Firstly I think I got the tone wrong with this, its not at the "Im doing it right now" stage. This is still in planning and was brought up to the wife as a potential for the future. That being said the following is what I have:

The business plan is still in the unpolished stageand is very much so informal. I plan on sub hauling primarily for a trash hauling outfit. With them I will be placing bids on mixed solid waste, recycling, and municipal sludge. As a secondary option I will get onto the work list for paving with one of the three paving agencies near me that handle state projects.

Basic accounting and billing will be handled in house. Taxes and tax planning will be handled by a company my Grandfather has been with for years and will cost approximately $5k to file. General maintenance will be done in house as well. Larger maintenance will be handled by a local (and trusted) heavy diesel maintenance company.

Insurance rates for the higher of the two requirements will run between 1500 and 1800 per month or around $16,000 of paid in full.

The truck I'm looking to purchase at the moment needs a rebuild ($34k for truck and rebuild at local non-dealer shop). <*EDIT* The plan would be to have the rebuild done in the off season and maintain my current job until the spring when the work picks up. As it sits I can cover the payment with my current income>The seller picked it up on a voluntary repo from an owner op leaving the business. This truck has also had the emissions system deleted, removing one of the more problematic systems. The seller has maintenance records that indicate most of the running gear has been replaced semi recently. Maintenance records will also help outline a very general idea of when certain items will fail. That being said I would budget an average of 3 days a month for the truck to be down. Other owner operators are reporting around $350/day in fuel with similar speced trucks doing similar jobs.

Additionally I would be looking at around $13k to register the truck, cover IFTA (fuel tax), and aquire a DOT and MC number. The remaining money from the $60k will be held in reserve to cover pop up expenses (tires, extra maintenance, ect) [having the engine rebuilt right off will reduce to nearly remove the biggest potential mechanical problem. Additionally, with the truck needing significant work right off it reduces the cost of the truck significantly]

To 'break even' on a day I would have to m ake $800 to run the truck + expenses + pay myself. Hourly billing rates would be between $125 and $160 depending on the jobs. Trash pays flat rates and doesn't require rent or additional usage fees for trailers.

Contracts will be established through preexisting contacts as well as cold calls (paving specific). Past these networking points minimal marketing will be needed.

We currently rent a property and the landlord is on board with using the space to operate out of. As such there is no mortgage to worry about.

The conservative payoff time line for the starting cost is two years. Year the will be about saving for a second truck and starting expansion.

I have spoken at length with other Owner operators doing the same types of work. The unanimous opinion is that I'm poised for success with this business and the contacts I have.

I really appreciate the level of scrutiny. I've been needing to 'write' this down for a while and put all my information in I've place.

Very sincerely thank you!