From desk to own authority part 2

[mike3fan]

I am gonna agree with Rev (did I just say that?) on this one,I think it serves a great disservice to any new prospective drivers thinking about getting thier own authority to not post real numbers when it comes to talking about rates.

I mean really no one here will as "Steve" has said cut him down for what he is making,or I should say shouldn't,but to only post numbers with out giving real world miles like actual miles compared to what brokers say the the run is and to not include deadhead miles in my opinion is misleading.

I know Steve knows what his actual miles are(IFTA) and should also know what his pay(invoices) is so would it be that hard to give guys a real look into what can be made doing it this way(own authority)?

I think Steve has been pretty honest with his experienes and saying what he started out with in terms of money in the bank and start up costs,it just makes me wonder why he won't break down the actual figures that he is doing,which is his right I guess,just make you wonder sometimes if they are not what they seem to be on this thread.

I know that I hate to post my numbers when I only do like $1.40 a mile,but if I'm gonna post them when they are $1.80 I feel it's only fair.

[no_worries]

From someone who has run up from company to lease to own authority, I think this is a great thread. Part of that is thanks to Rev. Steve does a great job of telling his stories and relating his experiences. He tells about the things that can make this a great way to make a living. However, he also tends to gloss over certain aspects or trivialize them because, due to his personal situation, they aren't a big deal. Rev points these out, not for Steve's benefit, but for other starry-eyed folks who don't know any better.

Steve's story does not suffer, due to the fact that he, for the most part, ignores Rev. Those of you who would rush to his defense do him and his thread a disservice by making him appear incapable of defending his tale himself. Many of Rev's points are valid. If he didn't bring them up, Solo or mike or myself or someone else who's been at this awhile probably would. I'm glad Rev does, because I, for one, simply don't have the time

I for one, thoroughly enjoy the thread and applaud Steve for being so bold as to share his experiences. Anyone who authors such a thread expects to receive some criticism. Steve takes it well and doesn't get all defensive. Which is great since others have taken it upon themselves to do it for him

Off my soapbox now...carry on gentlemen.

[Rev.Vassago]

I am gonna agree with Rev (did I just say that?) on this one,I think it serves a great disservice to any new prospective drivers thinking about getting thier own authority to not post real numbers when it comes to talking about rates.

I mean really no one here will as "Steve" has said cut him down for what he is making,or I should say shouldn't,but to only post numbers with out giving real world miles like actual miles compared to what brokers say the the run is and to not include deadhead miles in my opinion is misleading.

I know Steve knows what his actual miles are(IFTA) and should also know what his pay(invoices) is so would it be that hard to give guys a real look into what can be made doing it this way(own authority)?

I think Steve has been pretty honest with his experienes and saying what he started out with in terms of money in the bank and start up costs,it just makes me wonder why he won't break down the actual figures that he is doing,which is his right I guess,just make you wonder sometimes if they are not what they seem to be on this thread.

I know that I hate to post my numbers when I only do like $1.40 a mile,but if I'm gonna post them when they are $1.80 I feel it's only fair.

Thank you for that honest view. I promise I won't tell that you agreed with me.

Hey Steve, are all your brokers paying you within 30 days? Care to post which ones are slow to fork over the money?

I really haven't been paying much attention to it. From the time I mail in the invoice it takes about 5 weeks. They all seem to pay in 30 days but some times it takes a few days before I get around to doing the invoice then the time it takes for the invoice to get to them and the return trip. Then there is the time for the check to clear before it's actually available to you.

I think the main reason I don't post my dead head miles is that it will just start a massive attack and before you know it, I'm making $15k a year. When I do dead head 100 miles it cost me $33.00 in fuel to get there. I get about 9mpg by my computer display. Doesn't really bother me to put that money out. Just one less meal at the Outback. But, I don't look at it that way because it doesn't bother me. Sort of like buying $50 dollars of Girl Scout Cookies at my previous job then putting them all out at the coffee room.

I know the only reason some people want to know my numbers is to make me look as bad as possible just because they are pissed to the max.

My bank account is growing, I can survive any major breakdown and pay for it. I don't think twice about paying my bills, having PM's done, maintenance or anything else I want. Every time I come home and deposit my checks I have more money than I did before so I know I'm not spending more than is coming in. I'm not the type of person who sees this money and runs out and spends it on frivolous items.

If my truck burned to the ground overnight I would have no problem taking my saved money, putting a down payment on another truck and financing the rest and I would still make it. Of course, I have insurance but my point is, I could still survive after buying another truck and make the payments.

