Loaded with potential

user-gravatar Headshot

The 53-foot Utility 3000R reefer features Kemlite FRP interior lining.

Is a trailer worth the investment? For many owner-operators, yes. And it should take less than four years to earn back that investment, even when buying new equipment. According to the 2007 Overdrive Owner-Operator Market Behavior Report, 88 percent of independent owner-operators already own their own trailers, as do 40 percent of leased owner-operators.

While leased operators don’t have the pressing need to provide a trailer that most independents do, they often find trailer ownership comes with added earning potential. The Market Behavior Report notes an average 6 percent uptick in revenue, $10,000 annually, for leased owner-operators who own their own trailer. They keep more than half that. Among all owner-operators, trailer ownership brings a $6,000 gain in yearly net income.

Even with the additional costs of operating your own trailer, the average added earning potential in flatbed, dry van and reefer segments returns the investment within three years. But for a leased operator, the real results require consideration of the carrier’s operations and yours.

Following are potential return-on-investment scenarios when a leased operator buys a new trailer.

New
Overdrive's Load Profit Analyzer
Know your costs? Compute the potential profit in any truckload, analyze per-day and per-mile breakouts, and compare real offers on multiple loads or game out hypothetical rate/lane scenarios. Enter your trucking business's fixed and variable costs, and load information, to get started.
Try it out!
Attachments Idea Book Cover

FLATBED, 48′, STEEL/ALUMINUM COMPOSITE, SPREAD AXLES

AVERAGE PRICE: $25,500

ADDITIONAL GROSS REVENUE $1,187/MONTH
ADDITIONAL OPERATIONAL COSTS -$160/MONTH
ADDITIONAL NET INCOME $1,027/MONTH
$25,500

Pride & Polish
Overdrive’s annual Pride & Polish virtual truck show attracts entries from across the nation showcasing show-quality design, mechanical ingenuity and plenty of trucking-business pride. Find recent-history awards shows, in-depth features about the winners, and more.
Read More
Pride & Polish Promo Image