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Need help making it work

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by Carguy, Mar 18, 2012.

Page 1 of 7
  1. Mar 18, 2012 #1
    Carguy

    Carguy Light Load Member

    58
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    Mar 18, 2012
    Detroit MI
    0
    Hi, This is my first post here, a friend off mine told me about this site and I would like to see what you folks think.

    Soo. I am currenly the owner of three trucks and its a living he**. I cant seem to make things meet. Everything is down hill! I have the three trucks 2007 volvo, 2005 freightliner and a 2002 volvo single bunk. I run the 2007 as a team, me on the 05 and a single on the 02, me and the 02 guy run under a carrier that books all the loads for us and dispachs us and they take 10% of the gross I pay the trailer rent($130) per week and cargo($140) per week. We gross around 5K a week and run around
    $1.65 per mile goss then they take that 10%. and it turns to $1.4* thats still with out taking the cargo and trailer payment.

    I saved alot of money to buy these trucks so my payments are low.


    I pay my team driver 37% off the gross they gross around 6-7K per week so they seem happy. I pay me and the single .37 per mile.


    So with all of this I cant seem to make both ends meet Ive been doing this for a year now and its killing me and my family. I have lost around 6k and I am working my ### to make it work. I need to change some thing but I need help with what? :biggrin_2557::biggrin_2557:
     
    Carguy, Mar 18, 2012
    Carguy, Mar 18, 2012
    #1
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  3. Mar 18, 2012 #2
    Pedigreed Bulldog

    Pedigreed Bulldog Road Train Member

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    May 7, 2011
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    First thing I notice is that 37% of gross is on the high side for a company driver....especially when you consider the fact that you are only paying yourself & the other solo driver roughly 22% (.37/mile pay @ 1.65/mile revenue generated). The "team" truck should pay it's drivers the same neighborhood per mile as the "solo" trucks...each individual driver getting half.
     
    Pedigreed Bulldog, Mar 18, 2012
    Pedigreed Bulldog, Mar 18, 2012
    #2
  4. Mar 18, 2012 #3
    ITS62

    ITS62 Light Load Member

    164
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    Apr 29, 2011
    Gilroy, CA
    0
    Park your other two trucks.

    Figure out how to maximize your profitability percentage with your one truck...dollar amount doesn't matter, percentage you keep of your sales is the only thing that matters. As your sales grows, your profit does.

    Once you get that dialed, THEN you can duplicate it.

    More people just means more headaches if you are not efficient....and more money coming in just means that your problems have more zeros on them if you are not as productive as possible...that one I learned the hard way. I make way more now with a smaller team then I did with bigger revenues and a larger team. Quantity isn't always the answer.
     
    ITS62, Mar 18, 2012
    ITS62, Mar 18, 2012
    #3
  5. Mar 18, 2012 #4
    HDFatboy

    HDFatboy Light Load Member

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    Sep 22, 2011
    PA
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    Get your own authority and have your wife run the office finding loads, dispatching, billing, etc.
     
    HDFatboy, Mar 18, 2012
    HDFatboy, Mar 18, 2012
    #4
    Southpaw7391 Thanks this.
  7. Mar 18, 2012 #5
    Carguy

    Carguy Light Load Member

    58
    4
    Mar 18, 2012
    Detroit MI
    0
    Yes I didnt want to have Quantity, I feel like me and the other solo drivers are not making money as we can. As fuel prices go up i feel like its gona kill us. So Im in need of a solution, without having to park the other two trucks, or firing drivers. I need to keep what i have but to make it more profitable.
     
    Carguy, Mar 18, 2012
    Carguy, Mar 18, 2012
    #5
  8. Mar 18, 2012 #6
    MNdriver

    MNdriver Road Train Member

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    Feb 24, 2012
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    some times you need to step back to go forward.

    ITS62 pegged it.
     
    MNdriver, Mar 18, 2012
    MNdriver, Mar 18, 2012
    #6
  9. Mar 18, 2012 #7
    Carguy

    Carguy Light Load Member

    58
    4
    Mar 18, 2012
    Detroit MI
    0
    HB- that is what im in need off. I am looking at trailers at the moment, because Extra Lease will not lease anything with out a year in the business. So I need to buy trailers too and will have make sure i have the money to pay for fuel, driver, and more. before I can dispatch my truck my son is currenly dispatching six trucks for a local company. but thats all he does, he doesnt bill the brokers and doesnt do any safety. So I have no Idea how to do the billing and safety.
     
    Carguy, Mar 18, 2012
    Carguy, Mar 18, 2012
    #7
  10. Mar 18, 2012 #8
    HDFatboy

    HDFatboy Light Load Member

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    199
    Sep 22, 2011
    PA
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    Billing is easy, just a matter of faxing or mailing paperwork depending on the broker. I don't know if your operation could afford to operate until you get paid which is usually about 30 days. Some brokers have quickpay for a 1.5%-4% discount. You may have to use a factoring company but I would try to avoid that as much as possible.

    So what ITS62 and MNdriver said... That's what it may come down to until you can get everything straightened out. You can't have drivers work and not be able to pay them.
     
    HDFatboy, Mar 18, 2012
    HDFatboy, Mar 18, 2012
    #8
  11. Mar 18, 2012 #9
    Frenzy

    Frenzy Medium Load Member

    331
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    Mar 24, 2008
    Seattle, WA
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    As a OO with Swift I get paid $94 cpm + FSC (about 50 cpm), so about $1.44 gross per loaded mile. Our per mile grosses are about the same so you are not getting fairly paid for the additional costs of cargo, trailer and trailer maint. Are you getting your fuel surcharge?
     
    Frenzy, Mar 18, 2012
    Frenzy, Mar 18, 2012
    #9
  12. Mar 18, 2012 #10
    Carguy

    Carguy Light Load Member

    58
    4
    Mar 18, 2012
    Detroit MI
    0
    Yes that is my goal, I would like to avoid the factoring companies... The company my son works at they use a factoring comoany and they take 6% of the linehaul. Which seem a bit much for me?
     
    Carguy, Mar 18, 2012
    Carguy, Mar 18, 2012
    #10
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