So, from what I gather, some of these
charter boat companies must operate similar to the trucking companies that
lease on drivers. (like the one I'm leased to).
The Corp. usually has few or no real assets, ( in my case they pretty much
lease everything, down to the staplers, I think) and 'hire' on owner-operators with
equipment to do the grunt
work. Of course they take a percentage of the bid for providing the matchmaking
service between truck and shipper/receiver. They also ding the trucker for any extras that they offer, and make $$ from that.
Sounds good, for all, except that often the
fees the trucker gives up become quite heavy. The percentage the Corp takes is usually around 25% of the gross accepted bid. The driver then pays for most everything else,
fuel,
insurance,
repairs, tolls,
taxes, permits, truck and
trailer payment and licensing, etc. Couple that in with what we call 'double-brokering', which is where the Corp or it's agents glean the freight from public posted load services, then re-post the same load for less
money on the Corp
service board, and skim off an additional 5-25% that the
shipping customer is actually bid to pay to have his load moved. Then, the trucker, hauls the load (not knowing it's already been dinged for an additional X percent) at a rate that is nearly 25-50% of what the load actually paid.
So, the customer lists a load he needs moved at $3 per mile. The first
broker nabs it and whacks it for 10% (30cpm) making it now pay $2.70per mile. The Corp nabs it, and whacks it for 25% (68cpm-rounded up) making it pay $2.02pm.
Fuel is at $3.90gl, a truck gets 6mpg,so that's .65 for fuel. Leaving $1.37 mi. The typical
maintenance fund is around 10% (13 cents), leaving $1.25cpm. A truck tractor payment on a used $60K tractor is around $1600mo. based on a 10K miles a month=.16cpm, and a
trailer payment will add another 6 pennies to that, for 22cents. Now we're down to about $1.23 cents per mile. My plates and permits cost $1650 a year, divided by an 80K mile year= 2 cents,
insurance runs about the same, so 4 cents.
Now at $1.19 cpm. Tires are $530 ea, last year I went through 6, that's 4cpm, now $1.15 cpm.
And so it goes. On, and on.
What a rat race!!
I spent 288 days living in my truck,eating frozen/canned
food or splurging and eating at a greasy spoon. Baking in the summer, freezing in the
winter. Using a rest stop or truck stop bathroom and
shower. Living in 46sq feet of space.So I could make $30 grand.
Typically most truckers that are leased owner-operators, make less than the company driver counterparts. I grossed somewhere in the area of $146K, but after
repairs, fuel,
taxes, insurance etc. I brought to the house less than $33K.
Now, I'm not sure how the
charter biz works, but if it follows the example of the American trucking industry, I'm
steering well clear when I get my own boat!!!
Anyone wanna buy a nice truck and trailer????