Sept. 16 – Owner-operators in the moving industry made an average of $30,938 net income during the last five years, reports the American Moving and Storage Assn.
AMSA’s annual survey asks owner-operators for a profit and loss statement, plus information about how long they’ve been with the company, miles traveled and depreciation. Because of low driver response, the group says, it compares five-year averages to get statistically valid results.
Total income for the 1997 five-year average increased 3.4% over the 1996 five-year average: $133,045 vs. $128.629. Fuel costs decreased 2.6%, while fuel taxes increased 13.9%.
Net income per mile was 41.3 cents on nearly 75,000 miles traveled each year and nearly 100 shipments per year. The biggest expense over the five-year period (1993-97) was for wages paid to others, at 29.1 cents per mile, followed by fuel, depreciation and travel expenses.