A lot of my words are taken out of context and that's wrong. I'm assuming most of you can read between the lines and see what's happening. This past time out, I did average $1.80 per mile but for the year I think it will still average out to $1.70.

I don't hunt around for fuel and have driven into CA close to empty instead of filling up before and paid $3.30 per gallon. I take a shower in the morning then fill up with fuel instead of the other way around so I can get the free shower. There is a lot I could do to improve my bottom line but it just doesn't matter to me. It's a convenience and a luxury.

I tend to spend more money on comfort items than anything else. I spent $200 on 600 thread count sheets. $300 on a goose down comforter. $7,000 on a Rigmaster. These are just an example of things I buy to improve my quality of life on the road and to me it makes such a huge difference. I love my truck and the way it's setup inside. There is nothing like sitting out in the middle of nowhere, snowing like Hell, being warm and comfortable, surfing the web, stocked up to the max and knowing your engine could quit and you still have a backup power source.

I carry SOOOOO much emergency stuff it's not funny and one of these days it will pay off either for me or someone else.

I've made the big bucks before. $190,000 was my top annual salary at one point. I just came to the point where the money just didn't matter to me any more. I'm much happier now and having a great time. Using your brain at 100% capacity every single day takes such a huge toll on you it's not funny. There is no job security in any company any more and that takes an even bigger toll knowing that this is only a temporary job so WHY SHOULD YOU GIVE A ****. I know there are a lot of you who silently read this thread will be shaking your head yes when you read this.

There is WAY WAY WAY much more that is involved with having your own authority, truck and trailer then just driving. I had no freaking idea. The paper work takes a huge amount of your time. The logistics of having work done on your truck and trailer is a task in itself trying to line everything up for when you get home which you really can't guaranty in the first place!

I don't run as much as I could. I tried in the Spring like I said I would and didn't like it. I went from one load to another. That's not my style and went back to my old ways. I very rarely drop a load off and pick up another one until the next day. I seem to always plan my trip out so I'm close to the drop off point at the end of my day which is normally around 3pm. I'll wake up around 1 or 2am and take it easy for a few hours drinking coffee and writing on here.

I'll head out around 4am and will be sitting at the customer site at either 5 or 6am. They show up at 8am and I always tell them to take there time and I'm in no rush at all. If it's some place interesting like an oil refinery, rail road track manufacturing facility or something else I'll snoop around. Most of the time a manager will see me and take me around. I love that. It's like I'm living the Discovery channel and How it's Made.

After I drop off around 9am or so I'll head out to a nice place to park. I won't pull over on the side of the road but I'll seek out the perfect spot with staying the night in mind if need be. Some times I'll post my truck as available that day but I'll be real picky. I'll putter around the truck filling the oil, WW fluid, checking tire pressure, washing windows and of course, making sure there is not one spec of dirt anywhere in my truck and EVERYTHING is in it's place and in order.

I'm constantly looking for ways to make my job easier. On a flatbed I have sliding winches but you can't place them over the wheels or when you hit a big bump the tire will get a chuck taken out of it when it hits the winch. Because of this I have to open up my side box and get one of my portable straps out which is a pain so, I bought bolt on winches that are secured onto the rub rail. I bolted 2 winches over each wheel of the trailer tandems and the drive tires of my truck.

My Rigmaster has an extension cord that's meant to plug into the block heater of my truck when it's cold out. This means I have to run the cord outside every single night and put it away in the morning. I ended up wiring the cord permanently to the block heater but put a switch on the inside of the cab to turn it on. If I didn't have a switch, the block heater would run every time I ran the Rigmaster and that's not something I want to happen when it's hot out. Running the block heater causes a bigger drain on the Rigmaster and causes it to run harder when it's not necessary.

I'm still trying to get the rest of my bills to be paid electronically. Not all bills can be paid through the bank and they want to have access to your account which I don't like. I ended up getting a new credit card with a limit of $500. I have a lot of my bills paid via this way and I made sure that I did not have the over limit feature enabled. The credit card monthly bill can be paid via electronic bill pay through my bank so that worked out great.

That's about it for now. Truck goes in for a PM this morning and a 3 mile walk home after dropping it off. The place where I park my truck is on a small side street away from everything. Right next to the parking area is a rail road track that leads right to the back of the garage where my truck is worked on so it's an awesome walk through the woods. Getting my flu shot today also. Tried to give blood yesterday but they wouldn't take it because of all the islands I've been to in the past 3 years. Seems the Red Cross has gotten a lot more picky.

