i-5 corridor

If you want to run the I-5 corridor, have you looked into Gordon Trucking??? I have absolutely no clue how the operate or if they even hire O/O's, but I do know that all i ever see are those ugly baby blue trucks rolling up and down I-5

 

Ok, your 1.38 seems fair. If you want to pay yourself the same as you would as a company driver, and accept the responsibility of 4,800 a year in repairs. That might work. You also based it, however, on 120,000 miles. What happens if you only do 100,000 at 1.38? 80,000 at 1.38? Run them again under those circumstances and see what happens.

 

On your profit and loss sheet your fuel cost should be no more then 30% You are close to 50%. WA to LA is a tough lane, however
you can make it work . Fuel is runnin about 70 cents a mile plus all your other cost you are at a 1.35 a mile to just operate. Your
rate should be atleast 3 times your fuel cost per mile. That would put you at 2.10 a mile, that should be your bottom. You will sink
fast if you continue to haul freight for those low rates. I am based outta WA, I will break it all down for you about this Westcoast if
you would like, just let me know!

 

Hmmm...3 things that caught my eye on your expense report.

1- You are starting out with a truck that you are payin 18K a year for? All my trucks have been 10K or less and are still going strong. The first truck I bought was 10K and the payment over 3 years was around 375/month.
2- Your fuel mileage is pretty low. You are driving in states that allow 60 MPH at the max. If you have a descently specced truck, you should have no problem averaging over 7.
3- You are leasing a trailer for 500/month from who? It is a reefer I assume? there are lots of good used reefers out there for around the 10K mark that you could get into for 375/month.

Over all you could cut your monthly costs by over $2400 just on those things alone...that starts to add up huge...over $0.20 a mile!!! BTW - I still wouldnt haul their crap for less then $2.25 a mile if you are doing it on your own...

 

I did 2 years at $1.40 mile in a paid for truck and seemed like every other week was something else what really was minor. I actually dreaded something so small as buying new steer tires and I was only responsible for 10 tires total back then. Burned through $15K startup money almost out the gates and never did get it back. I know there are guys on here who say they are doing it and making good money, that I wasn't doing something right, but we are pretty thrifty with a nickel and try as I might it NEVER worked. Fuel was $2.60ish a gallon back then. All I can say is have fun trying to make it on $1.38 a mile, nope you are not paying yourself anything at that no-where near anything in your pocket. If all I had to make was $1.38 a mile I could so easily turn 4,000+ miles a week - there's never a shortage of freight for suckers. Good luck with $1.38 a mile.