Running the Numbers

1. Fuel taxes can net to $0, if you buy fuel proportionately to the number of miles you run in each state.

2. You pay income taxes on profits, not on gross revenues.

 

There are states where you have to pay various taxes based on mileage and distance traveled. We budget $1000/truck/year just for the privilege of running through New Mexico. And heavy use tax, which is $550/year....

 

If you run in PA and NY all the time then they will owe you money every quarter so you could actually make money... or I should say the carrier will make money. Your balance will be $0

 

Enter this business and change your name to glutton for punishment.

 

To each their own. We are finishing up year 15 in business. We have built a comfortable life and have been our own boss the whole time. DONT GET ME WRONG - you'll get tired of always being downhill when the sewage starts to flow, but there is a good living to be made out here for those willing to do it. A few words of advice that you may or may not use:
1. Buy your own trailer and get your authority. Every percent you give up kills your bottom line. We operate on a 20-25% margin (I dont drive much any more). If you are giving up 18% for dispatch/trailer rent/factoring, it will get thin really quick.

2. Get direct customers and hammer one of their priority lanes hard. Be the guy that doesn't take just 1 of their loads to St Louis (for example), be the guy that takes ALL of them.

2a. Work tirelessly to find return freight that is your "backhaul", but pays outbound rates.

3. Above all, become so reliable that your customer doesn't even want to listen to the next guy that comes in trying to bid YOUR lane.

All of this takes time, and a lot of trial and error. But it can be done! Head up, powder dry!

 

Well said!

 

You

You can make money out here if you are a real go getter. A lot fail because they have the thinking they can be alittle lazy for lack of a better word after they buy a truck. Truth is you have to work harder. I live in central Ny I make a pretty good living running from Syracuse to philly every night. Usually 6 days a week seventh is repairs and paperwork that my wife don't do. I do most all repairs myself don't know if it saves that much but I kinda enjoy it. Syracuse to philly don't sound bad until you do it for a while. It's not as easy as it sounds. Now we have snow just about every night to deal with. After my long winded response I absolutely agree with you. You put your mind to it cut out the middle man have some luck you can do pretty good. You cannot slack at all though it will bite back hard.

 

My insurance is about $1000 a mo. Have no truck or trailer payment. Keep in mind I run a lot of tolls my truck is a 99 so I get 5.5-6 mpg. 6 is a really good day with tail winds both ways. Probably have a few more repair bills due to age of truck. But it's pretty much rebuilt now so hopefully that slows alittle. I run Ny and Pa only between hut and ifta it's about $350 a quarter. I'm right at your number of $1.50 a mile to run the truck. Since I run more local my per mile pay is higher than a longer load. But I only turn 2-2500 miles a week.

 

I also have my own numbers I'm not leased to anyone.