KLLM..... seriously though..

My boyfriend drives for them and he's from Cali. He works out of the Jackson terminal though. He would like to get onto the Fontana roster.

 

I drive for them but I am out of Texas.

RoadToad69

 

RoadToad,

Do you run the Texas regional fleet or national? I was curious if the Super Texas run is still an option.

Andrew

 

I run OTR in the lower 48. I understand that they did away with the Super Texas Regional.

I'm contemplating going O/O though. Been talking to the O/O's in our company and all are very happy with it and making good money....$2000 net on average per week (for those still paying for thier trucks). If you take 25% to set aside for taxes, that is still $1500 and this is with the enhanced maintenance plan figured in (7 cpm). My former co-driver got a nice Freightliner Columbia with an APU, in excellent shape, relatively low mileage, and her payment is $350/wk. She says with her insurance plus truck payment it runs about $420/wk. With the enhanced maintenance plan, anything that breaks gets fixed for as long as you are paying for the truck (and carrying the plan). I have to check further to see exactly what all else it covers. Not being stupid, I do know that I will need to set aside for things like tires, motels (when the truck is in the shop), and other expenses but I am pretty disciplined with my money...I think 3-4 times before spending and only spend after I find the best deal (which is not always the *cheapest* deal when you factor in length and level of warranty, etc.).
I have a call in to the O/O coordinator and plan to ask her a lot of questions before jumping in. I do know the O/O's are running good and the fact that I have my HazMat helps too.

I'll keep you updated as to what I find out and what I decide.

RT

 

Thanks for the info, RT. Too bad about the Texas run.

I'd be real interested to see what you find out about the O/O program. I'm headed to the website now to see what I can find. I know that's not something I could jump into right off the bat, but it might be a good goal to work towards if there's that kind of money in it.

Let us know what you find out.

Andrew

 

OK,

I spoke to the O/O coordinator this morning...

$1000/dn. 3yr payout.
'06 Columbia Freightliners
With APU- $350/wk, Without APU $325/wk
NO balloon payment at end of contract- $1 buys out your lease and you own the truck.
The 7cpm maintenance plan covers EVERYTHING- tires, mechanical, PM's, EVERYTHING. Only available while you are paying on the truck.

Base of 92cpm loaded, 86cpm deadhead, plus fuel surcharge. You get fleet discount at thier fuel stops.
Base permits provided by company.

Insurance runs about $70/wk. You can get your own or purchase through company at thier discount.

She's going to see if she can fit me in the January class. There will probably be some people back out due to overspending during the holidays.

I've already been talking to a CPA to prepare that end and been checking into software to make recordkeeping easier.

RT

 

Hey RoadToad, have you heard anything about a bonus this year for staying out over Christmas?

 

Okay, I have been trying to do the math on this just so I understand what these numbers mean. I did it more for me and I am posting it to see if you agree. (I am intrigued by the leases offered by companies also)

If you average 2500 miles per week loaded for 48 weeks that is 120,000 miles # .92/mile or gross revenue of 110,400.00. (assuming you can stay loaded for 2500 miles per week and not including any fuel surcharge)
If you take the truck with an APU the total payments for 1 year are 18,200.00 (I excluded the downpayment). The insurance is 3,640.00, and the maint. is 8,400.00. Calculating fuel costs # 2.75 per gallon and assuming the truck gets 6mpg the total fuel costs are 55,000.00. This is before any fuel discounts or surcharge. Doing the math your your gross profit (before salary, admin costs, accounting, etc) is 25,160.00. Another way of looking at it, your total costs of operation is 85,239.99 or .71 cents per mile. Again this is before you pay yourself. Are there any other misc. charges from them? An escrow, fuel taxes?

I am sorry and I am not trying to burst your bubble but how does this make sense? Even if the fuel discounts and surcharges add up to 15,000.00, your gross profit is still only 40,160.00. If you were a company driver you would need to gross 836.66 for 48 weeks to hit 40,160.00.

Like I said, I am putting this here for you to correct or adjust. To me though, this just doesn't work.

 

The fuel surcharge is real important. I'm skeptical like you, tpkingjr. But, from the company's website, based on your estimated fuel cost of $2.75 per gallon, the surcharge would be $.28 per mile, which would amount to $36,400 in your example, raising net profit to about $61,500. Of course, that doesn't include all the other miscellaneous income and expenses.

One thing I'd be concerned about is health insurance and other expenses the company usually provides. Maybe your CPA will recommend a Health Savings Account. Anyway, thanks for the info, RT, and let us know what else you find out.