Can I make any money?

Don't want to add to the confusion, but I figure a little differently than above. Not saying he is wrong, I just figure things differently.

Truck payment(if you have one), insurance, license, 2290, and salary are all fixed costs. They don't get broken down into a cost per mile because whether you run 200 miles/mo or 20,000 miles/mo, the cost is the same and those bills have to be paid at the end of the month regardless of how many miles you run. If your truck is parked all month, you still have to pay those.

Fuel, maintenance, repairs, tires, and truck replacement are all calculated by the mile. The more miles you run, the more fuel you will need, the more tires, maintenance and repairs you will need.

Again, not saying anyone is wrong, we all have our way of doing things, just thought I'd throw this out there.

 

how bout just lease on to a company. i feel like its better.

 

Add fuel to this. Be sure to figure low so you'll have enough money. I figure 5.5 mpg for budgeting purposes. So it will cost $5818 per mo. at $4/gallon for fuel, or .72/mi for fuel at 2,000 mi/wk.


One thing I think people forget about when doing this is the deadhead miles - you can't figure just on paid miles. If I was using 2,000 as paid miles, I'd figure fuel on 2400 miles...makes a huge difference. Not that we have that much deadhead (20%) but best to be conservative in budgeting.

 

the short answer is, yes you can make money,DON'T lease to someone on per mile base,you will go broke,if you take care of truck you never will have to replace it.miles run really have nothing to do with it,its how much per mile you are making that matters,dont over think it save your money,like i always say there is nothing better than money in bank

 

When I'm figuring out whether or not to take a load, I figure from my empty point to my empty point. For example, if I empty out in Ocala, Fl., and I'm picking up in Valdosta, Ga. for Dallas, Tx., I figure every mile from Ocala to Dallas, and divide it by the total revenue. So, if the load pays 1,800, or $1.98/mi loaded, when figured with deadhead miles it comes to $1.71/mi for all miles. Based on my cost per mile, I would book that load. All it takes is a few seconds with a calculator to know if you can take the load. Just figure the total miles for the run before calling the broker, then multiply it by your cost per mile, and if the load pays better than your cost per mile, you will make money on it.
As I said previously, remember to figure tolls, detention, lumpers, etc into the equation depending on the load your hauling.

 

I also don't like working on the truck or doing paperwork on my days off but that is the reality of being in business for yourself. I do everything I am capable of doing myself because if I don't then it's money out of my pocket and whatever I do my self I know is done my way.

As far as type of equipment/rates, you should do what you feel comfortable doing. I live in Houston and pull a reefer. Houston is NOT a great town for reefer freight but I do OK because I have figured out what works. Most everyone else I know that is on their own pulls flats or does heavy haul around here. Last but not least, I always figure my rates from where I am to load point to delivery and on to where I am 90% sure I can get another load. It only makes sense to do that because if I'm in Corpus Christi and deadhead to McAllen for a load going to Albuquerque, I'm most likely going to have another 200 miles deadhead out of there to get reloaded so I rate accordingly.