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[guest]

hi, i'm trying to find out how much money i can make.i've heard alot of diff answers.i know it depends on how much i drive,i know that.but when i tell an o/o how much i need to make for a week,he says no way,other o/o say no problem.also i need to know if i become an o/o myself is it worth it.i do not mind driving 600 mile or more in a day.also is there any o/o out there that are willing to pay for fuel/tolls.i would of corse pay for my fuel myself when i go home.can you help me.

 

[BigBusBob]

Finding an O/O that pays for fuel is getting increasingly more difficult as the price of fuel goes up. They're still out there, however you really have to weed thru the ads.

O/O's of different co.'s and of different types will tell you different things. One that has 4 semi's might tell you that you can make 600-800+ a week no problem. While one that has 4 straight trucks might tell you that you can make 500 a week no problem. Really it depends on the type (size/type) of vehicle that they own and work. Some O/O's have only one vehicle, many have 2 to 3. Then there's some that have 10 & even 20+ vehicles of all kinds.

I don't know if you'll "make more money" driving a tractor versus driving a straight truck or not, versus a cargo van even.
*Really I think it depends on how busy you are kept hauling freight.

There's a Honda Plant down in AL that used to see alot of PII (Panther II Transportation) semi's down there... and now I'm told they see alot of straight trucks. I think it really depends on if you can keep freight on the rig, "the rig" being anything from a cargo van to a semi trailer.

Running temp contolled units will usually make you more money than a typical dry box. Really though where the money difference is seen is between solo's versus teams. "You" might be able to make 500 a week in a rig, however "you and your team mate" might be able to net 1,000 a week or more. I'm not sure if it really matters on a semi - 'cause nearly anything can go into a 53' trailer. A straight truck though, they're the critters that get the eyeball from shippers shipping out an order... you got straight trucks out there ranging from 12' to 26' in length... some have lift gates, some have curbside doors, some have pallet jacks onboard & others do not, some have reefer units, some have the ability to blanket wrap and take extremely fragile loads. Some trucks have more logistic tracking rows in them than others do.
Then there's the cargo vans & Sprinters... in a nut shell... sprinters simply have more height than a cargo van, so if there's tall boxes going out of a shipper in an area with 3 cargo vans and one sprinter... chances are that the Sprinter is gonna roll.

You ask a good question, the O/O's on these boards will see your post and elaborate further into detail for you.

Hope I was of some help and didn't ruffle any feathers. Sorry ahead if I did. Later all, I'm rollin' back up to SC from Port Canaveral.
PS... I'm thinkin' about goin' into expediting again this winter when it slows down - maybe sooner if right deal comes along.
BigBus'

 

[guest]

thank you for the info.$500.00 a week is a joke.you need to make alot more if you are going to pay for fuel,tolls,food,etc...i can make $500.00 a week working 40 hrs or less doing local runs.i've been told by o/o's w/van,str trucks that you make $500-$800 a week.i do not see where you are making any money after expences.but i'll keep looking into this whole thing.thanks for the info

 

[Dreamer]

>thank you for the info.$500.00 a week is a joke.you need to
>make alot more if you are going to pay for
>fuel,tolls,food,etc...i can make $500.00 a week working 40
>hrs or less doing local runs.i've been told by o/o's
>w/van,str trucks that you make $500-$800 a week.i do not see
>where you are making any money after expences.but i'll keep
>looking into this whole thing.thanks for the info


Ya went two different trails here! You asked about owners who pay for fuel and tolls, etc. Bob was saying you could NET $500. Big difference than grossing $500 and paying fuel and tolls, etc.

Dreamer

 

[mirangerman]

BigBusBob is right on the $$ when he said "depends on how busy you are".

I can make the same (if I _were_a driver) amt of $$ driving for an expedite O/O who has a Chevy Savanna van, or one of the major carriers like Schneider National. I have read and heard from _many_ T/T drivers who were making less than I am delivering pizza's some weeks- oouch !

So take BigBusbobs' and others advice to heart, and on other piece of advice that I learned, and others here have too; this isn't just a job - it is a lifestyle. If your'e only goal in this line of work is to make $$$, you won't last long !

 

[dukesadog]

About that 500.00 gross/ net thing. 500.00 divided by hours worked lets say 70 hrs is 7.14 an hour, only a dollar more than the new minimum wage. Lets not forget its not an easy job either

Local driving jobs here in Florida average about 9-10.00 an hour or the same thing they averaged in the early 80s.....7.00 an hour makes me want to sign right up!....wheres my pen!

