What are owner operators weekly expenses?

fixed cost per week? your only kidding your self unless you drive less then a few hundred miles per week with 100 gls of fuel used .

 

fixed costs do not = fuel. Fuel is not a fixed cost.

 

Fixed costs are expenses such as truck payments, insurance payments, etc., which are usually the same amount each week or month. Fuel is a variable expense since it will change from week to week. For instance, if fuel is selling for $4/gallon and your truck gets 5 mpg, then your variable cost for fuel is $0.80/mile. Your mpg can also vary from load to load. Your fuel costs will be different if you drive 1,000 one week and 3,000 the next. Fuel is usually your single most expensive cost. Maintenance costs are also a variable expense, since you won't know those costs until they happen. You may change your oil at certain intervals, but it will usually change from one time to the next. I prefer changing my oil every 15,000 miles. Someone else may change at 10,000 miles and another at 25,000 miles. The cost to change your oil may also vary from one time to another. It is difficult to predict when you will blow a tire, so that is a variable.

 

My fixed costs are $1470 per week based on a five day work week. That includes paying me $575 per week to keep the family fed and clothed. I usually gross twice to three times that amount, but any extra money goes back into the truck. Don't plan on getting rich as a leased owner operator, especially when the carrier you are leased to is going to take at least 25% of gross. Figure more if you are pulling a reefer and have to cover the cost of the reefer fuel. My advice is go flatbed or dry van.

Before you do anything, know your costs. Figure a five or six day work week, maintenance expenses, insurance, tag, tires, salary, and fuel will cost you half of your gross per week. Also figure in your cell phone bill as you will need unlimited data, roaming and unlimited talk. Once you know your fixed costs, you can pretty much figure out what you will need to gross per week to make a living. But netting $2200 per week? Not happening.

 

Guess I am not used to "lease" talk, as all my expenses were monthly. Truck insurance paid monthly, truck payment was $xxx a month. Health insurance quotes we got, were all monthly. My mortgage is paid, you guessed it, monthly. Is this weekly deal a lease thing or what? Make expenses sound smaller?
I normally make more than that amount you asked about, but then spoil it by taking a couple of weeks off at a time...
My truck is also paid for, and has been for a couple of years now (got it brand new in June '05).
I haul RGN freight, and tarp loads etc when it pays to do so.

Martin

 

My Bar tab is the biggest expense.....

 

LOL...I was thinking the same thing.

 

We see net incomes coming in between $4,000 and $6,000 a month assuming the truck is in decent shape and maintenance isn't killing you.

 

Who is "We"?
What type of operation is that for?
Flease deal or true O/O's?
Hometime?
Miles ran?
So on and so forth.
Like said already, far too vague a question for an accurate answer.

Martin