Blog
The questions an owner-operator asks on a Sunday with the pay sheets out, answered in plain words with the arithmetic shown.
Settlements, Running the business 6 min read Your settlement escrow: what it should earn and when it comes back The escrow on your settlement is your money. The carrier owes you interest at least quarterly and the balance back within 45 days after the lease ends.
Taxes and 1099s, Running the business 7 min read How much to put aside for quarterly taxes on one leased truck Nobody withholds for a leased owner-operator. Here's how to figure a quarter's estimate from your profit and nights away, with the math worked out.- Paperwork, Running the business 7 min read What to check on a rate confirmation before you take the load The rate confirmation terms that decide what a load really pays — detention, TONU, layover, lumpers, reefer fuel, pay terms — with the dollars worked out.
Settlements, Trucks and expenses 6 min read Does the fuel surcharge on your settlement cover the diesel? The fuel surcharge pays pump price minus a base price, at an assumed mpg, on loaded miles only. One week checked against the fuel card, with the math.
Driver pay, Settlements 6 min read Percent of gross or cents per mile: which costs you less? Two weeks priced both ways at 60 cents a mile against 28 percent of gross, with the break-even line rate you can run on your own numbers.
Trucks and expenses, Running the business 6 min read What each fuel-saving habit is actually worth on one truck Every fuel-saving tip priced against one truck's year: 108,000 miles at 6.4 mpg and diesel at $6.29, ranked by what it pays, with the arithmetic shown.
Driver pay, Trucks and expenses 7 min read How to pay your driver a fuel bonus that pays for itself Figure your truck's real mpg from the gallons on your fuel card and the miles on the odometer, set a fair target, and pay the driver half the fuel saved.
Driver pay 6 min read How to pay a truck driver by the mile, week by week The full weekly arithmetic for paying a 1099 driver by the mile: which miles count, flat extras, detention, receipts, advances, and a pay sheet example.
Settlements, Paperwork 6 min read How to read a carrier settlement sheet and catch what's missing What every line on an owner-operator settlement means, how to match each one back to the load it paid, and the four errors to look for every Friday.
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