Have you ever stopped to think about the real cost of an empty truck? 
OR
How much opportunity there is if you can get another truck on the road? 

Understanding the full impact of an idle truck is crucial for maintaining profitability, operational efficiency, and well…your sanity. Plus understanding the opportunity of getting a new truck on the road can show us what the investment is worth.

If you have empty trucks, or are ready to grow, we just helped Komil get on track to hire 3 drivers per week. Click here to schedule a personalized demo.

**disclaimer: we know that every company is different, this is a general estimation

Hard Costs: The Direct Financial Impact

When a truck is sitting idle, it can cost a company approximately $4,000 per month in hard costs. These expenses include loan payments or lease rates, insurance premiums, taxes, depreciation, and maybe even parking expenses. 

This part is pretty direct and easy to understand and probably pretty similar for every company and every truck. Each of these costs is incurred regardless of whether the truck drives a single mile.

Opportunity Cost: The Invisible Loss

Beyond the direct expenses, there's an additional, often overlooked aspect of financial loss: opportunity cost. An idle truck represents missed revenue opportunities, quantifiable as the profit that could have been earned if the truck were actively hauling loads. 

This varies WIDELY from company to company…the point is that it’s BIG. 

According to Charlie in the video below, an active carrier, he estimates about $800 per week on a solo home daily truck. According to coastalkapital and smarthop, the average goes from as low as $500 per week up to $2,000 per week. 

So, missed opportunity, we are talking anywhere from $2,100 per month up to $8,400 per month. Anywhere from $25,000 to $104,000 per year. SO…let’s stick with a happy medium of $65,000. I don’t know about you, but I would take a $65,000 raise by either getting my truck back on the road, OR by figuring out what it takes to buy another truck and find another driver to get an additional truck on the road. 

Suddenly, our clients investing to streamline recruiting and be on track to hire 3 drivers per week seems like the best investment ever. 

Spend $118 per week on an AI Driver recruitment platform in exchange for 3 drivers per week, which can each add $65k to my pocket each year. Hmm…not bad. 

shameless plug: schedule your personalized demo here

Charlie Shares How Much An Empty Truck Costs