How do the stay in business?!?

Very simple, DONT HAUL CHEAP!

 

So, we're talking $2.50 to $3.33 on the gross??

 

Maybe 25 to 50 % of the gross.

 

On the 20% range, are you talking just on loaded miles or the deadhead there as well? Knowing some trucks still run in the 5mpg range, we are looking at $4 loaded mile pushing $5 to cover deadhead.

Trying to understand this.

 

IF....If Im Spending over 30% Weekly on Fuel.....Im Concerned (I didnt Rate something right)Or the Broker was Making it Hard

I try to stay between 25-30%

 

Real simple trucks need 2.5 mile to you or your company if ur leased on to make decent money. It cost roughly 1.80 mile to have a okay company with 7 - 10 yr old eequipment but if u wanna turn a profit in this business ask and just wait to see if they will take your rate at 2.5mile so u can have newer trucks better drivers etc. Older trucks cost more money to maintain and newer trucks cost more to pay monthly on. I.e. truck is 2007 payments 760-1000, maintenance cost is double what a new one is bout .12 cents a mile, new truck 2100-2600 month but maintenance cost bout .60 cents per mile.

 

Where are you getting 4$ a mile from.. Can't be dry van for sure

 

Trying to understand Bill's numbers is all. Example: in order for a truck that makes 5 mpg to be at 20% cost ratio on fuel,
They would have to make $4 per miles to be at that threshold

 

Depends on the model. BBB was talking about models on another thread. If your model is the short miles/high revenue model you can expect to be getting high revenue on short miles. Your model is built on this, and your operating strategy centers on it. Example, broker has a load picking up today and delivering tomorrow going 250 miles. Getting a thousand for this load is not outside the realm of possibility, as the broker understands that this one ain't moving for $400...he sure would like to move it at this price and he will be shopping it at 0800 and closing hard on any and all calls to try to get it done...broker offers $400 initially, this is his starting point, and in his hard close mode will come up to $600, and with some gentle squeezing he can be convinced that $700 is the number....and this is the mid-morning, before lunchtime rate.....come one o'clock and the $700 starts looking like $800. Now, if the broker really needs to move this load, and hasn't been able to, then $1,000 isn't unheard of, as it is now only a couple hundred dollars away...."I have a truck, I can pick it up right now and deliver it tomorrow at 0700 for $1,000"....remember that pause I've mentioned before? That's him thinking hard on that number...lol...now, he's going to push back, "I'm all in at $950, can you do it for $950?"

"No, I'm going to have to be at $1,000" (You are in the perfect position here. You are in charge, you've either got your number, or can settle for $950)

This is why BBB is so in favor of EOBR's, as this will really tighten up capacity. Anyone working on the short overnight model will benefit greatly, as a lot of trucks will be taken out of the available truckload pool on these kinds of runs....

 

I agree I don't know how people stay in business by being late. Overall, being an owner operator is easy work if you know your schedule. My wife is my dispatcher and generally has me booked for a week solid. She knows how I run and can look at my hours from the logs sent by email each day. We have only had to bail on a couple of loads and gave 48 hours notice.

We get kudos for just doing the job like it is supposed to be done: pick up and deliver on time.