Glad I’m a company driver

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Dvamn_Daniel@reddit

Im getting my cdl is it still worth it?

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mattattack3212@reddit

It’s brutal for owner operators right now.

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Ozdriver@reddit

Not if you’re getting a proper fuel levy.

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mattattack3212@reddit

Even with the surcharge I’m getting kicked in the balls. I’m a relatively new authority and don’t have the choice of being picky with loads all the time.

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Yes, you do have a choice with loads. Try to hold your ground if you can. Look into mudflap app for fuel savings and any other apps/companies that provide fuel discounts like fuel cards. Fuel is a necessary expense in trucking and you shouldn't go into the red because diesel is $1 more a gallon than it was last week. Try to position your truck into a market with good paying loads.

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jku_man@reddit

I have a fuel card that gives me real good discounts and has lots of perks. Pm me if you want. If I refer you I also get a referral bonus.

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Ozdriver@reddit

I’m doing a long trip next week and I’m getting a 43% fuel levy and it’s keeping up with these rip-off fuel prices. They adjust it every Monday, just wondering whether to fuel up now or wait until next week. My truck holds 1,800 litres / 475 US gal.

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truckin2nowhere@reddit

Fuel up now brother, the price isn't going down.

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unloader86@reddit

Even with a generous surcharge they absolutely have to be feeling the heat. Like to the point you only are getting fuel when you absolutely need to. And we haven't even talked about how increased fuel prices are affecting parts prices when you have a break down.

There are a lot of guys out there they are just one breakdown away from being completely out of business. Or going into heavy debt to try and salvage the business.

And I'm sure some country boy who runs local agriculture loads on the same roads every day will chime in on why his 2005 Freightliner Columbia is still trucking strong with his close network of mechanics and contracts he's had for a decade plus now. We ain't talking about YOU mother fucker.

God damn it. 😂

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jku_man@reddit

I top mine off every fill up. Cost to fill up has increased a few hundred but my fuel surcharge has increased a good amount too. Just had to have my clutch replaced too. Things were a bit tight but looking up now.

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unloader86@reddit

I respect the fuck out of you guys trying to make it work as an owner op in 2026. Stay safe out there driver.

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jku_man@reddit

Thank you driver

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Primedirector3@reddit

Indeed

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reducethedebt@reddit

I got a over 50% surcharge right now on all. My fuel .... Pay looks about the same with a couple longer runs being run less

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TruckinTuba@reddit

Often times, freight surcharges go up with fuel, owner operator here can profit $11,000 a week even after fuel and other expenses

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jku_man@reddit

Doing alright, the company I have my truck leased to has also increased the fuel surcharge so I helps offset the higher diesel prices.

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Megalodon7770@reddit

Sure thing buddy that’s why you make 40 k a month

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Clear-Sport4461@reddit (OP)

I wish I made 40k a month

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Megalodon7770@reddit

I used to drive for a company 26 years ago and every single one of you should have your own truck and trailer. No one can tell you when or where to go.

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Subject_Tip7629@reddit

I enjoy the peace of mind of being told where and when to go. Used to run with this O/O guy and he genuinely wouldn't leave the truck for months, would barely sleep, constantly worry about the truck, to justify the expenses and still make some money. I used to love the company driver life, now I'm local hazmat/tanker and making prety decent money, woudn't trade it for the world.

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Clear-Sport4461@reddit (OP)

85.5k a year actually

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wortmother@reddit

Im not a trucker this sub just cracks me up alot.

Anyways there's a stop I hit for gas sometimes and its got spots for the big boys to pull up and fuel up

I saw a trucker crying a few days ago when filling up, I didn't say anything but im filling up my little mazda 3 and its like 60$ idk wtf yall paying but I feel for yall bad

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mvamv@reddit

You can't really compare fueling up your car with fueling up a commercial semi truck, not just cause of the volume or even the prices, but because your car is for recreational and commuting purposes, so you fill up that car out of pocket, your disposable income. Diesel for commercial trucks is a business expense, paid for by the customers we service as it's the cost of doing business.

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TouchMyBoomstick@reddit

Yeah, noticed that around my area gas has hardly went up yet diesel skyrocketed despite it supposedly being easier to process.

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wortmother@reddit

Lucky gas has shot up hard near me and then diesel has shot up even worse

Its gotta be just companies wanting money like always

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Pretty_Olive_3668@reddit

Gtfoh 😂

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wortmother@reddit

You want me gone because?

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AndromedanPrince@reddit

our cards are capped at 500, that 3/4 tank on my day cab

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mvamv@reddit

Gonna need to inform your higher ups to increase the daily limit. My boss already did from $1000 to $1200.

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Clear-Sport4461@reddit (OP)

Yeah I drive at night I have a partner who’s does the morning shift to bring me the load so this is every day filling up. At the end of the shift I’m sitting on e so that 3/4 wouldn’t do us justice lol.

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hotdog11inch@reddit

What is bad the United States doesn't get any oil from Iran and it just a reason for oil companies to fuck everyone and get away with it

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Primedirector3@reddit

I swear to god, the number of people that don’t know oil is a globally traded product with a price determined by global markets, except where subsidized. Maybe ask MAGA why they don’t give a shit about Americans

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mvamv@reddit

I would advise you keep clear of the California subreddit. They all think big oil is out to get them cause they don't understand how the oil commodity market works and that their market is a very niche market.

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CaptCooterluvr@reddit

It’s almost as if oil’s a global commodity huh?

