Know your cost per mile
A company driver asks what a load pays. An owner-operator asks what it pays after costs. That starts with your cost per mile.
Fixed costs
These are due whether the truck moves or not: truck and trailer payments, insurance, plates and permits, ELD and software, parking, and your own salary.
Variable costs
These rise with every mile: fuel, tires, maintenance and repairs, tolls and scale fees.
The math
Add up a month of all costs and divide by all the miles you drove, loaded and empty. That is your cost per mile. A load that pays less than that number per total mile loses money, no matter how good the gross looks.
Habits that keep owner-operators in business
- Count empty miles. Driving 150 miles unpaid to reach a load is part of that load's cost.
- Put money aside for maintenance on every mile, before the repair arrives.
- Set aside tax money weekly. Nobody withholds it for you.
- Track every trip, every expense and every receipt.
This is the work YoTruck was built for: trips, income, expenses, pay periods, IFTA miles and your true cost per mile in one place.