How Maria Went from Near-Bankruptcy to $8K/Month Profit
After losing money for 6 months, this Texas owner-operator turned her business around by finally understanding her true costs.
Maria Rodriguez started her trucking company in early 2025 with high hopes and a used Peterbilt. Six months later, she was
Today, she's consistently making $8,000-10,000 per month in profit. Here's her story.
The Breaking Point
"I thought I was making money," Maria says. "Every load I took was above $2/mile. That felt profitable. But every month, I was going further into debt."
The problem? Maria was calculating her rate per mile against loaded miles only, ignoring deadhead. And she was underestimating her true costs by nearly $0.40/mile.
"I was taking loads that I thought paid $2.50/mile, but with deadhead and my real costs, I was actually losing $0.20 on every mile."
The Turning Point
Maria's factoring company introduced her to HaulProfit as part of their client success program.
"The first time I put my real costs into the calculator, I was shocked. My break-even was
Armed with accurate numbers, Maria started declining loads she would have taken before.
The Results
Before HaulProfit:
- Taking loads averaging $2.30/mile (loaded only)
- Actual rate with deadhead: .75/mile
- Monthly loss: $2,000-3,000
After HaulProfit:
- Only taking loads that show green
- Average rate with deadhead: $2.35/mile
- Monthly profit: $8,000-10,000
What Changed
She stopped chasing miles - "I used to think more miles meant more money. Now I know it's about profitable miles."
She learned to say no - "Declining a bad load felt wrong at first. Now I know every red load I skip saves me money."
She planned her positioning - "I think about where a load leaves me, not just what it pays to get there."
Maria's Advice
"Know your numbers. Not what you think they are — what they actually are. Every cost, every mile. That's the difference between surviving and thriving."
Maria is a HaulProfit user through her factoring company's Premier partnership. Results vary, but Maria's experience reflects the impact of accurate cost awareness on profitability.
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