Why you'll go Bankrupt hauling around $2 a mile loads

Dang. I thought my 65 cents was good. I’ll blame it on the little bit of gap that I have.

 

When I got it, the 24" areo fairings made me worry. At $5 a gallon they make me sing. I always wanted a long hood, small cab, 90" sleeper.... Not in my dreams anymore.

 

I loaded Monday, 1100 mile trip, loaded Wednesday, 1000 mile trip, loaded Friday, 360 mile trip. Today’s load home cancelled, they gave it away, while I waited to get empty. $1200 for total of 391 miles. I could have covered it, delivering on time at 10:00 pm. Would have been a real decent week@ $7200 for 2875 total miles. Spending $3000 in fuel. Kept DH low. Not a record, but pays the bills. Instead, I’m DH 375 miles home, ending up with only $5900 on 2850 miles, spending $2950 for fuel. Bottom line, cancelled load costs me $1150. This is exactly why I normally don’t work holidays. Something goes wrong, you’re #### out of luck. I communicated well with them, told to keep them updated. 30 minutes later, I’m empty, rolling, ETA in 45 minutes. Nope, don’t bother, we got it covered. Oh well, that’s how it goes sometimes. I take chances, just have to be ready to accept the occasional failure. Ok that’s BS. I’m pissed off about it!!! Lol. Headed to the house. I should have known better. Total miles should have been $2.47, instead it’s $2.05 with Deadhead. Fuel costs at $1.10. Add a blown tire, and it’s a typical Trucking week. Make the plans, live with the outcome. Altogether a rough week, I’m tired.

 

That's 8 mpg loaded. Empty I can hit 10.5 i95, not mountains.

In the mountains I get 7.0 loaded. My truck is areo, super single and lightweight spec.

Fully fueled, apu, reefer, 34,400 pounds empty.

 

That’s for sure. What is this aero you speak of? I need a bunch of them, Lol. Considering the trailer skirts, homemade of course. I’m around 5.5. Got a bit above 7, empty last week. A few adjustments to the engine, and an alignment, should get my average over 6. It should be 6.7 without idling. This Trucks never gotten good mpg’s since new. Seller told Me, 5-5.5 avg. since new. He was honest!!

 

only thing I would add is that I had a lot of luck deadheading off the east coast into Ohio and picking up loads to Wisconsin or Illinois that paid as much as off the east coast. I liked the ease of running back thru the hills empty and got same(or very close) money to get home.

 

Last two weeks I grossed 10k, take home 5k. 777 gallons in fuel. $4000 FJB to death

 

Just leased on to Cloudtrucks I’m averaging $3 a mile but I can survive and do fine on $2 a mile I run PO so no trailer fee. Cloud covers Cargo, Auto, and trailer interchange insurance I just gotta cover non trucking, physical, and occupational which for my 2021 freightliner is only 571 a month. My truck gets 7.5-8.5mpg when loaded depending on heavy or light the load is empty or BT I get 10-12mpg. I basically pay 1100 a week for my truck. Everyone’s expenses are different some of us can survive $2 a mile

 

Survival yes. Prosperity no.

At $1 per mile of fuel cost, or close to it and then the inevitable maintenance costs such the tires, oil, engine components, peripheral parts like turbo, AC, DPF/DEF sensors, belts and thousand of other things will sooner or later manifest themselves, what $2 dol per mile may give you is merely on par with an average CDL job, even for someone leased on and no equipment payments. It still gives life but it is a vegetation mode for the duration of the low rates and it had not better last for too long either.