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West_Masterpiece9423@reddit

But our prez keeps telling us that we don’t need foreign oil, completely disregarding that it’s a world economy now, smfh.

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LucHighwalker@reddit

A ton of oil moves through the straight, not just Iranian oil.

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madtowntripper@reddit

Everyone else buys from them. It’s a global market. Whomever is telling you this is the oil companies fault is just lying to you.

This is DONALD TRUMPS fault

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Ornery_Ads@reddit

That's like going back to 2020 and saying, "Well Walmart is out of toilet paper, but that Costco will definitely have it."
It's a global market for a global commodity.

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Environmental-Pear40@reddit

The global oil conglomerates are a sudo monopoly. If we do it it's economic terrorism when they do it it's just good business.

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peffer32@reddit

Oil is traded on the global market. Any disruption anywhere affects the price. Read up on fungible commodities.

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Positive_Mud952@reddit

Oil is a commodity. While not a perfect market because it is still a physical thing that needs to be moved around, through arbitrage and other mechanisms, changes in price in one place are generally reflected everywhere.

That’s not to say oil companies are a cartel (they explicitly are) engaging in price-fixing (also explicitly true), but unfortunately there are no laws that can stop sovereign nations from doing that. They charge what they can. Until the price goes up so high that some nation is willing to undercut them (and risk getting cut out of the cartel, which generally can just lower their own prices enough to starve out the one rogue price cutter), we can just get fucked.

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WolfDigles@reddit

We buy more oil than you might realize. And the global demand is driving up the price. It doesn’t matter if we buy from them when other countries do, and we cut off the supply.

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LoopDoGG79@reddit

$5.60 a gallon? I'm in California, company driver, they're paying $7.50 a gallon right now

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JAVFansadmin@reddit

$8.14/gal at Loves in Indio, CA today. Was $7.64 TWO days ago. 🤯

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mvamv@reddit

Holy fuck.... CA just reached the all time high. Even after Ukraine got invaded by Russia in 2023 CA never saw more than $7.xx for a gallon of diesel. And I just checked on TCS app for the Petro in indio, $8.109. Surprisingly, the maverik down the highway is purported to be selling at $7.099

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scottiethegoonie@reddit

Gonna be 9 by the end of this month when the war forgets to wind down.

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mvamv@reddit

Smart OOs will be fine. Fuel prices are built into the rates for the lanes, so if they go up, naturally the carriers should push for a bit more on the load pay to compensate.

If a carrier or owner op is losing profits because fuel is eating into it, then they priced their truck too low for the lane.

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Delicious_Peace_2526@reddit

I’m sitting here on my paid break with my company truck idling to keep me warm.

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KatieTSO@reddit

Same, but bus

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Pale-Contest-340@reddit

Definitely not ok

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NegusTyGaming-YPSTFU@reddit

Hell yeah, not all of us haul dry Van

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LikwidHappiness@reddit

Where tf did anyone in this thread much less OP mention dry van lmao

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Own-Opportunity4207@reddit

Me atop

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snownight77@reddit

When I was OTR I would do three separate transactions at 50 gallons each for the multiple shower credits

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Visual-Ad-6396@reddit

Did 158 gallons for $1150 last week

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Time-You9739@reddit

Get a fuel card

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Visual-Ad-6396@reddit

I got one lol UPS pays for that shit

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XanJamZ@reddit

My fuel card wasn't working so I had to pay with my reward point earning credit card and get reimbursed later. Ive never been happier about high fuel prices.

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Lopsided-Bath-8404@reddit

No kidding

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toruk_makto1@reddit

Had my first over a thousand fillup last week

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Round-Guarantee4948@reddit

Omg..the amount of winning is orgasmic!

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CashWideCock@reddit

Fuel prices affect all of us regardless if you own the truck or not.

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Clear-Sport4461@reddit (OP)

Well of course my pint of blueberry was 9.89 today

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hambutbacon@reddit

We're capped at 1k. I used to run till both tanks were almost empty, but not anymore.

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Exact_Concern_4795@reddit

O/o here booked load going 350 miles paying 2300 that’s over 6 a mile I’m surviving

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Freight_God@reddit

Damn… now I fee bad for paying 1$ a mile ☹️☹️

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dank_memes_911@reddit

Having terminals with yard fuel has been a life saver. In Baltimore all fuel seems to be $5+ but our yard has it for $3.53.

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InvstrJester@reddit

They’re over there accepting Chinese money for oil. That won’t last

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Narrow_Inevitable958@reddit

O/O here in the states, fuel surcharge is at $.32/mile this week.

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Clear-Sport4461@reddit (OP)

I’ve always wondered is it an immediate return for your fuel surcharge or does it come when the check hits?

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Narrow_Inevitable958@reddit

I invoice weekly, I’m set up on direct deposit so you get into a flow similar to a biweekly check.

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Top_Roll_6136@reddit

mine is at .68 and I'm in the Midwest filling at $4.45 agallon after discount so I'm actually making money on fuel right now.

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Clear-Sport4461@reddit (OP)

You can’t beat getting paid to fuel so that’s awesome happy for you!

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Narrow_Inevitable958@reddit

Yeah thats great man, I’m in the PNW paying $5.75/g With the surcharge it puts me at $3.54/mi. And that’s only going up as this plays out.

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truckin2nowhere@reddit

No, we're not ok, but thanks for asking... have fsc in place with my main customer and several others are understanding to a degree, but brokers surely don't seem to get it. Some are decent, particularly if they have assets of their own, but a lot are hateable greedy stupid people that hopefully can't find trucks for their cheap freight

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