Pit falls of the owner operator

There are pro and cons to both ways.

% would be great providing the Company has great rates, which that is few and far between in most cases but hauling cheap freight = 95% of nothing is still nothing. Plus you get nothing for deadhead.

Last company I worked for with % pay I lost more than I care to say. As a company driver, I was getting 40% after fuel. Last load I went to pick up Just to get to the pickup, and deliver I needed 450.00 worth fuel (during high fuel prices in 2008 ) the load paid 400.00. 40% of nothing is still nothing.

Mileage most do pay deadhead. It all goes back knowing your numbers and knowing which loads you can haul and make money and not. Working with mileage short loads I avoided, Long loads I did good.

Some of you like the short hauls, % works good with if your deadhead is short. I prefer Longer runs, which mileage worked fair to good and I did not care if they deadheaded me 200 miles or 20 miles, still got paid the same if I was loaded.

 

The Mileage company paid 57 cents for DH, 82 Cents+FSC,( I know, I know....Dumb) the % Co. paid no DH, but rates were around $1.50 + FSC. I can honestly say, I ran about 15000 less miles on %, then on mileage, for one: I was Dead head conscious, and two, I was making better money, so was home more days out of the year then with mileage Co.

 

I liked the Short ones, and the long ones. Did get tired of the: 8-900 mile, load, strap, and tarp # 5:00PM, untarp, unstrap, unload no later than 8:00AM the next morning... But.... Thats truckin'.....

 

I have done this, My deal was good, all new wilsons, the cargo was band strapped to the trailer, so no straps or chains. Pull up, kick tarps out of the side boxes, drop, hook, put tarps back in, and take off. That was the only shipper we had drop and hook with.

 

I was getting 0.90 empty or Loaded. Which if you had to deadhead much your cutting down that % pay of that 1.50pm. Some times you can't help the longer deadheads if your not running on your own authority.

 

well I went from Landstar paying them 65%. 8% of which was for a cheap hyundai dry van (works out to about $90 a day on a good day running) to hauling reefer for a small company for 90% of gross.
even after factoring my payment for the reefer trailer, extra fuel (produce runs heavy and fast) my first week more then doubled my best week at the big star.
take what you want from the story

 

I'll take it that you're making some respectable money there. Congratulations. I bet that feels terrrrrrrific!

 

I had to take a cheap $1mi poweronly load from houston to Spokane to pickup my trailer. Even at that cheap rate I sent home $700 for that 3 day run. after fuel and living expenses. That $700 represents an above average week at landstar. Many of my weeks were $500. My best was just over a grand and only had two like that. plus they fallowed bad weeks because one of the loads was a carryover form the week before, just got delivered in that pay period.
I'll take 90% of $1mi over 65% of $1.30 (which is about average at landstar) anyday. if for nothing else just the principle of the matter.

Note I said that $1mi was a power only, that's not what I'm running for but it was better then bobtailing to MT to get my trailer. I won't say what these loads are paying but after my fuel and living expense I'll send home $1mi on this load. and my fuel mileage is sucking right now. About 5mpg. I need to have some work done

 

Great thread SP. Thanks for all the good info from you vet O/O's. These are things newbie and wannabee O/O's need to be researching but I imagine many don't.

 

I know I do and have,,,thanks all