So What Do You Make?

I was netting about 1000-1200/week doing 3 days. Making about 2.19/mile after all was said and done....

 

More than others and less than some...........

 

Truck looks do not make the truck anymore money. Truck toys and accessories are to high in cost with todays fuel costs.

 

My truck averages around $1.80/mile on all miles loaded and unloaded. Reefer freight mostly through brokers. Fuel cost per mile is around $.81/mile, Fixed cost is roughly $.44/mile running as a team 200,000 miles/year and I pay my co driver $.18/mile. As a whole My company earns $.37/mile 15% of which is for replacing my truck and trailer in four years. I make about $.31/mile with a lot more headache and worry than a company driver, but on the upside I can go home anytime I want or can afford to.

 

talked to an o/o the other day and he told me it costs him .70 cent a mile to run and his surcharge is only .60 cents a mile. now how can anybody drive if your losing .10 cents a mile. your just throwing money away to drive.

 

$.70 is probably his fuel cost per mile. The fuel surcharge is money added to the linehaul rate. He is probably making somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.20/mile linehaul + $.60/mile fuel surcharge. I dont receive a fuel surcharge on my loads. Most brokers pay a flat rate on loads in order to mask what they are taking off the top from the linehaul and fuel surcharge.

 

If your motivation to be an owner operator is so you can drive fast and have a pretty truck, DON'T DO IT!!! You will make far less money as a starting owner/op (leasing to a company)with that mentality than what you make now. If you are in it strictly for the money, there is plenty of money to be made if you are willing to sacrifice deeply in the ego department. That's not to say that all guys who drive large cars are broke, but the ones making good money have been in the game for awhile and know the "rules" of the game very well.