Should I Start a Trucking Company?

You can make $250,000 a year in trucking. That number is real. It is also the number before expenses take two-thirds of it.

Before you decide anything, you need to understand the difference between gross revenue and net income. That single distinction is the thing most new carriers misunderstand.

You can gross $250,000. You’ll keep about $65,000.

Trucking is a high-expense business. You pay for fuel. You pay for insurance. You pay the truck payment, maintenance, tires, permits, and taxes. All of that comes out of the $250,000 before you see a dollar.

The industry average net income is $64,524 per year (ATBS 2025 data). Well-managed operations average $87,614. The $23,000 difference between those two numbers is not luck — it is cost discipline.

That net number is before income tax and self-employment tax (15.3%). After taxes, most owner-operators take home $45,000-$70,000. OTR operators who run 120,000+ miles can push into six figures. Local and regional operators net $60,000-$90,000 with more home time.

For the full income breakdown — what every expense line actually costs, cost-per-mile math, and what separates a $40K year from a $120K year — see our owner-operator income guide.

It doesn’t have to be a hundred trucks. One or two is a business.

You do not need a fleet to have a trucking business. Plenty of owner-operators run one or two trucks for decades. No employees, no office, no HR department. Just a truck, a plan, and the discipline to manage costs.

That said, one truck is still a business. You are the driver, the accountant, the dispatcher, the safety officer, and the CEO. If you just want to drive and collect a paycheck, company driving pays $55,000-$85,000 with benefits, zero risk, and zero paperwork. That is a good living and there is nothing wrong with it.

The question is not whether trucking is a good industry. It is whether you want to run a business.

About half of new carriers close within 18 months. The reasons are always the same.

About half of new trucking companies close within 18 months (SBA data). The causes are consistent:

• No cash reserves for the gap between hauling and getting paid
• No idea what their cost-per-mile actually was
• Expected $250K take-home and panicked when expenses hit
• Bought a $180,000 truck when a $60,000 truck does the same work
• No plan. Just “I’ll get a truck and figure it out”

None of that is complicated. It is all avoidable with planning. But it does require planning.

Compliance is a checklist, not a mystery

IFTA. IRP. Drug testing. ELD logs. Driver qualification files. UCR registration. Safety audits.

That list looks overwhelming the first time you see it. Here is what experienced truckers will tell you: stop trying to reinvent the wheel. The FMCSA tells you exactly what they want. There is basically one way to handle compliance. Learn it, repeat it.

The regulations are not a puzzle. They are a recipe. Follow the recipe.

The part of your business where your skills and judgment actually matter is operations — finding loads, managing costs, building shipper relationships, choosing your lanes. That is where you make or lose money. The compliance side is a box you check.

This guide walks through every requirement step by step. By the time you finish the six phases, you will know what to do and when to do it.

What it takes

Capital. $30,000-$60,000 for a lean to mid-range startup. That covers your LLC, MC authority, insurance down payment, compliance items, and at least 3 months of operating reserve. Truck down payment is extra. See our complete cost breakdown.

Experience. 2-3 years driving for someone else. Learn fuel management, broker relationships, HOS rules, and detention time on their dime before your money is on the line.

A business mindset. The operators who make it track every expense and know their cost-per-mile. The ones who don’t track it often don’t know they’re losing money until they’re out of money.

Patience. Year one is about survival, not profit. A documented first year (Haulin Assets, via Motor Carrier HQ): $202,000 revenue, $32,000 net over 11 months. They made it. But it was tight.

Score yourself honestly

Experience

• 3+ years CDL driving: +3 points
• 1-2 years CDL: +1 point
• Less than 1 year or no CDL: 0 points

Capital

• $50,000+ available (not including living expenses): +3 points
• $30,000-$50,000: +2 points
• $15,000-$30,000: +1 point
• Less than $15,000: 0 points

Living Expenses Reserve

• 6+ months saved separately: +3 points
• 3-6 months: +2 points
• 1-3 months: +1 point
• None: 0 points

Financial Comfort

• Can handle 6+ months of irregular income: +2 points
• Can manage 3 months tight: +1 point
• Missing one paycheck is a crisis: 0 points

Business Aptitude

• Comfortable with bookkeeping, taxes, paperwork: +2 points
• Can learn it: +1 point
• Avoid paperwork whenever possible: 0 points

Risk Tolerance

• Understand I might not profit for 12 months: +2 points
• Expect profitability within 6 months: +1 point
• Need to be profitable immediately: 0 points

Support System

• Spouse/partner can cover household during ramp-up: +2 points
• Some financial backup available: +1 point
• Sole household income: 0 points

13-17 points: Green light

You have the foundation. Read our startup costs breakdown and start planning.

8-12 points: Yellow light

Gaps exist. Most common: not enough cash, not enough experience. Both fixable with time.

0-7 points: Red light

Not yet. Build CDL experience, save capital, come back when you are ready. The industry will still be here.

Next step: know exactly what it costs

Our complete startup cost breakdown gives you three scenarios from lean ($28K) to full ($135K+).

Get your insurance quote before you buy a truck, file your LLC, or sign a lease. The insurance number alone has changed a lot of people’s plans — better to know it now than after you have committed.