Search “owner-operator salary” and you’ll see $200,000, $250,000, $350,000. Those are gross revenue — what comes in before expenses take two-thirds of it.
This page is about the number that actually matters: what you keep.
Average net income: $64,524. Well-managed operations: $87,614.
ATBS (American Truck Business Services) manages taxes for thousands of owner-operators. Their data is the most reliable in the industry.
| Metric | Company Driver | Owner-Operator |
|---|---|---|
| Average annual income | $55,990 - $82,300 | $64,524 net (average) |
| Top earner potential | ~$135,000 | $120,000 - $150,000+ |
| Per-mile rate | ~$0.72/mile (all yours) | $2.30-$2.45/mile gross (expenses come out) |
| Benefits included | Health, 401(k), PTO | None unless you buy them |
| Expenses you cover | None | All of them |
| Startup cost | $0 | $30,000 - $130,000+ |
The $23,000 gap between the $64,524 average and the $87,614 well-managed average is not luck. It’s cost discipline, lane selection, and deadhead management. The best operators don’t necessarily gross more. They keep more of what they gross.
A company driver earning $75,000 takes home $75,000 minus personal taxes. Full benefits. Zero risk. An owner-operator netting $90,000 still owes income tax AND 15.3% self-employment tax and carries all the risk.
“I thought going owner-operator would double my income. My gross went from $65K as a company driver to $220K. My net went from $65K to about $78K.” — Reddit r/OwnerOperators
Where $250,000 gross actually goes
| Expense Category | Annual Low | Annual High | % of Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel | $45,000 | $75,000 | 18-30% |
| Truck payment or lease | $18,000 | $30,000 | 7-12% |
| Insurance | $12,000 | $22,000 | 5-9% |
| Maintenance and repairs | $10,000 | $25,000 | 4-10% |
| Tires | $3,000 | $6,000 | 1-2% |
| Permits, licenses, tolls | $3,000 | $8,000 | 1-3% |
| Phone, tech, office | $1,200 | $3,000 | <1% |
| HVUT, UCR, IRP, drug consortium | $1,200 | $3,900 | <1-1% |
| Total Operating Expenses | $95,000 | $175,000+ | 38-70% |
| Net Income | $75,000 - $155,000 | ||
| Taxes (25-30% of net) | $19,000 - $46,500 | ||
| Actual take-home | $56,000 - $108,500 |
A realistic mid-range scenario at $250,000 gross on 120,000 miles: $127,100 in expenses, $122,900 net before taxes, roughly $89,700 take-home. A good living. Not a $250,000 living.
ATRI’s 2025 report puts the average fleet operating cost at $2.26/mile. Contract rates bottomed around $2.02/mile in late 2025. That means the average carrier was losing $0.24 on every mile driven. Not breaking even. Losing money. That is why 31,000+ trucking companies shut down in a single quarter. The only carriers who survived were the ones with below-average costs, above-average rates, or both. Rates have since rebounded — spot rates surged to $2.76 by year-end — but the lesson holds: if your costs are average, average rates will not save you.
Income depends on what you haul and how far you go
| Operation Type | Gross Revenue | Net Income Range | Home Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local/Regional | $150,000 - $200,000 | $60,000 - $90,000 | Daily or weekly |
| OTR (Over the Road) | $200,000 - $250,000 | $90,000 - $120,000 | 2-4 weeks out |
| Lease-Operator (under carrier) | $150,000 - $200,000 | $65,000 - $95,000 | Varies |
| Specialized (hazmat, oversized, tanker) | $200,000 - $350,000+ | $80,000 - $150,000+ | Varies |
| Team Van (Schneider data) | $320,000 - $430,000 | Not published | Constant |
More miles equals more money. An OTR operator running 120,000-150,000 miles/year out-earns a local operator at 60,000-80,000. But the OTR operator is gone for weeks.
Specialized hauling commands 15-25% premium rates because fewer drivers are qualified. Tanker + hazmat endorsements open high-paying lanes. The trade-off: stricter regulations and higher insurance.
“Switched from dry van OTR to tanker regional. Gross went down $20K but net went up $15K. Fewer empty miles, better rates, home every weekend.” — TruckersReport forum
A real first year: $202,000 revenue, $32,000 net
Motor Carrier HQ documented a carrier called Haulin Assets through their complete first year (May 2019 - March 2020).
