OK, I'll admit - I have been with this company since April 2007 and this is the best paying load they have given me. I own the truck but I pull their dry van trailers.... These past week we have been picking up pre-loaded trailers in Ontario, Canada and taken them across the border to a suburb of Detroit, MI, unload live and then return empty. Each load pays ... 250 Cnd bucks and is 23 miles one way We do 2 to 3 runs in a typical day, but 3 is hard. You have to clear these loads manually at the border and it takes forever. But still ... 250 bucks for 46 miles is $5.43/mi in Cnd funds and even higher in U.S. currency. So, there is still hope for a smart owner-operator

$250 per run X 2 runs per day = $500 per day gross

46 miles per run X 2 runs = 92 miles / 6 mpg = 15.33 gallons X $4.70 per gallon = $72.05 in fuel

I'm assuming this is a 5 day per week run, so after fuel you're bringing in $2139.75 per week. That is okay, I guess, but it isn't all that fantastic. The big plus on it is that you aren't wearing your equipment out.

How come they have to be manually cleared?

Sounds pretty good to me.

Also nice that you can use the fast lane on the way back.

Not bad for an O/O. I unloaded at a generator place in Detroit. Pulled one off and put another on. Went 7 miles down the street and unloaded came back and put another one on same way. So trip one was 7 miles loaded and 7 miles empty. Paid me $200.00 for a 14 mile round trip. That comes out to $14.28 a mile. Made two rounds like that and after the second one deadheaded 20 miles north to reload for Texas. Two round trips plus the deadhead is 48 miles for $400 or $8.33 per mile driving a company truck.

The entry type is called 'FOREIGN TRADE ZONE'. Basically the goods go thru the border into US without being cleared and are unloaded at a "foreign trade zone" warehouse in Detroit. Big hassle...

You beat me especially since you didn't have to pay for fuel. That's why short/local/regional trips are the way to go in this business. With the price of fuel skyrocketing, it pays to stay close to home. A side advantage is you get to sleep at home every night too.

I fuel up in the DUTY FREE ZONE (US side) at the Ambassador bridge. They take Flying J fuel cards (TCH) and the price on July 18th was ... $4.50 per gallon. I paid no taxes, fuel or state, so it cost me only 0.75 cents per mile (4.50 per gallon per 6 miles). Plus right now we're paid 36 cents Cnd per mile in FUEL SURCHARGE (which is basically the same amount in U.S. funds).

So, 75 - 36 is 39 cents per mile as the cost of fuel. 92 miles times 0.39 is $35.88, or $179.4 in 5 days. The gross profit is $500 times 5 minus $179 equals ... $2,321 per weeik, not $2,139.