[rank]

No_worries,

That was a great post.


Steve,

When you say $1.80 above, is that $1.80 for all miles?

As in:

Total revenue for the trip dividied by (odometer reading at the end of trip -odometer reading at start of trip). If that's the case, you're doing OK there IMO. Probably do $50,000 - $60,000 pre-tax.

Rank,

I don't know how many are dead head. I don't keep track. You can burn up enough fuel in the winter time just idling for the weekend to equal a dead head of over 375 miles.

There are a million ways to analyze the trucking business and I'm not interested in the debate of it.

I just deleted a bunch of text I was going to post but changed my mind.

I have a detailed spread sheet and I'll tell you this. After all my PERSONAL bills are paid, fuel, income tax, truck insurance, maintenance fund, health insurance, cell phone, and internet I have a little over $1,200 left over that I just keep accumulating in my checking account.

I'm not asking for help, I don't want any help and I don't want any advise.

NO!!!! Offense to you at all Rank about some statements above. They were meant for everyone on my views about this subject. You just happened to be standing there when I said this.

I think Rev is up now?

[rank]

I didn't mean to offer any advice. Sorry about that. You're past that stage IMO.

All I was curious about was the OD reading when you left and when you got back......divided into the revenue for the trip.....but never mind......it's all good. I don't want to beat this to death.

[mike3fan]

I'm not asking for help, I don't want any help and I don't want any advise.

Good Luck Bro.

I didn't mean to offer any advice. Sorry about that. You're past that stage IMO.

NO!!!!!!!! You didn't give me any advise. I was just sounding off. Ya know, when your buddy stands next to you bitching at you like your his wife.

[Rev.Vassago]

Doesn't really bother me to put that money out. Just one less meal at the Outback. But, I don't look at it that way because it doesn't bother me. Sort of like buying $50 dollars of Girl Scout Cookies at my previous job then putting them all out at the coffee room.

A lot of my words are taken out of context and that's wrong.

I don't hunt around for fuel and have driven into CA close to empty instead of filling up before and paid $3.30 per gallon. I take a shower in the morning then fill up with fuel instead of the other way around so I can get the free shower. There is a lot I could do to improve my bottom line but it just doesn't matter to me. It's a convenience and a luxury.

I tend to spend more money on comfort items than anything else.

I just came to the point where the money just didn't matter to me any more.

I don't run as much as I could.

I very rarely drop a load off and pick up another one until the next day.

I'll wake up around 1 or 2am and take it easy for a few hours drinking coffee and writing on here.

It's stuff like this, things that are out of the ordinary that are the reasons I feel this thread does a disservice to people getting into the business, and are the reason why I will continue to call out what I feel are the "BS" items. It is things like this that are the reason I call Steve a "hobby trucker". Things caring what your bottom line is and maximizing your profits by watching your expenses are all things that are extremely important to the normal business owner.

I know the only reason some people want to know my numbers is to make me look as bad as possible just because they are pissed to the max.

If you say so. If you posted your real numbers, and they showed a good healthy profit, then I would be the first to congratulate you. I don't see how your numbers could make you look bad unless your numbers were bad.

[geomon]

Where did Steve ever state that his was a normal business operation?

Where did Steve state that he was writing all of this was as a teaching seminar on how someone SHOULD start in this business?

He simply is chronicling for us how HE is doing it. While most people want to mazimize profits, there are many that run successful businesses for the main reason that they enjoy what they are doing or enjoy the lifestyle. Those are not reasons to call "bs" on what he is doing. Now if he was telling newbies that this is how they SHOULD do it....that's different. Last time I checked he was simply telling his story. The fact he does not have to run "balls to the wall" to squeeze every nickel from his operation is his perogative and frankly, I'm a bit jealous. How many other businesses are run just like this....fishing guides, tour operators, artists etc. They love what they are doing and the freedom of doing it their way vastly outweighs doing it any other way.

[Rev.Vassago]

Where did Steve ever state that his was a normal business operation?

Where did Steve state that he was writing all of this was as a teaching seminar on how someone SHOULD start in this business?

You know that, and I know that, but the noobie who stumbles in here doesn't have a clue.

Those are not reasons to call "bs" on what he is doing.

Those aren't the reasons why I call BS.

*** CAUTION, noobies take note, do not attempt this on your own ***

Put my truck and trailer in yesterday and had a PM done on both. I also had both inspected even though it wasn't due until next month. I would rather have something found while I'm at home instead of on the road.

