Some numbers for new O/O

RushmoreTrucker · Oct 24, 2025

paulop said: ↑

I say if you are new, you should try to be out at least 2 weeks , and home 2 days. Then pay the driver (you) , only $500/week. Consider this as a training period when you first become company driver as you are new again being an owner operator.
Click to expand...

I'm reading your other thread and what you are suggesting is insane. I make about $1200 take home right now. I will be paying myself about $63k/year W2 for tax purposes. Do you know what that is per mile?

That's $0.42.

wait why am i breaking down numbers?

halfway through writing this I read the rest of your thread and you're absolutely a troll

if you aren't, you're going to light $200k on fire working for free because you thought you were smarter than you are and didn't want to do research, only wanted a confirmation of your (literally $0.30 per mile LOSS MINIMUM) "business model"

BlackDragon88 · Dec 29, 2025

DUNE-T said: ↑

There have been a lot of threads lately here and in Facebook groups from people wanting to start their own business. Here are some rough numbers to show how much does it really cost to run a truck.
Lets take a single O/O with new authority and a dry van trailer, who will run 100% brokered loadboard freight (thats how majority of people start out, right?). Lets say this guy (John) has a family and wants to be home every weekend to have somewhat normal life, so he will work Mon-Fr.
1. Truck payment of $1500 per month
2.Average truck/trailer yearly maintenance/repair bill is $25000, so lets say $2000 per month
3. Trailer payment $600 per month. Yes, you should get a brand new trailer. Running a used one will cost you the same or most likely more, when you calculate the repairs and downtime
3.Insurance for the first year will be $12-16k, so lets say $1200 per month
4. Driver salary (pretend you are an experienced company driver and you make $72k per year, so $6000 per month.
5. Fuel $5000 per month
6. Ifta, plates,parking, misc expenses $1000 per month
So we have $17300 in expenses. Now for being a business owner and all the headaches, you deserve another $1000 per week, which makes it $21300 per month, I will round it up to $22000.
$22000 per month, means you need to gross at least $5500 per week, or $1100 per day. You have to figure out lanes/rates and how to make that amount every 5 working days and be home for the weekend.
If everything goes smooth as planned, John will make $120000 per year and be a happy camper.

Of course things never go as planned. John takes time off to spend time with his kids, some repair downtime adds up and now gross revenue starts shrinking. John is lucky if he does all repairs at home, thats usually cheaper. Because if his 500k Cascadia starts having DEF problems on the road and a gangsta dealer charges him $6000 to fix it, on top of the $1000k towing bill, his maintenance/repairs budget starts having problems. Its not uncommon for a new O/O to dump $40k into his truck during each of the first couple years of ownership. The worst I have seen is complete engine failure and a few months of downtime. (happened to me too haha).

Now think if you have a tough enough skin to deal with shark brokers every day, make your revenue goals and deal with all the headaches of owning this business. Remember, in busy months you have to gross much more, than $5500, because in the slow season you might be working only couple of days per week and only do $2-$3k. It means you have to play constant poker games on spot market. You have to be ready to talk to 50 people per day, constantly hear "NO" for an answer, be very resistible to stress and be very efficient with time management. The first year you will be spending time learning lanes,you will make many mistakes, like taking 1500 miles load to Miami for $3500 and thinking its a great rate, or taking already late loads to grocery warehouses and sitting there for 3 days waiting to get unloaded, while getting paid $150 per day broker layover fee. Some of those mistakes can have you make a great big $0 profit at the end of the week.

Oh, also, if you are one of those people who just want to buy a truck and put a driver in it, think about all that and about your truck going down for a month and how you will be paying your driver to seat and wait while your truck is getting fixed. Also think about your driver not checking oil level, ####ing up the engine 1000 miles away from home, getting put out of service for some stupid reason, damaging the load, e.t.c and another 100 mistakes crappy drivers do, because being a new business, you will not be able to hire great experienced drivers, they usually already have good places to work at.

Some people will be lucky and have less expenses and some will be lucky to make more money, but you still will be around numbers posted above. Good luck
Click to expand...

Wow that's a very very specific break down of everything my goodness

FloridaRetired · Dec 30, 2025

BlackDragon88 said: ↑

Wow that's a very very specific break down of everything my goodness
Click to expand...

It's quite outdated too. It is 6 years later.
Back then you could buy a well spec'd, brand new truck for $160k, today the same truck sells for $200k. A set of average drive tires bought at discount shops: Goodyears or Generals were $2700, today more like $3500-4000. In 2018; they would tow your truck 20 miles off the interstate for $750; today it's $1500. PM service at Speedco was $350; today it is closer to $500.
The problem is that the rates for a brokered freight they're paying today aren't that much better than they were back in 2018.

KaoMinerva · Jan 12, 2026 at 11:03 AM

FloridaRetired said: ↑

It's quite outdated too. It is 6 years later.
Back then you could buy a well spec'd, brand new truck for $160k, today the same truck sells for $200k. A set of average drive tires bought at discount shops: Goodyears or Generals were $2700, today more like $3500-4000. In 2018; they would tow your truck 20 miles off the interstate for $750; today it's $1500. PM service at Speedco was $350; today it is closer to $500.
The problem is that the rates for a brokered freight they're paying today aren't that much better than they were back in 2018.
Click to expand...

I'm not an OO, but I've also noticed services have degraded as well. Is it only me? Speedco used to be great at service and I considered them a cheat code. Now, it's horrible lol.

DUNE-T · Jan 12, 2026 at 11:14 AM

FloridaRetired said: ↑

It's quite outdated too. It is 6 years later.
Back then you could buy a well spec'd, brand new truck for $160k, today the same truck sells for $200k. A set of average drive tires bought at discount shops: Goodyears or Generals were $2700, today more like $3500-4000. In 2018; they would tow your truck 20 miles off the interstate for $750; today it's $1500. PM service at Speedco was $350; today it is closer to $500.
The problem is that the rates for a brokered freight they're paying today aren't that much better than they were back in 2018.
Click to expand...

New Volvo was $135k I remember

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Find Trucking Jobs

Some numbers for new O/O

RushmoreTrucker Bobtail Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

BlackDragon88 Bobtail Member

FloridaRetired Medium Load Member

KaoMinerva Transcendent God

DUNE-T Road Train Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Find Trucking Jobs

Some numbers for new O/O

RushmoreTrucker Bobtail Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!

BlackDragon88 Bobtail Member

FloridaRetired Medium Load Member

KaoMinerva Transcendent God

DUNE-T Road Train Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!