Reply #153: I am a suffering Owner Operator(O/O)

[Chugalugger]

My income has dropped by half. I have to negotiate for a fuel surcharge just to make it out here. This week my Fuel Surcharge is 51 cents a mile, this rate is tacked on to the Line haul portion of the rate breakdown. Even with this surcharge my income is half of what it was 2 years ago. We O/O,s also have been cutting back on our maintenance schedules on our trucks. Sometime I feel I'm just working to fill my tanks. The only blessing that i have no truck/trailer payment. Some of us out here have a big nut to crack of 2-3000 dollars fro a truck payment before all the OE out here. All lot of these drivers are turning their truck back over to their lenders. Its a mess. If I knew any other way to make a living I would be doing it. I did participate in the Tampa Port Blockage. When it was over, it was business back as usual real quickly!!