Are carriers passing the money?

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Dear Editor,

I have been a commercial driver for more than 27 years, in the capacity of a company driver and an O/O, so I have an idea as to the hazards of the commercial truck driver’s life.

But I wonder why these ridiculous fuel prices do not seem to be affecting the bigger trucking companies. As a recently deposed O/O (my truck went back to the finance company), these fuel prices basically cost me my truck.

The rates offered by most carriers are between 85 cents and $1.10 per mile, depending on how their “deductions schemes” are arranged.

The revenue I was paid, after carriers finished with their deductions, did not leave me enough to feed myself on the road or my family at home, let alone make my truck payments.

Since February, the cost of fuel cost me an average of about 60 cents a mile, with the cost of licensing and insurance at about 30 cents a mile (as deducted off my statement). There were also “miscellaneous” deductions that averaged out to about eight to 12 cents a mile. That left less than zero cents a mile to pay me a driver’s wages or cover maintenance costs.

But these very same carriers seem to be able to offer company drivers anywhere from 28 to 40 cents per mile.

Add all of this together, and it would appear it costs $1.26 to $1.42 to operate a company truck.

How is it that these carriers seem to think that it costs an owner/operator less to operate his or her own truck?

I suspect that carriers are charging shippers more, but are not passing the increases on to O/O.

If Canadian O/Os don’t wake up soon, there will not be such a thing as a Canadian O/O.

Charles H.Labrenz

By E-Mail

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Truck News is Canada's leading trucking newspaper - news and information for trucking companies, owner/operators, truck drivers and logistics professionals working in the Canadian trucking industry.


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