What’s the best gig for Owner Operators?

I’m home every night running a day cab in Oregon. It can be done. Just gotta look.

 

That’s kinda where I’m leaning. How much do you make if you don’t mind me asking. Could you maybe break down the details of running the day cab, pay, finding loads etc? I appreciate your advice.

 

My buddy hauls fuel to local gas stations here in Chicago. Home daily, makes over 5k to the truck. Works hard, but he does well.

 

A good gig would be a reefer and HOS exemption for hauling fresh fish from Atlantic coast to Chicago Market.
That would best work for a team operation (no HOS exemption needed).
Getting fresh cod from Portland, ME and get it to Chicago Market in 24 hours.
Fresh fish in Chicago is hardly ever fresh...that's a niche potential.
Best if you could handle the outlet and sell it yourself too.
Hmmm...how about that?

 

There’s lots of company guys making close to six figures hauling fuel in my area. You’d be home everyday, but you wouldn’t probably have a Mon-Fri deal. There’s owner ops also doing that. The folks I pull for usually have the fuel haulers working Mon-Fri with a good half day on Saturday. I’m not sure what they are grossing per week.

 

I’m paid by the hundred weight/mile with a 48k minimum. So every load is different depending on how far away it is and what the weight of the load is. Farthest I drive away from the farm is 60 miles. Most loads are within 30. I don’t look for loads the farm already has them. Today I have 197k pounds to haul. farm I’m going to is 12.7 miles away. Will do it in 4 loads will take me no more that 5 hours. 197000 x .0061 = $1201.7 to the truck.

great thing about hauling seed is the farmers are happy as all get up to see me. No waiting to get loaded. They normally have the seed set out waiting for me. 15-20min load time at most.

 

wow, I like the sound of it. What kind of Trailer do you pull? How do you get into something like that? How much do you pay yourself when all is said and done. I’m in the Roseburg area, not sure we have an outfit like that around here. Maybe something similar tho.

 

I have a 53’ curtain van. I worked for this farmer’s family when I was in high school. He called me 5-6 years ago and asked if I could help him out.

My trucking company pays me a salary of 36k a year. (For tax purposes) I also own a brokerage that pays the same per year. (Also for tax purposes). So total 72k a year.

Not much seed in the Roseburg area. I’m in the willamette valley. But it can be done. Sometime your in the right place at the right time with the right equipment (like I was) sometime
You have to look around for a while. But there is plenty of home daily work in Oregon even for an o/o. You might have to diversify to make it work throughout the year starting off.

 

Terrain Tamers, Ireland, Bettendorf...there are plenty of day cab jobs in Oregon.

 

If I was just starting out I’d go to work for Wilco, Valley Ag or pratum co op. Great pay, great benefits and a great retirement plan. And home daily. Also all of them use o/o every year because they can’t get enough employees for the work. Remember the Agriculture business is year round.