Is anybody really making enough profit?

with freight like it is right now $4k isn't bad.
my tips would be to look into the bypass filter, work on doing away with the factoring (no sense in working for someone else to make money on ya)if you have that large f a cell plan you can add a line to it for yourself and do away with your home phone. I haven't had a home phone in about three years.
When you buy tires do your homework and look upthe rolling resistance of each tire before you buy. The lower resistance, the better the fuel mileage will be (and it does make a big difference)

Post pics of the truck!

 

he needs to learn to wait. Sooner or later depending on the state a good paying load will come along. You are loosing money at $1.12/mile. I don't even need to know all his expenses to know that. You don't run for free, when you do you hurt the industry for everyone. If they know someone will take it they will never pay more.

 

stay out of CA. soon you won't even be able to take that truck to ca since it won't meet emision standards. freight coming back out of CA always sucks anyways unless you have a reefer

 

well if he waits for high dollar freight he's gona starve but breaking even would be nice. Have you calculated your break even rate? You HAVE to know that

 

It should have been calculated before he started. it can be updted later when exact figures come in but he should have known. He's driving a 95, don't know what it is but I doubt he's getting 6mpg and at $3.60 per gallon for diesel that is $.60 per mile just for fuel at 6mpg. get all the maintenance cost and figure there price per mile, bills etc. it's not hard and you then know what you can move that truck for. Any less and you are paying the broker to move his load. Sorry, if I have to pay to move I'm doing it empty to get to a better paying load. Allot less wear and tear on an empty truck.
As I've mentioned before I have deadheaded from MI to CA when the produce rates were good because I wouldn't pay to haul someones freight for them just to get there. DOubt I would do it these days with fuel costs but you get my drift

 

I agree with the knowing the cost per mile. As an example, my costs are broken out below, assuming 10,500 total miles (including DH of 12%):

Fuel: $.63 (5.75 mpg # $3.60/gal)
Fixed: $.34 (truck/trailer payment, insurance, UCR, IRP, HVUT, etc.)
Misc.: $.05 (cell, load boards, office supplies, internet)
Mntc: $.14 (oil changes, truck/trailer tires, truck/trailer repairs....my plan includes worst case scenario; plan for the worst, hope for the best!)
Salary & taxes: $.43
Total break even is $1.60

I also want a cool $10,000 in hand at the end of the year so that after 3 years, I can trade the equipment with enough down payment to do it again. Anyone who is not figuring in a truck/trailer payment as part of their cost structure is digging a hole they may never get out of IMHO. Just because you don't have those payments, doesn't mean you shouldn't have them built in to your costs. We do not buy new equipment, but rather well-maintained later models. Warranties are good, but the truck is still not earning a dime when it's in the shop and my truck/trailer payments are a heck of a lot easier to make than someone with all new equipment.

So my bottom line r/pm is $1.69. But even in these slow times we are averaging $2.25 per loaded mile with about 10% DH. Running just shy of our miles target, but the extra money covers the shorter miles. We are averaging about $5,000 per week gross and expect to make $900 gross per day at minimum.

As for cheap freight, I avoid it at all costs. I'll deadhead out of a bad area first. Short hops are good, but remember your time is money too! Excess time loading/unloading, tarping, etc. only eats up your hours.

And never, never, NEVER haul freight more than 20% below your minimum rate! And if you have to take something less than ideal, make sure it is not long miles. Piece together some LTL if you have to. I've had LTL freight that paid better than TL freight. Less weight equals better fuel mileage equals reduced fuel costs. Air is the lightest of all!

Hang in there, the slow season is about over. For those trucks hauling the $1/mile freight, they'll be gone soon enough and then the rest of us can demand the rates we deserve. Protect your reputation and your safety rating, and be courteous to everyone even if they are not in return. Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it and things will work out for the best.

<climbing down from my stepdeck now>