Time on the Road
- Thread starter CB_Van
- Start date
O/O stands for Owner Operator,this is an individual who both owns and operates the vehicle wheras a company driver is an employee who only drives a vehicle belonging to someone or some other company.
As far as being home every other weekend,sure you can do it but you might sacrifice income.A lot depends on where you live, some areas do a good deal of expedite business,others do not. On a Thursday you might find yourself 6-700 miles away from home. This could be an expensive trip for you.
You indicated you would be driving a B unit,lots of them around these days. Best to take a good hard look at your minimum income needs after expenses,come back with a "I need to gross x amount and be home every other weekend. Can I do this?"
As far as being home every other weekend,sure you can do it but you might sacrifice income.A lot depends on where you live, some areas do a good deal of expedite business,others do not. On a Thursday you might find yourself 6-700 miles away from home. This could be an expensive trip for you.
You indicated you would be driving a B unit,lots of them around these days. Best to take a good hard look at your minimum income needs after expenses,come back with a "I need to gross x amount and be home every other weekend. Can I do this?"
hondaking38
Veteran Expediter
lets see i started with panther in june and drive a sprinter, i have spent 3 weekends away from home driving... thats it... its what i elect to do. week before x-mas i grossed 3210.00 for a week..... my average is close to 2000.00 a week , however this year is starting out slow and i mean slow...manage your money right and you will never have a problem.. i have the same bills as everyone else and more, because i pay a lot more per month for child support then the average joe... vacation???? lets see week deer camp, going to san juan on the 22nd then to aruba...off 2 weeks for summer drill. running 2 weekend a month at drill right now....plus i can just take of a few days anytime i want....you can make a great reward career driving... some of the down falls are you will probably gain weight....i was a 30in waiste all my life , could never gain weight now i am a 32 inch waiste with a gut..find a way for some fitness activities... because you sure will not stay in shape from driving the van.. my wife loves the little pot-belly though...
Broompilot
Veteran Expediter
I left the house last Tuesday I have just driven 2,700 miles since than. 450 miles dh back home from Daytona. That was 450 miles I would have rather had freight on but that was my decision to eat the fuel $122.96.
Now thats the kinda decision YOU will have to make can you afford this every two weeks? Better yet are you going to leave a Hot Freight area and a Hotter time of year? Daytona was a no brainer Columbus Ohio (same distance) I would have become a part time resident for the weekend.
You cannot count on consitancy in this Industry AT ALL.
Now thats the kinda decision YOU will have to make can you afford this every two weeks? Better yet are you going to leave a Hot Freight area and a Hotter time of year? Daytona was a no brainer Columbus Ohio (same distance) I would have become a part time resident for the weekend.
You cannot count on consitancy in this Industry AT ALL.
CB_VAN:
We have driven vans all of our 17 yr expedite career. We have had great weeks and poor weeks while on the road. Our two best weeks were $4025 and $4150 as a team. Our worst weeks were $00.00, and there were plenty of them. As a solo driver, a typical week for me any many folks with whom I speak, is in the neighborhood of $1500 gross to the truck.
HondaKing is fortunate to be with the right company for his circumstances, and also have been in the right place at the right time. His nearly $2000 week average is not the industry norm for a van operator who is leased to an expedite carrier. It is very doable, however, if you have your own authority and a bevy of good and frequent customers.
As a point of reference, one of the highest per mile average paying carriers is FedEx Custom Critical. For the years 2002-2004, the average solo driven van grossed $41,971. The average team grossed $56,002.46. Many drivers grossed considerably more than the average; many drivers grossed considerably less.
Good luck with your choices. You can do OK in a van, but don't ever think you'll approach a $100,000 year.
Terry
We have driven vans all of our 17 yr expedite career. We have had great weeks and poor weeks while on the road. Our two best weeks were $4025 and $4150 as a team. Our worst weeks were $00.00, and there were plenty of them. As a solo driver, a typical week for me any many folks with whom I speak, is in the neighborhood of $1500 gross to the truck.
