stupid.

The original question asked how owner operators can make it on less than a dollar a mile,and you have adequately showed how. You clearly understand that it is about NET,not GROSS income. Some people don't.

At the end of the day,YOU are making what YOU think is adequate for YOU. How that affects someone else,to the point where they seem to be saying that you are doing something wrong ,is beyond me, but as I said above,some people think that anything different from how they think something should be done,is wrong and less than intelligent. They are of the opinion that theirs is the standard by which everyone should be judged. I guess that is just human nature,and we are all guilty of that.

You ,and others, have adequately adressed the original question as to how O/O's can make it on less than $1 per mile. It has been explained how it can be profitable at those rates. I can't see the problem if you do so by getting huge discounts from the company you are leased to . I can't see what is fundamentally wrong with you get paid a low rate,but your expenses are discounted, as opposed to your getting paid a high rate,but you pay full cost for your expenses. At the end of the day, you are making it work for you. I'm sure you are not the only one.

Apparently you could making more doing it some other way apart from getting paid less than $1 per mile,but I'm sure also that there are O/O's doing it some other way who are not making it.

What ever works for you ,works for you. And that is what is important. And their will always be those who will be disparaging to you,because they think you should do it how they think it is to be done.

 

That's really it in a nutshell.Which ever way a O/O can use to make his work and family time balance and enjoy what he does,I'm glad for him.

 

I am all out of cookies and I don't do group hugs. I will say one thing, there is nothing wrong with running by the mile if the mileage rate is a good one and a $1 a mile or less is not a good one. labagiamf you have a lot to learn because it does effect every owner operator out their when somebody hauls cheap.

I had a guy tell me the other day that he doesn't include dead head miles in his rate and cost to do business because when he runs empty he doesn't burn that much fuel and no wear and tear on his equipment. What is sad is there is more then just him that thinks this way.

 

Finally,we have found common ground Big John.