Rates have been up and down lately. Right now, rates seem to be up for me. Much of it has to do with the type of freight you haul and where you run. I don't see a real driver shortage. We seem to have plenty of trucks where I have been running. I just took a load that pays more than anything that I have seen in almost 3 years. But, it has been a real hassle getting the permits. I have been offered rates from as low as $1.50-5.00/mile the last few months. Most seem to be settling around $2-3/mile. I have a friend who pulls a van and he has seen a decline in rates the last 2-3 months. I think he is averaging about $1.70-2.00/mile. I do see a shortage of capacity or over abundance of freight in a few areas. It has not necessarily resulted in higher rates, although you would expect that when their is a shortage of capacity. The market still seems to be somewhat fluid or volatile.

I run under my own authority. Lehigh Hanson is the shipper. They pay all the trucks that work for them once a week. It aint a bad gig. Some of the rates suck and the F/S is a joke. But you never have to worry about your money. Every tuesday i have a check no questions asked.

What more could you ask for?

As of now I'm officially looking for a truck. More than anything I want the control to determine which runs I take and which I avoid. For instance, I've never been out west. It's got to be a crime to drive otr and never see half the country. Another reason is NYC. I'll never go there again, let alone schedule a run there when the forecast is for 12" of snow. It's tight enough even when people aren't parking 2' from the curb. It's insane after a heavy snow but it isn't my bosses problem, it's mine.

I guess I'll try to get out west a couple of times (in good weather lol) and then concentrate on the midwest and see what percentage of days I can make it home and still keep the bills paid. ( of course until the truck is paid off, whatever pays the most gets a whole lot more consideration)

I see a lot of people have viewed this thread and since a great many are probably noobs or company drivers considering o/o here's my situation in case it helps.

My job isn't all bad. I get paid 36 cpm and $10 per hour doing stops with a one hour minimum. The average stop is probably about 1/2 hour so that isn't bad. I also asked for and now get a $50 premium for NYC runs. This week I drove 1950 miles and did 12 stops, 6 of which were on Long Island. My pay should be $702 + $120 + $50 = $872. I don't think that's bad for 4 days. Next week I'm doing a run to Miami with a few little detours and I'll end up with 3000 miles. I'll get one long run like that for every 4 - 6 runs that are much shorter. Usually I'll get an extra short week now and then but not lately. Post recession, each stop is getting less freight but each run has more stops. My leased truck is 2 years, 10 months old and just hit 300k miles.

I'm going to miss having a newer truck. They've ordered a new Cascadia for me that we're waiting to have an APU installed in (backordered until July! I guess their swamped with orders). Not only are new trucks comfortable and sweet smelling :), they probably don't break down as often.

Another thing I'm going to miss is our office lady. Being a company driver has spoiled me. I hand in my paperwork and she deposits my check for me and gives me a statement which I file when the pile starts to bug me. :) My taxes last year took less than an hour with Turbotax. Stick a fork in it, done. Being self employed has always meant endless paperwork to come home to. I never really felt like I was off the clock. This time I'm hiring an accountant right from the start and the paperwork gets handed off. But still, there will be all the crappola of being in business to chew on. From a contact you owe a phone call to, to something that isn't quite right with your truck. That feeling that it never ends is something I'm not looking forward to.

One thing I know from previous ventures is bankers will treat me like I have a contagious disease for a long time after I make the switch. I've been planning this for at least 6 months and I've got the financial biggies set. House, car, insurance, credit card debt is all where it needs to be. I'm vulnerable to a run of bad luck with truck or home repairs of course but you can't control everything.

Good luck with the change. Have you found a truck and trailer yet?

Thanks Gman. No I looked at a few during the winter and I check my local craigslist quite a bit. Now I'll start looking seriously. Even though the economy is looking weak all of a sudden I'd like to get this going before things slow down in the fall.

Sounds like you're making not bad money. I don't know what your house payments are like but I encourage you to get as much capital as you can manage before you take the plunge. Being under capitalized in this business can make you a slave at best possibly a failure. You lose the ability to sit and wait for better paying freight, you are forced to work alot.....and being home is what one of the things that you're trying to accomplish. And yes you will always be on the clock. Get used to working on your truck on the weekends.

Home daily might not make for decent revenue, but it is very workable to do something that gets you by the house 2 or three times a week and off on the weekends. I have that kind of gig and my gross for last year was $175,000. Net was roughly $70K. One thing I liked is no sitting except for a break. When one load is done, go get the next one. Not dedicated work, but everything done within the same region. The upper midwest is pretty consistent.

I haul containers down here in the gulf la ms fl . most runs are 600miles to 550miles per day.pay1.20 per mile never anyplace longer than an 1.5 hours. i start day about 5 am finish around 3- 5 pm home every day . i drag their wagon. after fuel paid paid i bring home between 12 -1,400 per week. could make more if i took longer runs but i dont want to sleep in truck.

Good luck MD. Keep us posted.