Running with JCT, Part Deux

One thing I want to make CLEAR is JCT is a decent place to work, and you can learn alot about operating your truck as a business, there a a couple of different methods and between the two you can be profitable, and at the end of the day it's about how much profit works best for you. I choose a little more expense for a little more profit.Have a good evening everyone.🚛💨💨💨

 

I was here when we were an outlaw company. I ran a minimum of 4000 miles per week, usually in the 5k range. Money was great, yes. But once we went on E-Logs things changed significantly. When JCT introduced the variable payment, things changed even more. If I had a fixed truck payment that was the same each week, I wouldn't be making the argument I'm making now. I have no desire to own this truck, so why make a $600 - $700 weekly payment if I can make just as much or more by making a $400 - $500 payment?????? You need to understand about cost associated with the truck that you are responsible for. You need to be able to keep as much of that base pay of $0.90 as possible.

As far as fuel being the only controllable expense, that's inaccurate. Another biggie is maintenance. I can honestly say that the last truck I had for 500,000 miles I may have spent $1500 in total on repairs, not including the preventable maintenance stuff. Taking care of your equipment will ensure that you're not in the shop more than you have to be.

Although it is not an expense, another controllable item is where you run. Some runs are much more profitable than others. Weights, terrain, fuel prices, and weather all affect your net earnings. Just taking a load and going balls to the wall is not a smart business practice. Please, please, please, don't take my word for it. Talk to veteran drivers that have been here more than 5 years and let them tell you all about it. How they paid off that truck. How they made tons of money back then. How they realized they don't have to kill themselves anymore to make more money than back then. How they enjoy taking a week off at time to spend with their kids and still make great money. I obviously don't have a clue as to what I'm talking about.

 

Every truck, independent or not, has the company name they contract to on their truck.

JCT doesn't own my truck.

JCT doesn't have the title to my truck.

It just clearly identifies who I am contracted to. JCT cannot fire any driver here as they are not employees. They may terminate a contract which results in no longer earning money from them, but you, me and every other driver in a truck that has JCT on the side does not work for them (except for the handful of company drivers we have left). We are all independent drivers that agree to haul a JCT trailer and freight. If we don't have the luxury of having a truck to bring over to JCT so they can put their logo on it, there is a 3rd party that will lease you a vehicle.

Regardless, you always have the right and the option to pull whomever's freight you wish, with JCT's trailer or not. I chose not to deal with that aspect. I have brokers and planners that will give me loads without having to deal with the extra paperwork.

Does that clarify things?

 

Why would you haul cheap ### Plush Pippen pies in Washington when you could easily haul 2.50 a mile freight out of here?????

 

Sir you ARE NOT making more than me LET'S GET THAT CLEAR. I don't care how many numbers you throw out there, at the end of the day I AM MAKING MORE, and unless you are getting average freight rates don't you talk to me about profit per mile when that's basically set by someone else, you control ONE thing FUEL, and limiting how many miles you run per week, day etc LIMITS YOUR OVERALL PROFIT. PERIOD!!! I always said I have a number I want to make per week, it's 1250 and nearly EVERY week I've been here I have made that, so if you feel happy with a built in cap on your profits BE MY GUESS, WHATEVER HELPS YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT, but your own numbers buying fuel at 2.60 a gallon says I still make more than you weekly, monthly, and yearly, because I spent more to get more, and I was MORE PRODUCTIVE. So please continue with your logic, it's pretty obvious it's not owner operator logic or business owner logic, it's LEASE OPERATOR LOGIC, and you'll only find a LEASE OPERATOR thinking like that. To each their own.🚛💨💨💨

 

Do you want a gold sticker because your fuel economy is better than mine, THAT is company driver FUEL BONUS thinking, and it's funny and maybe YOU can't drive 3100 miles legally, but I run OVER 12k a month LEGALLY. In business it's about MAKING MONEY, and I'm NOT afraid of spending money to meet my numbers. So if you believe differently GOOD LUCK, even banks want to see a healthy revenue stream, not a I'm trying to save on fuel so my revenue is down excuse. But whatever works for YOU, like you said this is to educate drivers and part of that education is there is another way to generate MORE REVENUE for your BUSINESS, and that is CHEAP FUEL, AND AS MANY MILES AS YOU CAN GET.

 

Because he's just a lease operator and that's all he wants to be, and nothing wrong with that, it's just he's applying that logic that had some merit when fuel was high, but everyone agrees that logic falls apart when fuel is cheaper.
But simply put, they are doing what they like. And I'm learning how to operate a successful COMPANY, and build on that knowelege.

 

He has argued his less miles=more money for years.... Makes absolutely no sense.. But it works for him... As far as Hauling other peoples freight I would never haul there freight if that option was available!!!! Why would anyone haul .90 a mile freight versus 2.50 a mile???? Maybe he can make more somehow/someway hauling .90 a mile freight than 2.50 a mile...

 

Cheap fuel, yes. But if you think you're paying a good price at $2.60, you're not maximizing your profitability. In just about every area of the country you can get fuel today for around $2.35.

I'm gonna guess, maybe incorrectly, that you're a single guy with no kids. You mention that you stay out for 6 weeks at a time. Well, family is important to me and I'm sure many others. 6 weeks at a time away from them is not something many of us are willing to do. Sure some do it , but that's their choice. Time off with the important things in life should never be neglected nor put on a back seat. Again, with the variable payment, there is no reason a driver cannot work 3 weeks and take a week off each month. Its absolutely doable and many driver here do it. But their family is more important than being away over a month at a time. We all have different situations in life. If I was single, would I do things differently? Possible. But I have a family and we do things all the time because I don't have to slave out here. Like you said, to each their own......

 

I totally agree, but I doubt very seriously he's making more than me, or someone getting 2.50 a mile, if he goes any slower he becomes a hazard. At some point he will realize it's about REVENUE and that = PROFIT.