Is it viable to be a solo owner operator?

Trucking might seem to be good to you, but the fun of it is just about all gone. That’s why i got in it in the first place in 1979. To many know it alls and drivers that don’t have common courtesy and sense on the roads anymore. Driving in wrongs lanes, not watching there mirrors holding up traffic behind them. It’s all about them and not sharing the roads anymore. And you try to explain it to someone and they give you a stare like your crazy of something.

 

I was born about 50 years to late...

 

You have it backwards, fuel cost/miles=cost per mile. $900/2000mi=$.45

 

It's somewhat fun even until I stopped myself, not by choice but the problems for us began to outweigh the fun, dispatch in particular and abusive groceries specifically.

These United States will need truckers, unfortunately without pointing fingers at the Millenials or anyone specific, trucking has gotten less smart. Witness these forums filling with wintertime shut downs and gelled fuel. Come on now, this is winter we don't shut down below a certain temperature otherwise you are going to have issues. I don't care what the company policy is or was. Trucking keeps the Nation going. Without them, we would breakup into a whole bunch of disorganized and destructive areas.

 

$3/6.5=.45

 

I think there is still good money to be made by an O/O, actually I am starting to think that in this business you either want to be a big company or an O/O, with the lack of quality drivers available, the cost of new equipment, the training and regs, I am starting to wonder about the "small" company model?

 

Hey, DD, I see you attended the trucking school of hard knocks too. That's how I did it.
I can't admonish someone for wanting their own truck. It's the dream of most drivers. I had a great company job in the 80's, by the hour, home every night, but I always wanted my own truck, and in 1988, I did it. I bought an '82 Western Star for $22,500 and hauled rail cans out of Chicago. I did it all wrong. I leased the truck to an outfit that paid me a %, and I did ok, but I should have charged HIM a % for the trucking. We were basically, company drivers with our own trucks. Also, I should have paid myself a wage, rather than throwing all the money into an account, and drawing off that. Taxes for me, was a nightmare. Today, I'd say you are nuts, just the people that told me I was nuts when I did it. But things are so different today. Back then, you could be an outlaw O/O and break some loosely enforced laws, and make some extra cash on the side. The ELD mandate would discourage me from EVER running a truck again. Good luck, stay with the company job, you'll thank me down the line.

 

having your own truck is a business,and it should be run like a business.
There is no way to accurately forcast your costs per mile because it has too many variables in it.You can get close,but not 100 %.
I didn`t make much until I got my truck and trailers paid for.Get a truck that gets good mpg and learn to keep it up good.Keep it rolling.You`ll learn like the rest of us did.