I see why trucking is going the way it is...

Don't forget that most of todays drivers do not turn a wrench or care to and have been brought up to let someone else do it. Many carries now do not want you to have any tools in the truck.
I have seen drivers wire the CB to the windshield wiper power . One hooked it to the turn signal and could not understand why his radio went off and on sometimes. A whole new generation. smh

 

I don't see why a person living in small town USA has a lower operating cost. Why would insurance be lower, why would a truck cost less, why would fuel be less? Parts for a truck are going to cost the same pretty much anywhere, the only difference is the tax rate. Unless I am misunderstanding something here and if the person really does live in there truck(which would suck)!!!

 

I pretty much live in my truck and it doesn't suck. I have 5 kids in 3 different state, 3 grandkids in two and a my wife in 1 so, I have lots of stops. I have hardly any personal expenses so my Cost's are low. I live in a State Tax Free state so that helps as well. Compare that to a person with car payments, house payment, kids and wife living at home, personal vehicle Ins, fuel for those cars, and on and on. My kids are all grown, they buy their own stuff. I don't have to stock a house, I only have a pickup and don't drive it enough to put Ins on it. It is not JUST about the Fixed/Veriable Cost's of the truck that are important.

 

regarding $1.30/mi

yes, you can make money at that rate, but you are working harder than you should

i just did a load from NC to NY, 500mi

at $1.30mi, it totaled $650, but in actuality, loads going from NC to NY pay upwards of $2. EASY

so why sell yourself short for $1.30 when you could easily double it? you are working harder, not smarter

 

Come and try setting up a trucking company in San Francisco and let me know if the only difference to setting up in Elko, NV or Jamestown, TN is tax rate, which in itself is an escalating scale that doesn't justify itself (you have to make more profit to afford the high dollar area but pay more tax as you make profit). Even the insurance premium is dramatically decreased as you move out away from the city to the valley or foothills within CA. Starting this year there are states that Progressive won't even ensure new accounts if you based there, CA being one of them!
Buying a truck or trailers here will cost more than almost anywhere else, I buy my trailers in OK. The tractor I didn't have a choice that actually didn't cost me more in the long run than the savings of purchasing in another state (about $6K). Same goes for parts.
Fuel, well Iv yet to hear of any trucker waiting to get to San Francisco to fill his fuel tanks!
This is the simple stuff, there are so many costs to existing in this area it's mind boggling, however if you persevere there is also the opportunity to hit it big and be secure for life.

Like I said it all tallys out one way or the other but I do look forward to the day I can scale down our operation and get out of the rat race!

 

I cry like a baby if I have to bounce 100 miles. Less than 8% deadhead last year.

 

I disagree 100%. It is a free market. Why do you care what a broker gets as long as you get what you want. If you think it is easy then bypass the broker and find your own freight. What if all shippers were to get a law passed saying truckers could only make 10% profit. 1st that isn't a free market and 2d it all sounds good when it works to your advantage but you don't want that imposed yourself. I am not a big fan of brokers but they are an important part of the industry and in my opinion are working under the same free market rules that I am. Remember you can always say NO.

 

COL is probably half here in ky than in ca or ny, that's why I could do it for so much less. Heck ny and ca drivers need .10-.20cpm just for property taxes!

 

At one time I never would deadhead more than 50miles after I started looking at 100-150 mile loads away I started seeing loads that would sometimes pay $1 a mile more so for $1,000 I'll bounce 100miles.
I don't look at empty miles vs loaded miles I just look at all miles!! This year so far I'm at $2.94/all miles and I've got lots of empty miles almost 8,400 out of the 33,000 I've drove this year this was as of may 1st

 

What does the cost of living have to do with what the truck is making? I live in Kentucky have 6 kids 2 EX-wifes one current wife and a girlfriend. Therefore, I know I have a higher COL than most people in the bay area!!