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Message: [QUOTE="Jason, post: 370048, member: 430"] For basic easy to understand math...at $1.00 a mile, lets run some quick numbers. You get a 1,000 mile haul, which pays of course $1000.00. Now, lets say for this load you get 8mpg..which is reasonable. Over that run, you have used 125 gallons of diesel, or $437.50 at $3.59 a gallon. Lets say you have a payment on that 40ft gooseneck (about standard for hot shotting type work), lets say that trailer payment is $300 a month. Gotta have commercial insurance, one million coverage is pretty typical regardless of the breakdown on it. Typicall 20% down, say its gonna run you $8k a year...which roughly equates to $640 a month. (20% down leaves 6400 to pay out over 10 months). So...lets take those numbers, and those alone before we factor in any maintenance, oil changes, tires, brakes, fixed expenses at home, food, lodging, etc. In my equation i broke the trailer payment and insurance into weekly payments, so as to be somewhat fair, and take 75 for the trailer payment and 160 for the insurance and subtract them from the equation. Without any other expenses factored in, so far you have $362.50 left over after this trip. Remember, you WILL want to set aside from each load for your expenses, and not wait til the end of the month or when bills are due to scratch the coin together for them. If you dont have a reserve fhnd set aside, you already dont have the funds to buy diesel to get back home. Loaded or empty. This is just a rough breakdown and im sure someone can nitpick it but its a good goddamn example of why you need to know your expenses before hand, and run for the money that will cover your costs AMD then some. If you ran for say....$1.75 a mile, thats an additiinal $750.00 to factor in with your expenses. See how much more that can put in your pocket for the same run? Besides, hauling with a pickup commercially will wear it out in short order....if youre going big trailer, amd legitimate lease to a freight company, move to a medium duty truck...your fuel difference will not differ much consumption wise, its safer, better suspension, brakes, colling system etc. I have hauled cattle with my pickup...charged $2.75 a mile and did damn good like that. 2 days a week, about 800 miles covered in those two days, it was good supplemental income. [/QUOTE]