Does anyone make a living with their truck?

[ranger boy]

Sounds pretty risky to me, especially with retirement five years off. Double and triple check the numbers if they look good!

yeah think about it this way, 5 years more and you can do a lot more in life

 

[s d mills]

I am an unaware of this too, and I've been in OTR for 30 years.

Well, it's a fact and the FEMA deal's only impact is it forced the carriers to take on more contractors. FEMA hauls are already bottoming out and, combined with the industry seasonal lull from December to March annually, the carriers currently have more contract drivers on their boards than loads. A dollar a mile has been this industry's standard rate for years, and there's never been a shortage of manufacturer-to-dealership hauls other than during that lull....driver "vacation time."

Even with the FEMA phenomenon, it ain't necessarily a get-rich-quick scenario. Operating expense for a one-ton can run $0.30-$0.40 per mile and taxes take another 26% or so chunk out. You include staging time/fees, spotty backhaul opportunities/deadhead mileage and you basically can just count on driver wages until tax time.

It ain't something I'm going to leap into....I never was interested in the FEMA trailers with all the attendant DOT compliance BS....as I'm happy with the occasional private hauls I manage to get on my own. However, I'll immediately jump on a deal where I can pick up three or four tag hauls per month....a standby/hot load situation. I'm currently negotiating with these two carriers:

Horizon
Hoosier

I have two friends who have been making a good living at this for a number of years, and another who just left class 8 OTR and went down to GA last weekend to pick up his new CTD dually....he's going to give it a shot. Based on what comes to pass over the next few months, I'll take another look. Or, if I happen to be notified I get my terms, I'll immediately sign on.

But....I ain't giving up my steady job yet.

 

[WD40]

I was a truck driver for 30+ years and I am enjoying my retirement just fine. If I only had five years to do tell retirement there is no way I would give that up to go and drive a truck. We enjoy driving our pickup so much that we think I would love to do this all of the time. ( Been There Done That) It is a different story when someone else is telling you that you have to go and drive it to just get the bills paid and keep food on the table. With our trucks the dead head miles would kill you. Drive 500 miles and spend $85 to $100 to feel it up again when you are not making any money gets old real fast.
Just my 2 cents

 

[s d mills]

Well, back in August of 1982, when I threw all my trip paperwork on Ms. Maggie's desk at Indian River Transport Co., Inc., I eternally swore off on professional steeringwheel holding. I've been true to my word ever since, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it....every day. I must have gypsy blood. Any excuse at all is justification for a roadtrip....I still manage to rack up 60K miles a year and have to trade out of vehicles after two years while they still have value.

Driving and wrenching were things I always figured if someone wouldn't pay me to do them, I'd pay them for a shot at it.

 

[Crumm]

Professional steering-wheel holder.

Is that the same as being a "Commodities Relocation Engineer" like me?

 

[architect-builder]

Yes,

My truck is my 2nd office and material hauling beast.

I will have 6 projects in construction simultaniously this summer, I will be spending equal time in my office, and in my truck from site to site, (to site, to site....).

Barrett