quick question

[finney]

Howdy
After 29+ years driving a truck, I'm ready (actually, I'm more than ready) to ride around in something less abusive, but... I need at least 65k per year to justify doing this. I know there are a variety of factors, but is this number attainable without doing 365? I was planning on three wks out and three or four home (live in the Pittsburgh area)

Thx, finney

 

[finney]

three or four days, that is, not wks.

 

[RichM]

Need a little more info,what size truck do you plan on running and will you be rumming as a team or solo?. Do you mean that you will run for 3 weeks than stay home for 3 days or will you run for 3 days then be home for 3 days. If you are only going to run 50% of the time 65K Gross will not be doable, plus most of the expediting companies want you to be available at least 60% of the time.One other thing,do you need to net 65K or gross 65K?

 

[finney]

Sorry, couldv'e been clearer, huh?
158" Sprinter, 3 wks out, 3 or 4 days home, 65k gross.

 

[RichM]

Depending on the company you hook up with, and with what you said about staying out for 3 weeks,your 65K Gross is possible.This comes to an average of $1547 per week based on being out 3.5 weeks. I would shoot for a little bit lower as there will be weeks where in a Sprinter you may gross $2k,but there will be weeks wehen you make $800 or less. I don't run a van but based on what I have heard for a single driver, $55K Gross is attainable with out too much strain.Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[pellgrn]

Yeah,i think 1,300 is a better number for a weekly gross.I think you also have to plan [financially] for a breakdown down,not that there not dependable but if you do have a case were you have one it will take you longer to get back on the road along with it being more expensive for parts.I guess the extra 2-3 mpg you get will justify the extra downtime,you may have.

 

[finney]

OK, here's the deal.
The house and land's paid for(as are all the cars),I don't really have much in the way of bills, and if the damn thing broke down to the tune of total replacement it could do so at least five times over before I'd have to tap into any sort of financing. I"m not interested in this solely for the money, I'm interested in doing this for me. It's got to be less abusive physically than an 18 and, consequentually, somewhat less stressful. That's what my whole plan's about, really. I like to drive, I really don't know anything else that pays as well for so little effort, but by the same token I don't want to drive for free or 1/2 price or anything other than what the market will bear.
So when I'm asking if I can do 65k, I'm not asking out of some desperate need to do that, I'm asking because, as I crunch the numbers, that seems to be the figure I'll require.
There're always variables: I could buy the vehicle outright and then write it off the first year or I could finance it and write it off over the course of two or three years, just to name one.
If 65k is unreasonable, why? If you're doing swimmingly on 40k, how?

Comments, please.

Thank you,
finney

 

[ATeam]

> OK, here's the deal.
> The house and land's paid for(as are all the cars),I don't
>really have much in the way of bills, and if the damn thing
>broke down to the tune of total replacement it could do so
>at least five times over before I'd have to tap into any
>sort of financing. I"m not interested in this solely for
>the money, I'm interested in doing this for me. It's got to
>be less abusive physically than an 18 and, consequentually,
>somewhat less stressful. That's what my whole plan's about,
>really. I like to drive, I really don't know anything else
>that pays as well for so little effort, but by the same
>token I don't want to drive for free or 1/2 price or
>anything other than what the market will bear.
> So when I'm asking if I can do 65k, I'm not asking out of
>some desperate need to do that, I'm asking because, as I
>crunch the numbers, that seems to be the figure I'll
>require.
> There're always variables: I could buy the vehicle
>outright and then write it off the first year or I could
>finance it and write it off over the course of two or three
>years, just to name one.
> If 65k is unreasonable, why? If you're doing swimmingly
>on 40k, how?
>
> Comments, please.
>
> Thank you,
> finney

If a man of three decades driving will tolerate it from a man with a year in the business, allow me to say congrats on a job well done! It's simply a breath of fresh air to hear a success story for a change. No debt to speak of. Property holdings. Savings sufficient to capitalize any number of new endeavors; and a desire to configure a new business to meet not his financial goals but to fulfill a love for driving.

I can't tell you how much it sucked as a truck driver wannabee 18 months ago to hear over and over again from drivers with decades of experience how much the work and life sucked, how much my wife and I would hate it, and how we'd almost certainly fail. Now here you are saying, "I really don't know anything else that pays as well for so little effort,...." and wanting to spend more time on the road....as if three decades were not enough!

Bravo, Driver! Bravo!