HondaKing is fortunate to be with the right company for his circumstances, and also have been in the right place at the right time. His nearly $2000 week average is not the industry norm for a van operator who is leased to an expedite carrier. It is very doable, however, if you have your own authority and a bevy of good and frequent customers.
As a point of reference, one of the highest per mile average paying carriers is FedEx Custom Critical. For the years 2002-2004, the average solo driven van grossed $41,971. The average team grossed $56,002.46. Many drivers grossed considerably more than the average; many drivers grossed considerably less.
Good luck with your choices. You can do OK in a van, but don't ever think you'll approach a $100,000 year.
Terry
Terry,
Would it be safe to presume the "average" week of $1500 gross to the van is around 1750 loaded miles? Would 500 d/h miles be a safe weekly average number to go with the 1750? That would allow some basic arithmetic for a spreadsheet for folks interested in a van.
Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
EO Forum Moderator 1+ Years of Service
Expediters Online.com - The Best is Getting Better!
-----
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Would it be safe to presume the "average" week of $1500 gross to the van is around 1750 loaded miles? Would 500 d/h miles be a safe weekly average number to go with the 1750? That would allow some basic arithmetic for a spreadsheet for folks interested in a van.
Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
EO Forum Moderator 1+ Years of Service
Expediters Online.com - The Best is Getting Better!
-----
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
>Would it be safe to presume the "average" week of $1500
>gross to the van is around 1750 loaded miles? Would 500 d/h
>miles be a safe weekly average number to go with the 1750?
Perhaps. With FSC, I would think typical for 2005 would be about 1500 loaded miles in a van, or about a buck a mile.
My 2004 and 2005 loaded average was $1.19 and $1.22, respectively, FSC included. My non-personal deadhead was about 1/4 of my revenue mile total.
>gross to the van is around 1750 loaded miles? Would 500 d/h
>miles be a safe weekly average number to go with the 1750?
Perhaps. With FSC, I would think typical for 2005 would be about 1500 loaded miles in a van, or about a buck a mile.
My 2004 and 2005 loaded average was $1.19 and $1.22, respectively, FSC included. My non-personal deadhead was about 1/4 of my revenue mile total.
For easy arithmetic and for anyone just looking into a van then it might be fairly accurate to say 1600 loaded miles plus 1/4 or 400 more in d/h for about 2000 miles driven in a week for $1500 gross to the van? That would be 75cpm to the van for all miles driven.
Operating cost on a van would run somewhere around 35cpm based on 18mpg at $2.50 fuel, $750 payment, $170 insurance, $225 maint/repairs/tires, $100 accounting, $150 Qualcomm, $100 work comp, and another $150 or so misc expenses? I'm using numbers picked up over months of observing and could be off on any/all of them so please enlighten me if I'm way off base. If 35cpm is a reasonable estimate that would leave about 40cpm after expenses. Is that somewhere in the ballpark of what a van o/o might expect?
Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
EO Forum Moderator 1+ Years of Service
Expediters Online.com - The Best is Getting Better!
-----
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Operating cost on a van would run somewhere around 35cpm based on 18mpg at $2.50 fuel, $750 payment, $170 insurance, $225 maint/repairs/tires, $100 accounting, $150 Qualcomm, $100 work comp, and another $150 or so misc expenses? I'm using numbers picked up over months of observing and could be off on any/all of them so please enlighten me if I'm way off base. If 35cpm is a reasonable estimate that would leave about 40cpm after expenses. Is that somewhere in the ballpark of what a van o/o might expect?
Leo Bricker, owner trucks 3034, 4958
OOIDA 677319
73's K5LDB
EO Forum Moderator 1+ Years of Service
Expediters Online.com - The Best is Getting Better!