I also had the mechanics go over the whole truck and trailer and they found all 4 belts on my engine needed to be replaced. All of them had many cracks . I had them all replaced last year. So much for T/A and there Ultimate PM they sell. This should have been caught by them a lot sooner.

Bought some new mud flaps for my trailer but that's going to take some work to put them on. My trailer is a Great Dane and they only use 3 holes to secure the flaps then they cut the corner off. This approach has always made them look crooked which I don't like so I'm going to by some 1/4" iron and make a new 4 hole bracket.

I'll probably head out next week some time.

[ncnewbie]

I came across this post last Jun 10 (10:47pm) on another thread in here:

"I'm gonna give you a taste of what's to come, just cuz I'm that darn nice. First trip from NJ to CO paid me $10,538.49 on 1868 actual miles, and 6 days to complete. That comes out to $5.64 per mile, or $1756.42 per day. (not counting the $600 tip that I got for the job). That number may be increasing a bit, as they didn't pay me the FSC for the car I hauled (another $220) "

As a noobie just stumbling upon this I concluded I could take home $10k in 6 days trucking on a regular basis. I had to read the entire thread plus others and PM some of the authors to find out there was a lot more involved and no, I wouldn't be taking home $10k in 6 days. Almost like that guy that posted a copy of a 1099 for what was it $179k (cant find it anymore) and no details of the rest of the operation. What a disservice!!

Noobies beware!

I just did a search and no such thread exists?

[ncnewbie]

The info about the trips, I found it on a thread titled something like beddbugger revenue contest as part of searching to find out as much about "trucking" as I could earlier this year. I have a mental picture of the 1099, just can't find it in a thread. Maybe I'll start reading Playboy again so I'll get other mental pictures.

After reading other threads and other sites, asking questions both online and off, I learned that "paid me $10,538.49" didn't mean that's what I'd get to keep (thought it did on first read - found something with minimal office politics and 6 figures takehome pay. Yipee!! Both quashed with further research!)

Posters don't always put all information into every post that may be needed for decisions. Heck, most probably don't even consider a noobie may be reading their post as "gospel". Some don't put info in on purpose (for whatever reason), some inadvertently, some don't think it's relevant. Doesn't matter. Noobies like me need to be aware of that, read ALL of the thread, and ask questions before coming to any conclusions about what to expect. Even then, I'd recommend talking to a couple truckers "face-to-face" about your conclusions.

Thanks for posting what your doing while at home Steve. Good reminder that there's more than just maintenance one might need to plan for during home time! If only truckers would pay enough to make a valet service worthwhile..clean sheets, bottled water, a fresh pine tree on the rear view mirror.........

[Rev.Vassago]

The info about the trips, I found it on a thread titled something like beddbugger revenue contest as part of searching to find out as much about "trucking" as I could earlier this year. I have a mental picture of the 1099, just can't find it in a thread. Maybe I'll start reading Playboy again so I'll get other mental pictures.

After reading other threads and other sites, asking questions both online and off, I learned that "paid me $10,538.49" didn't mean that's what I'd get to keep (thought it did on first read - found something with minimal office politics and 6 figures takehome pay. Yipee!! Both quashed with further research!)

Posters don't always put all information into every post that may be needed for decisions. Heck, most probably don't even consider a noobie may be reading their post as "gospel". Some don't put info in on purpose (for whatever reason), some inadvertently, some don't think it's relevant. Doesn't matter. Noobies like me need to be aware of that, read ALL of the thread, and ask questions before coming to any conclusions about what to expect. Even then, I'd recommend talking to a couple truckers "face-to-face" about your conclusions.

Thanks for posting what your doing while at home Steve. Good reminder that there's more than just maintenance one might need to plan for during home time! If only truckers would pay enough to make a valet service worthwhile..clean sheets, bottled water, a fresh pine tree on the rear view mirror.........

The 1099 in question is mine, and in the same thread I clearly stated not only what my labor costs were, but also that approximately 2/3 of everything I earn goes towards expenses.

[revrus]

Only 2/3's of total income going for expenses? Not really that bad.

I've had a few buisnesses that had worse return ratios.

[Scoe]

Well, because Steve Booth broke this thread and because he requested it I'm locking this down.

Explanation: Steve sent me a PM explaining that he tried to post just as the system came up and somehow this got the pages off by 1 page, if you click on page 153 it says no posts found.

This is not punitive, rather it is house keeping.

Steve, feel free to star another thread concerning you journey.

Now, everyone, remember to play and post nice. :shock: