Need Advice form O/O Veterans

it's not what you can make that counts. it's what you can keep. Gross income is a useless number in this business. I can gros $15k in a month but i'm still broke and have one foot on the unemployment line at the end of the month. trucking is a high capital business and the cash flows rapidly through it

 

I do about $4500 to $6000 a week gross on average and see about $7000 a month net. Last year it was considerably harder to maintain the average but I came real close.
You have to be very disciplined with money and treat your equipment with kid gloves so as not to cost yourself money needlessly.
I pull for a guy that won't accept cheap freight so I don't have that battle to fight all the time.

 

With USA TRUCK before Fuel I was bring in 3500 or more at first. Pay would be average between 1300.00 and 2000.00. There I was paid 0.90 plus FSC. But they covered more of you operation cost, making your operating cost was lower. I only left cause miles was being cut.

Right now you can get some loads paying more than Dry Van, but twice as many paying same or lower than Dry Van. I was offered 0.88 in Florida, and was paid 1.17, 1.29 most others. To much work for the work you do on a Flatbed.

 

now my friens as far as what your going to make ,well that depends. it depens on what you do with the truck, for exampel are you going to have your own trailer to go with it ? are you going to lease the truck to a company or are you going to run independent .makes a big difference.

if you have just a tractor and you lease it to a company your not going to make a lot, not much more then driving wages but they do get your permits and tag , but you still have to pay for them.

if you invest in a trailer also you make quite a bit more some or most will charge you as much as 40% just to pull there trailer that dips into your revenue quite a bit .

if you have a tractor and a trailer and run independent (find your own loads ) you make even more . and it is not hard to be independent as some will tell you.

there is more then one way to make money with a truck and each way makes a different amount of money so give it some thought before you buy it all depends on what you want to do.

as for me I DO NOT HAULL 88 CENT FREIGHT PERIOD TO CHEAP FOR ME .NOR DO I HAUL 135 FREIGHT that is just plain nuts. i dont work for free.

can you make good money with a truck? hell yes you can but not at those rates course some guys are satisfied with bubbel gum for dinner im not one of those guys.

give it some thought as to what you want to do and keep your overhead down and you will do fine just dont make the mistake of hauling cheap freight every time you do you get further behind.

good luck my friend. southernpride

 

jarhead ?? How much revenue do you have on hand after you buy this truck ? You will need at least one months running cost saved and around 5-10 grand on hand to even get started really. If not your behind before you even get started. What happens if you blow two tires in the first month and a drive shaft or a spyder gear. You can go bankrupt real fast in thsi business if you do not use caution. And the cheap freight like others have said will be the first thing to take you their. Good luck. 2010 is not showing to be a good year in this business might wanna wait a lil longer.

 

I started trucking with nothing but the will to survive and 2500 bucks and I have supported my family for 28 years in trucking !

So if you want to be an owner operator then just jump on in the water is fine . It has been better but it has been worse too .

You made it though boot camp so trucking aint diddly !!!

Trucking is easy if it wasn't then these crybaby girly boys wouldn't be doing it !!!

SEMPER FI !!! Thanks for your service from one marine to another !!!