Big Truck Just curious...HOW do you make money in a straight truc

brokcanadian · Feb 16, 2016

As a cargo van driver, I was always curious...how do you guys make money? I heard when diesel was up it cost 80 cents a mile just for fuel, and the per mile rate isnt that much more than vans...

HOS limits your range, repairs and tows cost a fortune, not to mention insurance...cost of vehicle...my brain just shuts down when I try to figure it out...

TDave · Feb 16, 2016

Currently my fuel cost is like 20 cents a mile. A couple of years ago when diesel was double my fuel cost was in the high 30 cents. If your a team HOS doesn't/shouldn't come into play.

brokcanadian · Feb 16, 2016

So I got bad info...making more sense now...guess I gotta be careful who I listen to

ttruck · Feb 16, 2016

brokcanadian said:
As a cargo van driver, I was always curious...how do you guys make money? I heard when diesel was up it cost 80 cents a mile just for fuel, and the per mile rate isnt that much more than vans...

HOS limits your range, repairs and tows cost a fortune, not to mention insurance...cost of vehicle...my brain just shuts down when I try to figure it out...

all depends on short or long miles rates vary if I stay in state {fl.}I average 3.00 to 4.00 bucks a mile.

tknight · Feb 16, 2016

ttruck said:
all depends on short or long miles rates vary if I stay in state {fl.}I average 3.00 to 4.00 bucks a mile.

These days that sounds a little funny to me !

brokcanadian · Feb 16, 2016

Hovering around 1.20 canadian for vans if I'm lucky, at 4 US per mile maybe OVM could sponsor a fellow Canadian after I buy a straight truck

ttruck · Feb 17, 2016

tknight said:
These days that sounds a little funny to me !

then come to landstar

tknight · Feb 17, 2016

Really land star is paying 3-4 per mile I find that even harder to fathom you need to prove that to me! For what kind of truck?

boonsdad · Feb 17, 2016

tknight said:
Really land star is paying 3-4 per mile I find that even harder to fathom you need to prove that to me! For what kind of truck?

For a twenty mile run it could be possible.

beachbum · Feb 20, 2016

tknight said:
Really land star is paying 3-4 per mile I find that even harder to fathom you need to prove that to me! For what kind of truck?

No Landstar pay a percent. My last 3 loads were 1.4 Dallas to Newark NJ dropped down to DC (no Pay) 1.58 DC to Aspen, Co
Deadheaded to Dallas Had doctor appointment for hernia surgery. 1.43 Dallas to El Paso. Now I did head right back to Dallas empty since today I had surgery, everything went fine.

Normally i would give some time before leaving El Paso a day and then head to Cali to is it family and most of the time get a good paying load out of there.

You also have to add into each load our fuel discounts which can be anywhere from .20 to .45 or more a gallon.

brokcanadian · Feb 20, 2016

All good info...lifestyle choice is what it comes down to I guess...just deadheaded 500 miles to get home after dropping on a Saturday, couldn't do that in a straight truck, it's good you guys have that huge bunk

beachbum · Feb 21, 2016

brokcanadian said:
All good info...lifestyle choice is what it comes down to I guess...just deadheaded 500 miles to get home after dropping on a Saturday, couldn't do that in a straight truck, it's good you guys have that huge bunk

Want to bet, I'd take a good paying load and deadhead back, since I know that I'll be down for about 10 days. Just adds a little more money to the kitty.

crich · Feb 21, 2016

the easiest way to make money in a straight truck is to put the printing press in the box.makes it easy to up and leave after a day of cashing the bills