Need Information from owner operators.

It depends. If you run for one of the megas for the mile say $1.00 a mile plus fsc yeah you will make less and will probably not make it. If you find a good company that pays percentage and you have a good mind for business and the company you are leased too has good rates on loads you can make more but you can also make less. If you have your own authority you can make more and you can make less. It depends on the company or brokers and most of it depends on you. My average for the year pulling their trailers is around $2.12 a mile all miles for the year. I run roughly 2200 miles a week. some weeks are better than others. I don't run hard and only do an average of 2 loads a week. my deadhead is around 40% of my miles. Some people wont work for what I make but it works for me. All my bills are paid I have money to live on and if something goes wrong with the truck I have the money to get it fixed without having to borrow it. so Im happy. my average take home after fuel maintenance insurance is roughly around the 2500 mark. but it varys. last week after all expenses I brought home over 4500 but the week before that I did one load and only brought home after everything 1300 so it varies

 

I drove 84,000 miles my first year of operation. My income was as much as if I was a company driver where I would have driven over 110,000 miles.

 

There is so many things to factor in. Are you doing van, hhg, flatbed, refeer, or some specialized loads like oversized. Then how are you paid. Milage or percentage. Then your operating cost like fuel mileage, truck payment, insurance, maintenance, ect...... Then also the company you pull for.

Ill throw my numbers out there doing HHG I bring home after all expenses an average of in the nneighborhood of 3k a week. But thats not factoring in taxes or if I get hit with a claim later on down the road. So while it sounds like good money a 300k claim (which I have seen a driver get hit with) can put me in the poor house.

 

I own my own truck and pull the company's trailer. I pull tanker. my estimate for the end of the year is roughly 240k right now unless I decide to take November and December off which more than likely I probably will being that its hunting season and holidays. Im figuring after all expenses but before taxes to have netted roughly 100k but anything can happen. that's just a number that as long as freight keeps running like it has and I have no major breakdowns or anything. there is a lot of variables in this industry and anything can happen. I have had to put almost 10k into the truck this year not counting my tires and regular maintenance. I will also be buying another truck this year sometime in the next couple of months then will be selling the one I currently own and plan on working even less next year than I did this year. this is not a get rich career and I don't even try. I work so I can enjoy life and not have to depend on anybody for anything. I don't borrow money and I don't take handouts. just remember you have to set money aside because there is times freight is booming and then there are slow times when you starve if you aren't prepared. What works for me and my situation may not work for another.

 

Also remember that as an owner operator you don't get a pension plan or a 401k. I wont even get social security because I choose to not pay into it when I pay my taxes. So you also have to save your money for retirement when you are older and ready to quit working.

 

I hope you get your way.