Initial investment: $29,894. Revenue over 11 months: $202,405. Net profit: $32,205. Owner compensation: $0.42/mile on 109,636 miles.
That means $170,200 went to expenses. Insurance was the biggest surprise — the single largest line item after fuel. The carrier drove fewer miles than the 125,000-150,000 target because, as a new authority, fewer brokers would work with them.
This was a success. The carrier survived. They built relationships. They learned their cost-per-mile. That is what year one looks like for the carriers who make it.
Cost-per-mile is the only number that matters
Everything comes back to one calculation:
(Total Fixed Monthly Costs + Total Variable Monthly Costs) / Total Monthly Miles = Your CPM
Here is a realistic example for a single owner-operator in early 2026, running 10,000 miles/month with a financed used truck. This includes everything — not just the obvious costs.
| Cost Category | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Truck payment | $2,200 | Financed used truck at current rates |
| Insurance (liability, physical damage, cargo, occ/acc) | $1,500 | $18,000/year, mid-range for 1-2 year authority |
| Trailer lease | $800 | Dry van; $0 if you own or pull broker trailers |
| Compliance (IRP, HVUT, UCR, drug consortium, ELD, DOT inspection) | $450 | Spread across the year |
| Phone, load board, accounting | $300 | DAT/Truckstop, ELD subscription, QuickBooks |
| Fixed subtotal | $5,250 | |
| Fuel (10,000 mi at $0.58/mi) | $5,800 | $3.60/gallon diesel at 6.2 MPG |
| Maintenance reserve | $1,500 | $18,000/year — parts and labor costs are up |
| Tires reserve | $400 | $4,800/year for a full set plus blowouts |
| Tolls | $300 | Varies wildly by region |
| Factoring fees (3% of gross) | $600 | Most new carriers factor; $0 if you wait net-30 |
| Variable subtotal | $8,600 | |
| Total monthly cost | $13,850 | |
| Total miles | 10,000 | |
| Your CPM | $1.39 |
That $1.39 is your break-even before you pay yourself a dollar. Every cent above it is your income. Every cent below it is a loss.
Why this is lower than ATRI’s $2.26/mile: ATRI measures fleet costs, which include driver wages as an expense. For an owner-operator, there is no driver wage line — your pay is whatever is left after costs. Our $1.39 is your cost floor. ATRI’s $2.26 is the cost floor plus average driver compensation baked in. Different measurement, same reality: if rates drop near your cost floor, you work for free.
Now factor in deadhead. The industry average is 16.7% empty miles (ATRI 2025). On 10,000 total miles, only 8,330 are paid. Your real CPM against revenue miles is $13,850 / 8,330 = $1.66/mile. That is the rate you need to average on loaded miles just to break even.
A load paying $2.40/mile at $1.66 effective CPM: $0.74 profit per mile. A 500-mile load puts $370 in your pocket. Run 100,000 loaded miles in a year at that margin: $74,000 net before taxes. After self-employment tax and income tax, roughly $52,000-$55,000 take-home. That is the reality for a mid-range operator.
A load paying $1.50/mile at $1.66 effective CPM: you lose $0.16 on every mile. You paid $80 to haul someone else’s freight. In a soft market, those loads are everywhere — and desperate carriers take them.
The carriers who went under in 2023-2024 were the ones whose CPM exceeded their average rate. They were literally paying to work. If you haven’t done this math honestly — including everything — you’re guessing. Guessing is how carriers go bankrupt without understanding why.
For every cost category in detail, see our startup costs guide.
The gap between $120K and $40K comes down to five things
Miles driven. 120,000 miles at $0.70 profit/mile: $84,000. 80,000 miles at the same rate: $56,000. A $28,000 difference from scheduling and minimizing downtime.
Deadhead ratio. Top operators keep it under 10%. At 20-25% deadhead, you’re giving away thousands in pure cost. Every empty mile at $0.48 in fuel is money gone.
Cost control. $1,600/month truck versus $2,500/month saves $10,800/year. Shopping fuel prices, planning routes, and doing basic maintenance saves another $5,000-$10,000. Small decisions compound over 120,000 miles.
Lane selection. Building shipper relationships on high-demand lanes pays more per mile than taking whatever the load board offers. Takes time. Worth it.
