Rate my month! How did I do as an Owner Operator?

If where ever in cow hampshire at the same time. Ill buy you a cup of Joe.
No comment on rates thou. Not enough experience to do so.

 

I count all spent as “maintenance and repairs”. That includes minor Parts. Some of it gets put in with miscellaneous, nuts bolts, printer ink. I try to keep the major stuff together. I use to keep a budget of $1000 a month. Buying tires, shocks, surprise repairs. Then when I had a low month, I’d buy the wants. Seats, Chrome, whatever. That #s gone up to $12k, and I’m doing a lot more of the work myself. I honestly don’t keep track anymore. Just buy as needed. Wants when I have time and money. Everything’s paid for. Only have insurance of $800 mo. to keep up with. Costs have gone up so much. I still watch every dime, so it stays in my pocket. I have a list of things to do now. Wants. Floor, seats, radio, door panels, polish Tanks, wheels. Had that list for years. Currently though, rebuilding front end, alignment, and replacing all air lines, painting frame, and changing fifth wheel are priorities on the near horizon. I have a lot more patience these days. Used to overspend and just get it done. No matter what the cost. Can’t count on the future though, in this Business. I tend to try to pay as I go. Letting the Truck support itself. Hard to do with Truck payments, and outstanding debt. It all has to be amortized into monthly costs. Makes it hard, and risky, to figure out exactly how much your making. Main thing is to not waste money on frivolous things, as long as there’s debt that the money could be going towards. It all adds up. It all has a snowballing effect. I’ve been buried so deep, in the past. Once it gets past a certain amount, it really compounds itself. Kind of a curve involved. Staying within a certain amount on costs, at least trying to set a target or limit helps. Being able to check progress against the targets. I spent $35k on my last Truck, within a year. New everything. Then wrecked it 6 mos later. Ins. payout was 21k. Hard lesson at the time. Since then it’s pay as I go, if possible. Otherwise just throw all your money up in the air, whatever doesn’t come down is yours.Lol.

 

I'm grossing similar to you and stay out perpetually, at least when the truck repairs aren't keeping me from running. The more miles the better. For me lately the sweet spot seems to be around 800-1100 miles to get the most miles for the best rate. You may be able to make more money doing shorter runs but you can never be sure when a shipper or receiver is going to waste those valuable few hours on your clock you need to get your next load. I also just love to drive haha.

 

Good dead head at less than 10% especially running wild all over the place like you do.

 

Looking good. Just remember when you were starting out in a box truck how far you have come!

I would say compared to what I am doing it is about the same all miles to truck. Since I don’t stay out near as long there is no way to compare a long stretch. If we compare average week to week just like you would have some great ones and some not so great.

I still have not ventured northeast. As long as I continue to find good stuff I can run out and about I will take it.

‘My deadhead miles would be higher than yours. I will sometime watch one of those weird loads that are going to areas people have a hard time getting a load out of and I will wait until they are desperate and jump up the rate to where I can deadhead out if I can’t find something paying good. I make sure it pays far well enough to boogie instead of sit for a couple days looking. If nothing is there I will start booking it to more fertile grounds until I find something. This leads to a lot of stress free country driving and I really don’t want to take a 53’ trailer up northeast. I almost snagged a load from a good broker I trust that was paying well but after seeing the actual address to the delivery I was like no thanks lol.

This is one of the few places I trust others to actually share what they are making in a month long period as some of the Facebook groups you have snoop dog e dog folks who if they got paid what they say they are they can buy a home in the Hampton’s and retire next year.

The key is you are making it work and if you are happy with it then you are successful. If your is family cool with you running that long at a time then do what suits you. I know you have been in the south (not talking Florida) but there is good freight there and much closer to home. Last time I was in Tenn my phone was ringing off the hook.

Good stuff! You have busted ### and it is paying off. So glad to see your success.

 

Didnt read all the comments, so might have already been discussed. Gross is nice i guess.

But i only look at time out, miles run, and NET.

I dont care if i ran toll road or not. Dont care what lumpers charged, or if i had to bribe someone for something. Dont care if i ate in restaurant or truck. Or how many hotels i got vs sleeping in truck.
My main concern is my NET to the bank. But then again i don't haul general freight, and get paid for everything i do. Sometimes i make more sitting than driving 300 miles.

 

youre doing alright. i would definetly look at that MPG. are you using a fuel card

 

Man, I didn’t even look at fuel in there. It’s killing you and it’s not even expensive yet. Just last month you could have saved around $1700 with a new truck. And that’s factoring only 7.2 since it’s a flat bed.

When it gets to $4/gal and higher that’s going to be a serious concern. Enough so you’ll have to adjust how you run from longer to shorter distances.

Something to think about.