How much Can I make trucking

Good heavens, you think a shop has overhead, wait until you start trucking. At least shop equipment is always an asset, where a truck, begins to suck money right away, and you rarely get that back. The pit just keeps getting deeper. Truck insurance alone will kill ya'.

 

Welcome to trucking always throwing money into trucks that continue to lose money. This is a great way to turn a dollar into a dime.

 

You are right, a shop has a huge overhead. Great mechanic or not, running your own shop is no picnic either.

Everybody else thinks the other guys business is easier then what their doing. I see far more successful 0/0 then I do truck shops. And, I too have done both jobs.

 

You're right, there is no free ride. It's just, I have a friend that opened a diesel repair, and in a few short years, now has an 8 bay facility. Trucking is just too fickle, and with the BS regs coming down, you can't win. You won't find many drivers here that will tell you driving is better than wrenchin', once you're already a wrench, that is. Your choice, I guess. Years ago, one could buy a truck and go truckin'. Many farmers threw in the towel, bought a truck, and did better than the farm ever did. Anybody could haul anything, if you had a truck. Just doesn't work like that today

 

I have been a mechanic, service manager, owned a equipment repair shop, and drove truck as a company driver. Of all those things I would rather drive truck for a living. I now wrench on my own crap, family and friends only for the fun of it.

I have never been an o/o, but if I had to I think I have enough understanding on the business now that I wouldn't go hungry doing it. No doubt, many o/o's lose money. This includes several mechanics that have bought a truck, put a driver in it, only to loose their ###. But, I don't care to test those waters, I am happy as a company driver.

As I eluded to before, everybody things the grass is greener on the other side. Running a shop, every truck driver thinks that $100 dollars an hour is going right into the mechanics pocket and you can bill $100 for each and every hour the lights are on and an employee is on the clock. Nothing is further from the truth.

 

At least you have the luxury of this site. I'd have killed for a site like this years ago. Back then, it was trial and error, but back then, failure wasn't such a catastrophic event. Just pray you don't hit or kill someone.( my biggest fear all those years, and people drive worse than ever now) It can all be gone in a flash.