If you wanted to look at it as Gross then subtract 6% or so for taxes etc and then do the same math you may as well work at Mcdonalds and be home every night.

Dukesadog
Alive for 40 yrs

 

[guest]

thanks for the replies.i was just saying on avg i'm bring home $500.00 a week just working 45 hrs.i will be bring home $600.00 a week as of may 27,05 no longer paying child support.i just want to know what i can expect to make per week driving for an o/o.i know it depends on me and how much i drive,but i have had alot of o/o tell me that i would not make over $1200.00 a week ,they just laugh at me.what is the ave amount of fuel that you spend in a week?i take $1200.00 - fuel,tolls,food,showers,mis,and take out for taxes,whats left,not much.if you are not in this to make money(from a pre message above)why do you do this type of work?to me driving is a job plain an simple.if you do not like it find something else.i want to be an o/o an make my own money.will i be able to drive over 2000 miles or more a week?500-600 miles a day is easy.if so what company will let me?i was told by a recut.at PANTHERII,that i would not run over 500 mile a day.he said the ave would be 350-400 how do you make any money with these kind of miles?sorry,i'm just tring to find out somethings before i jump head first into this.as an o/o or driving for an o/o.

 

[Driveguy 207]

Expediting is more of a lifestyle then a job. Alot of drivers are doing this because they like the traveling, not knowing where they will be going from day to day and still earn a living. There is a very high turnover rate in this busniess. Being away from home and living in your truck for a week or more at a time does not work for everybody. 300 or 500 miles every day is hard to get right now, at least in a cargo van. You may get a 600 mile trip one day and sit in a truck stop for two days. then three 100 mile trips in a row. Don't get into this busniess just for the money.

 

[davekc]

Earl
PANTHERII,that i would not run over 500 mile a day.he said the ave would be 350-400 how do you make any money with these kind of miles?sorry,i'm just tring to find out somethings before i jump head first into this.as an o/o or driving for an o/o.
thanks,earl

I think you answered your own question. If your equipment is paid for, have excellent cash reserves, and no other external payments, you might do ok. It is good as well to have additional income, such as a pension ect.
If not, this venture will be a struggle for most.
As mentioned, if you are going at this to make big money, I would not recommend it. Alot of vans are either sitting alot, or running very short runs.
Davekc
owner
20 years

 

[merkurfan]

wooo.. back up a second.. a PII recuiter told you 350-400 a day??? From my experiance that is a understatement. Heck I just did 1900 since last Thusday! Granted I am now in BFE WY and will take my empty move to Kansas in the morning, but if I get out of here early enough I'll bet i score a load in Kansas when I get there.

Are there weeks that will be less, yup, are there weeks where there will be more oh ya... Even my worst week I got 1200 miles in. Guess that is the 350-400 he is thinking.

 

[BigBusBob]

I'm still laughing at his remark of "500-600 miles a day is easy", I'm "almost sure" that remark was made because he probably does not do it very often.

Drive D.C. to SC, which is about 500+ miles (depending on where you go)... run Interstates 95 and 85 and let me know how "easy" it is.

I average 2,000 miles a week, and can honestly say that it is not "easy" work. Why do I do it? I do it for the love of the job, which is why "most" of us drivers do the job to begin with... because we love the driving and visual part of the job.

Get him on with PII or another Expediting Co. and let him run 1,900 miles, if he thinks 600 miles a day is easy, then he should have no problem knockin' out a 3,000 mile week, 600 miles x 5 days a week is 3,000 miles. 600 miles x 7 days a week is over 4,000 miles.

I have to say though, that unless you run team, a solo is highly unlikely to run anything much over 2,000 miles a week "in expediting".

Is it safe to say that the average solo driver (talking industry-wide, across the board) will probably "average" 1,500 miles a week expediting in a D unit (straight truck)???
Maybe less, but probably not much more??

The Big Bus'

 

[mirangerman]

I think 2k mi/wk is a recruting ploy... seems they all say a person can do about 2k a week or more, whether you're taking to PantherII, Express 1, Schneider National, Swift, or whomever.

Can it be done ?, sure !

As long as its; practically a straight shot, hardly to no stops- includung break dwns, no traffic problems, in and out of customers as soon as you get there, ya got the hours, etc., etc.

I'm not sure of the expediting part of trucking, but from what I've learned from T/T solo's (Schneider,Swift, etc), they average about 1200-1800 m/wk. And I would bet it is about the same for expediting.

One things for sure, I'll find out after June 8th, thats when I hit the road (hopefully!)for Panther

Just add'n my $0.02 worth - Charles

Have a safe wknd y'all !