69% of load

[UFO Driver]

I am a company driver doing reefer. If I go owner operator with my current company, they pay 69% of the load with 100% fuel surcharge. My question is, Is this a high enough percentage to stay afloat and show a profit? Yes I know there has to be certain minimums as far as miles per week driven and truck payment and maintenance and so on. Landstar pays 64%, Schneider pays 65%, on up to 80% with Gulick or Interstate, once in a while even higher percentages depending on the company. I know I am not being very specific on numbers, I am just asking a general question at this point in time. I would like to be an o/o but only if I like what I hear, from my employer, from this forum, and anyone else.

[repete]

While the percentage is importent but it's NOT everything. I'd much rather have 50% of say $10,000 than to get 70% of $6500.
Who can keep you AND provide good paying loads?

[firebird_1252]

i get 70% and 100% fsc, pulling rail containers. i must say i am quite comfterable. i get $250 to go 54 miles... a few weeks ago i went to nj from harrisburg got $633 to go maybe 150 miles. what i say is.. you make it sometimes... sometimes you dont. no companywill show you what they're getting for it so you dont know if you are really getting the % they say you are

[GMAN]

It depends on the rate. If the rate is high enough the money could be good. Do you furnish your own trailer or use the company's?

[UFO Driver]

It is 69% with company trailer, 80% with my own trailer. I have not asked my company yet what the rates generally range. If I do o/o I would use company trailer. If the lowest rates were $1.50 and the highest were $2.20 would that be viable?

[solo379]

Well, if that's equal amount of both, your average cut would be 1.27 a mile. Plus let's say a $0.50 fuel surcharge, 1.77 loaded "book" mile. Which probably will translate to around $1.5-60 per all hub miles run. Which is depending on a whole deal could range from a livable, to not too bad.....

[Musicman]

It is 69% with company trailer, 80% with my own trailer. I have not asked my company yet what the rates generally range. If I do o/o I would use company trailer. If the lowest rates were $1.50 and the highest were $2.20 would that be viable?

Who pays for the reefer fuel? That may sound trivial, but it will add up to thousands per year. I would assume they pay for trailer maintenance, right?

I noticed you mentioned Interstate… I assume you mean Interstate Distributor Company (IDC) out of Tacoma. They pay 80% with their trailers if you have your own authority. Also, they, and I imagine all the big companies will tell you that you will be dispatched just like any of their company drivers… alleging that you will have the same random chance at good and bad paying freight as their own trucks do. THAT IS A LIE, and you should beware of those companies, especially IDC. IDC and those other companies I imagine, have several categories of freight. YOUR freight will come from their general, low-paying freight pool and even cheap broker freight. Meanwhile, they have stuff that pays literally 300% better that they term “dedicated” that you will never have an opportunity to pull. I know this for a fact because I’ve been there. Not to mention that IDC went nearly NINE MONTHS owing me almost $35k.

Am I just a little bit bitter and vindictive? Hell yes!

[BanditsCousin]

Very good points here. For example, I get 55%. I'll take it over the higher precentages Musicman is correct on competition between contractor and company trucks.

[Windwalker]

The disadvantage in running for percentage is being a bit more difficult to track what the company is doing to you. You start off just fine, but as time goes on, the overall average of the loads starts to drop. Their excuse, "Freight is down". But if you see other guys buying new trucks with high monthly payments, and you are just able to hold your own, the company may be "playing with the rates". I know of one company that does that to some drivers, while others have no trouble making monthly payments of over $2,000/month on a new truck. They have to be a bit more blatant if you're running by the mile.

[Heavy Duty]

The disadvantage in running for percentage is being a bit more difficult to track what the company is doing to you. You start off just fine, but as time goes on, the overall average of the loads starts to drop. Their excuse, "Freight is down". But if you see other guys buying new trucks with high monthly payments, and you are just able to hold your own, the company may be "playing with the rates". I know of one company that does that to some drivers, while others have no trouble making monthly payments of over $2,000/month on a new truck. They have to be a bit more blatant if you're running by the mile.

Good companies will make the original freight bills available for you to see, at LS you can see all load documents on line whenever you want. The law requires percentage companies to provide you copies of original freight bills, but some make it difficult or treat you bad if you even ask.

[Fredog]

at my old company, I got 80 % and I paid all my own insurance and fuel taxes. at my current company, I get 65% and the company pays my fuel tax and everything except bobtail insurance, I come out better now than I did before. I also pull a company trailer at no charge which I did at the other company too

[phoneman]

If you are competing against company drivers for freight(which most likely you are), that is where you have to watch out. The percentage means nothing. Percentage of what? If they are feeding company drivers the gravy, 90% won't help you.

[Musicman]

If you are competing against company drivers for freight(which most likely you are), that is where you have to watch out. The percentage means nothing. Percentage of what? If they are feeding company drivers the gravy, 90% won't help you.

Like I said, all the good paying dedicated accounts they lock the contractors out of by creating a “dedicated” fleet of company only trucks for those accounts. Interstate Distributors has stuff that averages in the $3 per mile range, but we never saw any of it in the year we contracted with them. We were only given loads from the general pool of cheap freight and then expected to do insanely unprofitable things. Besides not paying us on time, the last straw for me was when they tried to get us to deadhead from Nichols, NY 198 miles into Jersey City to get a load that we knew would probably pay $.80 a mile. It was a means to an end at the time, but I’ll NEVER contract myself like that again to another company. They pawn off all the cheap crap on you while keeping the best stuff for their trucks and then threaten you when you tell them you won’t accept a load. It’s a real nightmare.

[phoneman]

Sounds just like the company I am leased to. They tried to leave me in Chicago for Thanksgiving. Said there was no loads headed south. Then I find a company driver who just got the load I should have got headed south, and paying real good. I am on my way out shortly.

[Fredog]

not all companies are like that, ours goes strictly by seniority on Monday, with no difference in company or owner operator, then first in, first pick the rest of the week

[crazyeyes]

I used to work for company out of NJ, rule was if you want good load (so called GRAVY), give a bribe to dispatch.

[sc5952]

I used to pay my drivers percentage but thanks to screwy companies nobody wants to drive because the unsureness of money. I paid 20% (they just drive, not o/o) of true gross as starting wage. I quit that. I now pay $0.33 for ALL miles driven. Any body need driving job? Im needing driver for midwest flatbed driver.

[Truckingworld]

Who ever is interested, Let me find you loads. I charge only 9% and you keep 91%. Leave your email address and I will contact you.

[Truckingworld]

Contact me via email brunette6919@yahoo.com I will find you loads for 9% of line haul. I WILL work with your schedule. Why would anyone want to drive and be on the phone all day to book loads, when you can easily afford your own dispatcher?

[Musicman]

Contact me via email brunette6919@yahoo.com I will find you loads for 9% of line haul. I WILL work with your schedule. Why would anyone want to drive and be on the phone all day to book loads, when you can easily afford your own dispatcher?

I'm supposed to give you 9% of my gross for making a few phone calls and sending a couple faxes? So that would be almost $20k for dispatching my one truck this year and with you having no expenses and no liability of your own in the game? Holy crap, I guess I really AM in the wrong business!