-----
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
>For easy arithmetic and for anyone just looking into a van
>then it might be fairly accurate to say 1600 loaded miles
>plus 1/4 or 400 more in d/h for about 2000 miles driven in a
>week for $1500 gross to the van? That would be 75cpm to the
>van for all miles driven.
>
>Operating cost on a van would run somewhere around 35cpm
>based on 18mpg at $2.50 fuel, $750 payment, $170 insurance,
>$225 maint/repairs/tires, $100 accounting, $150 Qualcomm,
>$100 work comp, and another $150 or so misc expenses? I'm
>using numbers picked up over months of observing and could
>be off on any/all of them so please enlighten me if I'm way
>off base. If 35cpm is a reasonable estimate that would leave
>about 40cpm after expenses. Is that somewhere in the
>ballpark of what a van o/o might expect?
I would suggest about $675 for principle+interest with no down pmt; Bobtail Insurance should be closer to $100; Work accident insurance (workers com) may be required by lease agreeement but not by law for an owner of one van operating as a sole proprietor. otherwise $100 is about right.
35cpm is a reasonable thumbrule, but I am using 40cpm and was 44 cpm earlier in the past year. My annual total miles fall between 95,000 and 105,000. I deadead more than most, for personal reasons, and I don't count that into my CPM. I look at my personal DH as commuting miles, perhaps so that I feel like I'm netting more than actual
>then it might be fairly accurate to say 1600 loaded miles
>plus 1/4 or 400 more in d/h for about 2000 miles driven in a
>week for $1500 gross to the van? That would be 75cpm to the
>van for all miles driven.
>
>Operating cost on a van would run somewhere around 35cpm
>based on 18mpg at $2.50 fuel, $750 payment, $170 insurance,
>$225 maint/repairs/tires, $100 accounting, $150 Qualcomm,
>$100 work comp, and another $150 or so misc expenses? I'm
>using numbers picked up over months of observing and could
>be off on any/all of them so please enlighten me if I'm way
>off base. If 35cpm is a reasonable estimate that would leave
>about 40cpm after expenses. Is that somewhere in the
>ballpark of what a van o/o might expect?
I would suggest about $675 for principle+interest with no down pmt; Bobtail Insurance should be closer to $100; Work accident insurance (workers com) may be required by lease agreeement but not by law for an owner of one van operating as a sole proprietor. otherwise $100 is about right.
35cpm is a reasonable thumbrule, but I am using 40cpm and was 44 cpm earlier in the past year. My annual total miles fall between 95,000 and 105,000. I deadead more than most, for personal reasons, and I don't count that into my CPM. I look at my personal DH as commuting miles, perhaps so that I feel like I'm netting more than actual
hondaking38
Veteran Expediter
i bought mine from greigers great price 32,500.00 but i also had to pay michigan sales tax when i got back home at 6% so around 35,000 out the door....i talk to just about every sprinter owner i see at truck stops and etc....and have heard from them that many have paid closer to 40,000 out the door for theres... shop around and remember its your money....pay or offer what you feel its worth, not what they want oh and also i stated a average of 2000.00 a week on income above... you have to remember i came in at the perfect time of the year first week of june...and it was strong right up to the week before x-mas, however my average this year will be much much lower per week because its slow right now...my dh miles almost equal my paid miles, maybe even more...and when you fit that into the equation it will lower 2006 income drastically...happy hunting for your sprinter...
>I couldn't even find a Sprinter for sale here in Ohio.
>What's up with that?
Bob Caldwell Dodge in Columbus has several Sprinters ready to go...from bare bones to full Expediter conversions.
http://www.expeditersonline.com/sub/caldwelldodge/index.html
Dreamer
Forums Administrator
>What's up with that?
Bob Caldwell Dodge in Columbus has several Sprinters ready to go...from bare bones to full Expediter conversions.
http://www.expeditersonline.com/sub/caldwelldodge/index.html
Dreamer
Forums Administrator