[bull sun]

good day to all,

i'm interested in joining the ranks of expediters, but have a few (hopefully) direct questions that i have not seen clearly spelled out in any of the topics i've browsed so far, though some have been touched on. perhaps your answers will help others as well. bearing in mind that this is a dynamic industry, and sureties are rare, here are my questions on the basis of an O/O leased to an established company:

how many paid miles per week can one expect to get (were one to drive in an OTR/long time out fashion)?

what can one expect to be paid per mile/per trip?

how much does an average cargo van cost (new/used)/(diesel/gasoline)?

is it recommended to begin with a used and move up to a new van?

what is the life expectancy of a cargo van in miles, provided it is run often and responsibly maintained?

how old can a van be and still be accepted by most companies?

how much should be budgeted for upkeep/fuel per month?

what fees (insurance/permits/taxes) are imposed on an O/O, and is it normal for a company to pick up some of these?

is there usually a minimum lease time, if one does lease to a particular company, or is it more of an open ended deal?

what would be necessary for someone else to run a van in the event the owner purchased another or decided to take a long vaction (insurance/company policies/anything i missed)?

what could someone driving another person's van expect to earn, and how would that person be paid?

those are all the questions i have been able to come up with so far. i really appreciate the efforts of anyone willing to tackle them.

to anyone still willing to accomodate my curiosity, i would ask for the answers to the above questions again, but with these criteria in mind:

i have virtually no obligations (house, spouse/significant other, children, not even a pet or an apartment) and would actually be willing to spend april-october in the van running loads. the only things, other than food and coffee, that i really spend money on are old student loans and a horrible addiction to buying plane tickets to faraway places (and then going there for as long as my money holds out). i could imagine reinvesting most of my profits in newer vans/more vans and so am curious about starting/maintaining personal fleets and anything associated with that. i have an impression that expediting is something that, if not exactly the biggest money maker, would be a viable way to earn enough money during part of the year to have the slow season to goof off. how far off am i in my thinking on this point?

again, thank-you very much to anyone for any advice!