Pricing your Truck Per Hour

Depends on degree of difficulty, or by how much of a PIA it is.

$75/hr on the low end to $100/hr on the high end.

 

Since you have a history of per-mile loads you can simply figure out the average rate you made per hour with a bit of math applied. Add a little bit for extra wear on the truck (more often PM's, brakes will go faster, steers will need to be changed more, etc). If there is an SLA in the contract, you will also need to figure out what it will take to meet the SLA if your truck dies, and add that in the rate.

 

Here's my math. 8 hrs x 45 mph = 360 miles x $2.50 per mile = $900 divided by 8 hrs = $112.50 per hour.

Remember, the copier repairman charges $150 per hour and he doesn't have to pay for a $200,000 rig plus fuel and insurance. Also, in business, no deal is better than a bad deal. And if you're not making money, that means you're losing money. And definitely a 4 hour minimum. It's called 'breakout' pay. I think they'll bite or at least make a counter offer. So maybe open at $125 per hour to leave yourself a little wiggle room in negotiations.

 

most everything i do is either paid by weight or per hour. not per mile. you can break it down per mile but that's not how the rates are quoted. hourly ill be anywhere from 95-115. i would knock 5-10% off for there trailer. per weight i normally shoot for 20-25c per ton per loaded mile so say the haul is 61 miles i would charge say 12.20 per ton for a gravel load witch would come out to about 340 per load. sometimes it will be broken down by 100 weight or bushel rather than per ton for hopper stuff but similar apply ( you almost always bounce back empty) but even per weight try to base that off per hour, if i expect to be sitting waiting a lot ill want more per weight than if i expect to be able to turn and burn. if delays will make it so you can get less loads per day the revenue per load will need to be higher. i normally always calculate it out by hour to judge weather or not the rate was right rather than by the mile.

always try to get 1000 or more in revenue per day. ideally i like to see 1000 after the fuel is paid obviously doesn't always happen, in the end i am happy with 800 if i didn't work very hard that day. if i am going to gross less than 600 for the day i wont even turn the key typically

 

By the hour?

Is there a return trip?

Keep it simple, what I charge to tie my truck up for a good customer who demands a per hour rate is about $135 an hour with a minimal time charged based on the time to travel the distance - so in this case if it is 300 miles, that minimal is 6.25 hours (using 48 mph). If I have to make an empty trip, it is the same exact price, because they are getting the truck and driver. With my trailer it is close to $150 a hour and the same deal, both ways.

 

I figure it COSTS me $65 an hour to operate including my base salary and perdium. Regional flatbed work. So that PLUS what ever you need to see in profits and potential lost time loading/unloading. If they are short/ long days adjust up. This is based on "normal" risk freight.

 

Im not 100% sure but I think my current company charges $125-150 for when we are loading/unloading flour. I know my old fuel company charged $125 an hour for wet hosing construction sites in seattle.

 

I think most companies with heavy equipment are paid well over a $100 an hour and have been for 20 years or longer. Only in trucking and with some o/o is it considered acceptable to be below a meager $100 an hour. Well below it in many cases. It doesn't matter that's it's dry van work. And it doesn't matter that anyone else will be happy to do it for half that. Let em knock theirselves out.

 

I agree, what some don't seem to get is that as good as these things sound, they are renting the truck which means that they have to pay for tying that truck up for the time it is being used, then if it is a short haul, or 5 hours of use, then any other opportunities that you could have aren't possible to fill in the time. I can get loads that will fill the 11/14 up and produce revenue all day long but if I take a load that will consume 5 hours, then I have to still look at the revenue it creates to compete with that 11/14.

 

If your running costs average out at $50 P/h based on your mileage average you need to triple it. 1/3 for wages 1/3 for running costs 1/3 profit for the truck. If your doing those states think of traffic,

No less than $130 upto $150 P/h including if your stuck in traffic. Also tolls. Minimum 6 hours. If a prime mover isn't turning over $1000 a day running hourly you will go broke.

$69 P/h ? LOL if you think that do yourself a favour and DONT buy a truck. Stay as a company driver You will be broke in a few weeks.