How much Can I make trucking

Seriously you can make more money helping truckers with their mechanical problems than in trucking.

See overhead for a shop is cheap, when you factor in a insurance and other costs, it is better to open a shop.

 

How much do you want to make?

The income is directly proportional to the amount of driving accomplished per month. With that said, the HOS limit is going to dictate the cap.

Factor cpm x the miles. The monthly average is 12,000 miles per month on long haul with E-LOGS.

AT .40 CPM...Gross pay would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 4800.00 per month...that is before taxes and fees and living expenses on the road.

This formula may help you set a goal for your first year based on the going rates and length of hauls.

 

If you are set on driving a truck don't go straight into being an owner operator. Be a company driver first to see if you can handle the lifestyle and learn how to drive without having to stress out about starting a business as well. Would be a big mistake to buy a rig and start out only to find out you don't like it. Best wishes to you!

 

I work for a farming operation in the Midwest and when we haul for some elevators they only pay 17 cents a bushel and usually haul around 900 bushel legally. That’s only around 150 bucks a load. We usually get 3 maybe 4 loads a day. It’s about 100 miles round trip. Some days just 2 loads. All depends on lines. You won’t get rich hauling grain.
I have a buddy that says he gets 7.00 a mile hauling recycled metal then finds a back haul. They have a couple trucks weekly that does this.
Just depends if you have the contacts to get the the good gigs.

 

I am in school at the moment and am in the running to be a transport driver for a company with a government contract. I would only be driving in 5-6 states that are grouped together. If I get the job I will be out 3-4 days at a time and home the other 3-4 including all weekends and holidays. The starting pay is $70k a year and it will be the companies equipment.

 

Yes,to the OP...I would stick to wrenching.Safer,no out of pocket expenses etc.JMO

 

Don't buy a truck right now since you have no experience driving because the insurance alone will be 10's of thousands of dollars a year for an inexperienced driver.
Study the www.OOIDA.com website for now, which is a business website for the owner-operator.
I think most owner-operators on this forum will recommend you being a company driver for 2-5 years before becoming an owner-operator.
Where is your location? Which state/city?

 

This was going to be my advice as well. I've never done OTR just local and oilfield, and now crude to refinery. I've seen a lot of drivers sell their trucks and come on as company drivers (especially in crude oil) because either they were starving trying to find consistent work, they wanted out from under the headache of running their own trucks, or because life hit them with a curveball like an elk destroying most of the front of their truck. Before running the risks of O/O yourself I'd suggest trying it as a company driver and really get a feel for it and while you are out there running around stop and talk to a few O/O's and ask them how they do what they do. I know a few and they have convinced me that I'm happier as a company hand.