RD68's 2013 income on a month to month basis

It's great to hear that you are still liking Superior now that you've been at it for these many months RD. I started with them fresh out of school as you did and I can't think of a better company to start with... and I'm still with them five years later because I still think they are one of the best companies to drive for.

I've been in my own truck now for 10 months and have no regrets. The used truck I bought from Superior has held up great. It's a very different experience being an IC versus a company driver, but so far the good out weighs the bad.

Drive safe.

 

How are you doing spending wise? My first year to 18mos I spent money like crazy on the road. Since then I've bought a cooler, started taking food and drinks and have really cut my expenses quite a bit.

It is shaping up to be a vrry good year for me as well. I'm at $32,427 for the year, but I've worked every holiday and have had a few stretches where I've been out 18-20 days. I did take 11 days off with only 4 days of vacation pay in April. I needed it though as I was about to burn out from 3 months with relatively little time off.

 

I know this thread is all about driving the company trucks, but if you think it would be helpful I could post some YTD figures from my IC experience for comparison. Let me know what you think.

 

As would I.

 

When I was trying to decide whether to buy a truck or not I would have liked to be able to compare some figures between company and IC, knowing of course that there can be some major variations due to how much a given driver chooses to stay out, what kind of truck, how many repairs, etc.

Having said that, through my June 28 settlement statement I have a YTD "Gross" of just under $100,000. That's before ANY deductions, and there are many; the biggest of course is fuel (almost $33k YTD). My YTD "Net" is $61,000. I put those terms in quotes because they take on a different meaning on the IC statements. My Gross has no deductions and I get no benefits, no 401K (so there's no matching and no profit sharing), and no vacation pay. My Net, which is my take home pay, has to cover Fed and State Taxes like your gross does, but also self employment tax, truck payment (if any), repairs, maintenance, supplies, etc. My YTD miles are 49,700 which are only the loaded and empty miles listed for the loads. My odometer shows almost 58,000 YTD.

I own a 2005 International with a Cummins ISM engine that's getting around 6.3 mpg with almost no idling (I have a "poor man's APU" to keep me comfortable with the engine off). The truck has been mercifully reliable so the repair bills have been manageable.

I hope this info gives you an idea of what it's like from the IC side of things. If anyone has any questions I'll do my best to answer them.