Truck payment. A paid-off truck sends $18,000-$30,000 straight to the bottom line. The best financial move in trucking: own your truck outright.
Business skills tie all of this together. Track every expense. Negotiate rates. Manage cash flow. The operator who treats this like a $200,000+ business out-earns the one who just drives and hopes the money works out. Every time.
The freight recession is ending. The recovery is not a straight line.
The 2023-2025 freight recession was real: operating margins hit -2.3% in 2024 (ATRI), carrier count dropped 3.3% from 2022 to 2023, and 31,278 trucking companies shut down in Q1 2023 alone. Truck capacity dropped 2.2% as carriers sold equipment and parked trucks.
Then December 2025 happened. Tender rejection rates — the percentage of loads carriers refuse because they have better options — more than doubled from under 6% to 10.72% in a matter of weeks. DAT’s load-to-truck ratio hit 9.9-to-1, the highest of the entire downcycle. Dry van spot rates surged from $2.32 to $2.76 per mile in six weeks. Winter Storm Fern pushed rejections to 12.19% in late January 2026, the highest since April 2022.
That is what a market turning looks like. Not a smooth upward line — a sudden squeeze when capacity finally gets tight enough.
The structural picture supports it. More carriers are exiting than entering. FMCSA enforcement actions are pulling unsafe operators off the road. The excess capacity that crushed rates in 2023-2024 is draining. C.H. Robinson raised their 2026 dry van forecast to 6% year-over-year rate growth.
This is not 2021. Rates are not going to double overnight. But the floor is in. Carriers who enter now with adequate reserves and low overhead are positioned for a rising market instead of chasing a falling one. The carriers who entered during the boom — when rates were sky-high and everyone thought trucking was easy money — went under when rates normalized.
Starting lean, keeping costs low, maintaining reserves, and treating year one as survival: that strategy works in any market. It works even better when rates are rising.
Next step: structure your business right
If the income numbers work for you, the next question is how to structure your company. The decision between an LLC and S-Corp has real tax implications — especially on that 15.3% self-employment tax. Making the right choice at the right time saves thousands per year.
Our LLC vs. S-Corp guide for trucking covers exactly which structure you need and when to switch.
Haven’t figured out your startup budget yet? Start with our complete cost breakdown.
How Much Do Owner-Operators Really Make? FAQ
What is the average owner-operator salary in 2026?
The average owner-operator nets $64,524 per year after all business expenses (ATBS data, trailing twelve months). Well-managed operations with proper cost controls average $87,614, and the top third of ATBS clients hit $156,000. This is after fuel, insurance, maintenance, truck payments, and permits -- but before personal income taxes. After taxes, most owner-operators take home $45,000-$70,000.
Why is there such a big gap between gross and net income for owner-operators?
An owner-operator grossing $250,000 pays roughly $45,000-$75,000 in fuel, $18,000-$30,000 in truck payments, $12,000-$22,000 in insurance, $10,000-$25,000 in maintenance, and thousands more in permits, tires, and taxes. Total annual operating expenses typically run $95,000-$175,000+, leaving $60,000-$120,000 in net income before personal income taxes.
How much do owner-operators make per mile?
Dry van contract rates averaged $2.30-$2.45 per mile in early 2026, with spot rates around $2.32. But the rate per mile is not your profit -- it is your gross revenue per mile. After subtracting your cost-per-mile (which runs $1.20-$1.50 for most owner-operators before deadhead), actual profit is typically $0.80-$1.25 per loaded mile. Factor in 15-17% empty miles and the real margin tightens further.
Do owner-operators make more than company drivers?
On paper, many do -- but not by as much as the gross numbers suggest. A company driver earning $75,000 takes home that amount minus personal taxes, with health insurance, 401(k), and PTO included. An owner-operator netting $90,000 still owes income tax plus 15.3% self-employment tax and has no employer benefits. The effective hourly rate for both often lands in the $25-$40 range.
What type of trucking makes the most money for owner-operators?
Specialized hauling (oversized, hazmat, tanker) pays the most at $80,000-$150,000+ net, followed by OTR dry van at $90,000-$120,000 net. Local and regional runs pay $60,000-$90,000 net but offer more home time. Team operations can gross $320,000-$430,000 but split between two drivers. The highest-paying freight usually requires additional endorsements, specialized equipment, or more time away from home.
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