how much money?

MY feeling / attitude has Never been about making more money, in fact since leaving my Company driver job, I have made less every year than I did as a Co. driver.
As a O/O I get/enjoy perks that a company cannot give me, and that is choosing my own loads or running in a certain area, taking off / and for as long as I want. their is Hometime aspect also as I get by the house every weekend, I put much value in being my own boss, I don't like being told what to do. I am a independent type person that enjoys the freedom / choices of being self-employed. I could be a Co. driver for most places but choose not to at this time in my life.

but yes to sum it up their isn't always more money in being a O/O but other choices that will out weigh being a Co. Driver. just my .02 cents

 

Exactly my thoughts!!!
Just to add, having kids and being when they have school shows, sport activities etc, taking brake when spring brake etc PRICELESS!!!

 

@genericusername:
I guess I must be doing something wrong being an independent o/o with just one truck.
2014 went like this:
gross revenue: 244,018
MY PAY = 75,000 gross
insurance = 12,058
repair/maint = 33,199
tolls = 7,562
fuel = 75,367
depreciation = 2,157

the rest falls into payroll taxes, shop supplies, hotel/accommodation, office expenses, etc.
I have an old truck, yes I spent a lot on repairs, about the same as a new truck payment would have been for the year. HOWEVER - even if I spend the amount in 2015 repairing it again, I will have the equivalent of a new truck, minus the shiny part, but be just as reliable and NO DEF/DPF/EGR headaches ... and this truck I am expecting it to live for longer than I will care to drive it. I have no payments on any of my equipment as of March 22, 2015. I did all of this by working 263 days and 102 FULL days off at the house. Any day where I drove only a few hours and ended at home counts towards the 263. It works out to 5.04 days out of 7 working. I drove approximately 102,000 miles from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. It worked out to roughly .735 per odometer mile I paid myself. I was able to plan my hometime effectively, take time off, a week or more at times when I needed/wanted to, I did not sit in truck stops far away from home because of poor planning. I did not miss out on family events/holidays. I ran the areas I enjoy running and the money I made doing it I am more than happy with. Compared to my best year as a company driver, was 64,500 gross for the year, and I worked much more, for 0.42 per mile at that time. My company also earned 16,506 out of that 244,018 gross as profit after all expenses. I just paid tax on it. I'd rather pay some tax and own all my stuff than buy something just for a tax write off and end up having to work to make payments. Every year is better than the last as my little one truck company moves forward. I don't think much needs to be said about knowing exactly what I am going to do every day when I wake up. No more being told what to do, where to go, where to fuel, any of that crap.

I welcome anyone's input as to how I could be doing better.

 

View attachment 81761

Here you go ...

Please let me know what you think ...

 

I make about $10,000 less a year as a Owner/Operator, but i'am also home 7 weeks a year more then being a over the road slave for someone else, and I don't have all the rules that limit what I can or can't do when i'am away from home.

As for the original post. Your like a nightmare employee from what it sounds like. You have a huge list of "I wont" and not very many "I will". Who wants to hire a guy like that?

 

I really can't say one way or another company hand to O/O I never been a company hand in the trucking deal. I have had a couple of real good jobs in town, but the politics suck. Everybody jockeying for position I can't do that environment. Money isn't everything in this world, I agree you do need a certain amount of money to survive and be happy. I don't reckon my kids ever went to bed hungry, wore ratty looking clothes or said mama I'm cold cause I was out trucking. Yea I have run some may pop tires, pulled the jack shaft and run with the power divider locked in a week just to make it a few times. Those are life experiences I would not give up for any amount of money. Especially after I got lined out and made something good of it. I never missed anything I wanted to attend for my family. I had to drive a stinking cow truck right to the school a few times but I was there. A company man don't have them options.

 

if your doing it right only DAD wears ratty clothes
all those years on the boats when the girls would come to the dock
they would say Dad it stinks down here
I would tell them that is how they got dolls
of course they never seen a pot trailer so they had nothing to compare stink too

 

The docks stink. Crude stinks. Cattle stinks. It's the smell of money. BTW, the above in bold print is in the Code. I do appreciate you bringing that out.

 

I don't say I wont do much I just said I'm not going to deal with Ca or the east coast. I don't need to run all lower 48 I never ask for more money I will do any job to the best of my ablity. If I'm not making the money I want I found it.like I said before I want something where I'm happy and can make a fair living I don't want people fighting over this and that just a honest answer.[/QUOTE]


No fighting! It's all good to know what you want, but the trucking industry, and small carriers have to go where the money is. It might be where you want to run for 3-4 years, then things change, lanes change.

In in this industry you have to adapt all the time.