Find good rates?

Your fixed costs are the only thing that you can project going forward.
Your variable costs looking back are accurate, looking forward is just a WAG

 

15¢ per mile for maintenance sounds mighty dam low unless you can turn a wrench in a knowledgeable fashion.

 

I'm guessing your direct cost per mile is close to $1. But I was never an owner-operator because I just wanted a paycheck, not a slightly better paycheck and not one moment to think about something other than the truck. If you want good rates you need to find direct customers, not imagine you will find it on a load board, especially a free load board. As I understand it there are probably 10 times more loads posted on load boards than loads needing to be moved. It's a tactic brokers use to fish for desperate owner-ops with little idea of what's a good rate and a bad rate.

 

It's simple math once you get your paperwork together. ChatGPT can't get your paperwork together. It requires some simple work from you. ChatGPT cannot do the work that gives the answer to operate your truck unless you tell ChatGPT your individual costs for insurance, maintenance, pay, etc. Once you have those numbers to give to ChatGPT you have the numbers to calculate yourself with a spreadsheet or calculator.

 

I don’t want to sound crass, but everything you need to know you can back into with basic math. Calculating fuel mileage is easy. Extrapolating that is simple. What does insurance cost? Factor that down to a daily rate, weekly rate, whatever you need to help you figure operating cost. Maintenance is another simple math equation.

If you can’t figure these things out without some app, or software, then you’re probably not going to succeed. Again, not trying to sound crass, but that’s just the fact of the matter. Frankly speaking, these are things you should’ve had figured out prior to buying a truck. It’s called doing your due diligence in the business world.

Best of luck! I hope for your sake you get it figured out before you run out of capital.

 

Only a little bit smart aleck:
Pad of paper and a pencil.

Total your costs divide by miles. Every month.

 

You are almost there in your thinking. You have to not worry if something is considered a good rate or not. All that matters is it good for you and your costs and are you willing to take a load for the offered rate or not. What others think is pretty much irrelevant.