Indian River

Some of you have asked questions recently about the loads at Indian River, whether things are exclusively drop and hook, etc. I posted a detailed example in response a few weeks ago that included several of the common long hauls we do. I had some spare time this evening and figured I would add to it in order to show how shorter loads can also add up to pretty good numbers as well.

Exactly two weeks ago on Monday May 19th, I left our terminal in Bensalem, PA and deadheaded 319 miles to a shipper in northern New York. I live loaded there, then drove 1,392 miles to Carrollton, TX. After live unloading, I deadheaded 1,009 miles to Avondale, AZ and dropped my tank at the wash. Even though it was only Friday, I knew that my pay cycle was ending there since I saw that my next assignment was a load that wouldn’t deliver in Florida until after our Monday night cutoff. So, I scanned in my paperwork for that week with 2,720 miles. I say “week,” but it was actually five days of work. Regardless, I will call that Week #1.

From the tank wash in Avondale, AZ, I bobtailed 194 miles to the border in Nogales, AZ and picked up a preloaded tank. I hauled it 2,030 miles and dropped it in Lake Wales, FL. After latching onto an empty, I drove 16 miles to the Winter Haven office. They had a pre-washed trailer sitting there, so I took it 59 miles down the road and watched the yard mule load it for me in Arcadia, FL while I played around on my iPad for about an hour. Afterward, I drove 1,111 miles to Flemington, NJ and dropped it. Instead of picking up an empty that time, I picked up a different tank that was sitting there preloaded at the same customer and hauled it 160 miles to Laurel, MD. Once again, I dropped it and grabbed an empty. I took that empty tank 94 miles to Strasburg, VA and dropped it. Afterward, I hooked onto another preloaded tank there, grabbed the paperwork, and drove 702 miles to Murray, KY. As the post from yesterday shows, it too was dropped, and I picked up another empty tank before dead heading 364 miles to Fair Oaks, IN. I’m doing a 34 hour reset now, and since it’s Monday, I scanned in my paperwork. For this pay period, it was 4,730 miles. I will call it Week #2.

Grand total paid miles from exactly two weeks ago on Monday May 19th to Monday June 2nd = 7,450.

Last Friday’s check had 2,720 miles of that. This Friday’s check will have the other 4,730 miles of it.

Live loads = 2
Live unloads = 1
Drop and Hooks = 8

 

Give me some time to go back over the stubs and I will get back to you on that. They email them to us, and I archive them afterward. I will need to open each one and add the numbers together.

 

I went back to the beginning of 2025 for you. My first paycheck for this calendar year was on January 10th, because I had been off work for the holidays. Had I not been off, my first paycheck would have been on January 3rd.

When I add the miles together from each paycheck starting from the beginning of this year until present, I’m showing 58,944 miles. That covers a period of five months. (January, February, March, April, and May) If you’re looking for the average that it would equate to, here is my math for both in your question using the number above:

58,944 divided by 5 = 11,788 per month

11,788 X 12 months = 141,465 per year

I usually take an entire week off work every six to eight weeks, depending on how I feel and what all I have going on. I also take about 10 days off for Christmas and New Year’s.

 

It’s usually between $80,000 and $85,000.

“Over 100K miles” is a broad question. For example: A person can run 101K miles and give a much different answer than someone who runs, let’s say, 140K miles.

The driver I brought over here in early 2017, who I’ve mentioned a few times on the thread, would answer $105,000 to $115,000. Why? Because he’s on a dedicated route under Clovis. He drives 320 miles one direction and 320 miles back. He drops and hooks on both ends and runs it six times per week on average. He puts close to 200,000 miles on his odometer each year.

There are also lucrative positions and routes for drivers like @Redtwin who go into Canada and earn non-mileage pay for border crossing and what not, in addition to their CPM pay. Those drivers probably do just as well, if not better, and might not even run the same amount of miles.

 

I started staying out longer when the pandemic hit in 2020. There wasn’t anything to do on home time back then, because the restaurants were closed, masks were required everywhere, etc. Family members had the mindset of “Don’t come over to the house. You were just in New York last week! We’re older, you might make us sick, etc.” So, I just stayed on the road a lot more when that was going on. I got into the groove of it. Prior to that, I usually did four or maybe five weeks at a time.