What is an hourly income for an owner operator business?

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Konrad Po, Nov 19, 2014.

  1. 1boater12

    1boater12 Bobtail Member

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    Nov 19, 2014
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    $20/ hour is about average if you really account for all hours working or thinking about the business.
     
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  3. Hurst

    Hurst Registered Member

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    I'm not doing bad.

    I'm getting good paying loads, I never sit, just trying to get to a point where I can spend more time at home.

    I feel like life is passing me by while I'm out here. No time to enjoy the things that really make me happy.

    My goal is to get to a point where I can dispatch my own trucks. Just wish I would make it happen faster. Doing it the hard way by paying cash for everything is difficult. I have money,.. I just put it away and dont touch it because for me,.. its already spent. I have the next 24 months planned out. I've come a long way just in the last 36 months. I dont ever want to go back to what I went through just to get back in the seat again.

    Hurst:smt111
     
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  4. Ezrider_48501

    Ezrider_48501 Road Train Member

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    this week i am probably in the cents per hour.
     
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  5. Passin Thru

    Passin Thru Road Train Member

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    I averaged about $75K a year. Worked out to 3.20/hr. You work 18 hr days keeping the truck clean, polished, maintained, and doing bookwork. The rest of the time you drive like hell to get home. I was always going home from the minute I left on a trip. Bought 2nd truck, going broke twice as fast, will be twice as happy.

    I am the Captain of this ship. Watch out for my wife, she's an Admiral.
     
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  6. Pool6710

    Pool6710 Medium Load Member

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    Aug 10, 2014
    Minnesnowta
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    Yeah this month has been spendy. The first cold of the season always brings out problems.. the joys of seals and cold
     
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  7. Ezrider_48501

    Ezrider_48501 Road Train Member

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    it hasn't been so bad on repairs. a inhouse welding repair on the trailer. had most materials on hand, and a sythetic oil change. but then spent two days on classes i had to pay for to re-new some certifications for a upcoming job. so that was two days of spending money and taking two days of my time vrs making money. haven't done much paid work this week, so far might even be in the negative on the week. hopefully will turn that around before the end of the week. still will be by far a sub par week regardless.
     
  8. Pool6710

    Pool6710 Medium Load Member

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    This year has been about 11k in repairs, not too bad as I have a local shop do the work though. I just can't see myself working on my own truck in my driveway. I don't need to learn the hard way with parts. I'll probably not work much till after the holidays but January is always my best month every year. I'll be ready like always.
     
  9. rollin coal

    rollin coal Road Train Member

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    I used to feel the same way about working on mine in the driveway but that changed over time. It really sucks to pay anyone to do what I know I can #### well do myself and probably a much cleaner job to boot. Oil changes and grease were the first way to save money by doing it myself. It's really not difficult at all to do that in a driveway without spilling a drop/making a mess. I saw in the T/A Tuesday when they did my annual inspection the other day (and found a chaffed air line I missed which failed my tractor) they charge almost $250 for just a basic pm. Grease is $30 I can grease the entire unit in 20 minutes taking my time wiping fittings off, which they never do. I can save a $100 changing the oil myself. Guys laugh because I took on doing my own tire work, yeah that one does suck, but I'm to the point now I can dismount/remount as quickly as the best off the truck service guys who do it several times a day. And again do a cleaner job to where re-torqued lugs don't really need that second torque but get done anyways. They just hammer with an impact usually over tightening anyways and rarely if ever torque to correct spec.

    Self taught on some basic parts changing. Some stuff is above my current abilities but in time I'll check more stuff off the list. I think about the money saved on the jobs I do here and there and think to.myself, you know that's really not a lot to pay someone else, but then over the longer term these things add up. Back to my chaffed air line. It's the big one I think over an inch in diameter, runs from the air drier up in front of the right steer, all the way back to the air tanks in front of the drives. I'm glad they saw it as it'll likely fail given time it's rubbing under the cab on the chassis. Pushed it off the frame and came home. I can drain down the air and it will not be a fun job unrouting that line from all the holders and will take a little time, but really, it's a simple task to remove and carry to a line shop to have them union in a piece of new line. What kind of labor would a dealer shop or even a cut rate independent charge on that? Would they take advantage of a driver who didn't know better or a company far from home terminal? Would they have this driver replace the entire air line, which on.mine is stainless steel braided and I can only imagine costing several hundred dollars, when all it need is a piece cut out and replaced? I dunno. But it would suck to pay having that done.
     
  10. Richter

    Richter Road Train Member

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    Dont lie to people. You say you work 18 hours a day. if you did that 365 days a year, it comes out to 6570. 75k/5670 is 11.41/hour. I highly dought you worked 18 hours a day every day of the year. You certainly made more then 3.20 an hour.
     
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  11. Richter

    Richter Road Train Member

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    Philadelphia Pa
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    Why not make it about hours worked? Id rather make 90k a year working 10 hour days then 100k a year working 14 hour days. Per hour does mater. Business owner or not, /hour shows what your time is worth. If you make less then 7 bucks and hour, why no work at mcdonalds and be home every night? No when you invest in equipment your profit goes down, but, thats an investment. Your gaining an asset.
     
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