Reality of my logic

You were on the right track with finding one number cost per mile you need to break even. You think that 3500-4000 in fixed costs to yourself works out to what?

2500 miles x 4 weeks = 10000 miles loaded. You are bordering on .40 a mile.

Under the line total of your first group adding up cost per mile of 0.75, add that 0.40 and you are now at 1.15

Your fuel burn for 10000 miles will be around 6 miles per gallon. Allowing 3.00 per gallon you need... to buy 1700 gallons of fuel at $5100 for the month. That's about what? another .46 a mile?

Edit forgot you are allowing .60 a mile fuel as foundation.

Im afraid to dip any further into your costs.

You are into 1099 land. Your single taxes for yourself is going to be stacked onto Fed, State, fuel taxes, social security, medicare and god only knows what else .

There is also stickers and tags to legal that truck to run each year. Blend that into a fixed cost and then divide by 10,000 per month. You can assume that if you meet this number and exceed it the rest is gravy.

You say 10K cushion for fix it stuff. You want 20K in one year from now. 30K in two 40K in 3 build up. In 4 years you can withstand and endure a total engine failure possibly.

Who knows.

Edit.

Clean forgot the one thing in trucking I insisted on first frost about october. 10 virgin quality tires for winter battle. Older 10 set has plenty of miles, goes into your tire shed ready to go when you go through tires now and then. That's 5000 dollars plus sales tax once a year.

420 dollars a month. about 0.042 something cents per mile.

 

Didn't see anything about taxes...maybe I read it too fast, maybe you didn't think of it yet. Good luck.

 

Basic pitcher...

Or any Detroit Tigers starter this year....

 

Just do it. You're not going to know if you can make it, until you make it. Just get out there.

 

I am familiar with Detriot 12's into the relatively then big 500 HP range, Ive had three trucks with that in my life time into 2001. All three showed consistent behavior that I grew to rely on. Ive had episodes on some loads where 2100 miles to empty or near 85 hours waiting precooling burning almost 400 gallons ready to go at a moment's notice.

Those were extremes. The 2100 mile episode resulted from Mr Dowdy's decision to ban California fuel purchasing for a short time. Essentially were buying too much fuel in CA then. There I was deep in the NW and looking at Arizona as next fuel. I had doubts. But she did it but a little dry tanks for my liking. CA was #### big N to S... ugh.

I lean towards engines that you get big horse, old time Jacobs Braking of highest quality and everything else will take care of itself on the theory that big doggies don't have to strain themselves to lift you over the rockies.

 

1.75 to the truck for flatbed?

 

Your paying yourself $375 per week to drive the truck? Your about $1000 light on that.

I’d put your maintenance at .25 per mile. I’d say your insurance is likely to be higher. What about trailer costs?

I’d readjust your target revenue to be $3.00 per mile. You’ll make nothing at 1.75 running how you say you would prefer to run.

 

A 15K dollar truck? Can you do most of your own wrenching and service?

 

There will be a lot more good trucks for sale in the 15k range after a year of these low spot market rates from attrition. Meaning the same 15k will buy a better and better truck as the weaker operations seek an exit from the downturn.

Food is a hundred a week or so, didnt see that in your estimates.