Week 2 of being an O/O

Thats what i was wondering, so yeah it makes sense going that fast now. It would be a big strain if you were to go slower

 

There are two general schools of thought as for the reason one wants to become an owner operator. A.) to have the potential to make significantly more money. B.) to have the complete freedom to drive how they want, where they want, and when they want. It is usually a pretty distinct line between the two. Once in awhile some will find a happy medium. I like the freedom and could never work for someone else again, but I LOVE the money.lol

 

You should be able to get better than 5.3 out of that truck, even at 70. I doubt you would ever consistently average over 6, but I would say that 5.7-6 would be a reasonable expectation. I would probably run it as you are for a month or two, get a solid, accurate baseline mpg average for that timeframe, and then work on improving it.

 

I will clear the air as well as you nor anyone else here really knows me. Yes, my wife and I are a small carrier and own 8 trucks and 10 trailers have 4 more units leased to us. I don't drive near as much as I used to, but I do still drive 50-60,000 miles a year myself. I don't drive anything nicer than what any if my employees drive nor do I drive any differently than they do. Nor do I haul any different loads than they do. In other words, I try very hard to practice what I preach and be just "one of the guys".

With all of that said, please don't think that I am saying that what you are doing is wrong. I'm not saying that at all. If it works for you, and you are happy doing it, then that is awesome. I simply said that based on the two numbers you threw out, that there was room for improvement. That is not only a fact, but it is a very good thing. Continous improvement is one thing that distinguishes the leaders in a field from the pack, in my opinion. Complacency breeds laziness and laziness breeds failure. I truly believe that and try to live by it.

 

What is the gap now and can you tighten it up any? Once you get past a certain number, I think it is like 42", it no longer matters. For example, if your gap is right at that magic number right now, you could stretch that sucker to 20 feet and it would have zero effect on mpg. If you can get it below that number, the closer you get it, the more it will help.