OWNER-OPERATOR GUIDE / INCOME DATA
How much do owner operators make? Gross, expenses and what's left, with sources
By Daniel, truck dispatcher
How much do owner operators make? The honest answer is a range, and the number people quote is usually the wrong one: gross revenue, not pay. This page separates the two. It gives the most detailed public survey data on owner operator income, a 2026 estimate by trailer type built from dated public sources, an EXAMPLE week and load, and the handful of things that move take-home most. The data is free to download and cite.
Owner operator income: what the surveys show
The OOIDA Foundation, the research arm of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, surveys its members every two years. Its two most recent published member profile surveys:
| OOIDA Foundation survey | Gross income | Expenses | Left before tax | Miles driven | Net per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022, all respondents | $258,000 | $187,000 | about $71,000 | 103,000 (17% empty) | $0.69 |
| 2022, own authority | Net per mile only, from the survey's income table | $0.68 | |||
| 2022, leased on | Net per mile only, from the survey's income table | $0.75 | |||
| 2020, own authority | about $190,000 | about $124,500 | about $65,500 | 121,000 (21% empty) | $0.53 |
| 2020, leased on | Net per mile only | $0.48 | |||
"Left before tax" is our subtraction of the published gross and expense figures. The surveys cover the 12 months before each was published (May 2022 and September 2020), so the 2022 figures reflect the strong freight market of 2021. OOIDA members also skew experienced: the 2022 respondent had been an owner operator for 19 years on average.
For comparison, the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at $58,640 for May 2025. That figure mostly describes company drivers on a wage, and it is pay, not profit, so it measures something different from owner operator net income.
SOURCE: OOIDA FOUNDATION, 2022 OWNER-OPERATOR MEMBER PROFILE SURVEY, MAY 23, 2022
SOURCE: OOIDA FOUNDATION, 2020 OWNER-OPERATOR MEMBER PROFILE SURVEY, SEP 3, 2020
SOURCE: BLS OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK HANDBOOK, HEAVY AND TRACTOR-TRAILER TRUCK DRIVERS, MAY 2025 DATA
A 2026 estimate by trailer type
Survey data is a few years old, and diesel has moved a long way since. So here is an EXAMPLE estimate for a one-truck carrier on its own authority, built only from dated public figures:
| EXAMPLE, own authority, 100,000 miles | Dry van | Reefer | Flatbed |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-in rate per loaded mile (DAT, Aug 2026) | $2.89 | $3.38 | $3.54 |
| Gross, 83,000 loaded miles | $239,870 | $280,540 | $293,820 |
| Costs at $1.765 a mile, all 100,000 miles | ($176,453) | ($176,453) | ($176,453) |
| Left before tax, per year | $63,417 | $104,087 | $117,367 |
| Per week (52) | $1,220 | $2,002 | $2,257 |
Method. Rates are DAT's national spot averages for August 2026, line haul plus fuel surcharge. Empty miles are set at 17%, the OOIDA Foundation's 2022 figure. Costs are ATRI's 2025 per-mile averages excluding fuel and driver pay (82.6 cents: truck payments, repairs, insurance, tires, tolls, permits), plus fuel at the EIA's U.S. diesel average of $6.382 for the week of Sep 28, 2026, at 6.8 mpg. Limits: reefer unit fuel, tarps and securement are not in the costs, so the reefer and flatbed lines run high; spot averages swing month to month; ATRI's costs come mostly from fleets. Treat it as a way to check your own numbers, not a forecast.
SOURCE: DAT NATIONAL AVERAGES, AUGUST 2026, SEP 15, 2026
SOURCE: ATRI 2026 UPDATE OF OPERATIONAL COSTS (2025 DATA), JUL 2026
SOURCE: U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION, WEEKLY RETAIL DIESEL PRICE, WEEK OF SEP 28, 2026
A week and a load, gross to net
The dry van line above, as one average week of 1,923 miles:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Gross, 1,596 loaded miles at $2.89 | $4,613.00 |
| Fuel, 1,923 miles at 6.8 mpg | ($1,805.00) |
| Truck payments, repairs, insurance, tires, tolls, permits | ($1,588.00) |
| NET | $1,220.00 |
About $1,220 is left for the week, before income tax and self-employment tax, and before any dispatch or factoring fee. Per load: a 500-mile load at $2.89 grosses $1,445. With its share of empty miles it costs about $1,062 to run, leaving about $383.
Taxes come out of what's left. Independent owner operators pay self-employment tax, 15.3% on 92.35% of net earnings, plus income tax. On the $63,417 EXAMPLE, self-employment tax alone is about $8,960. This is general information, not tax advice; confirm your own situation with a tax professional.
SOURCE: IRS, SELF-EMPLOYMENT TAX (SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE TAXES), OCT 27, 2026
Leased on vs own authority: who makes more?
In the 2022 OOIDA Foundation survey, leased-on owners netted 75 cents a mile against 68 cents for those on their own authority; in 2020 it was the other way round, 48 cents against 53. Neither path wins every year. Your own authority keeps the full rate, so it does better when rates are high and worse when they fall. Leased on, the carrier keeps a share of revenue but usually provides freight, liability insurance and plates, which steadies the week. Lease-purchase drivers carry a truck payment set by the carrier on top, which is why our guide to lease purchase trucking starts with the math.
What moves owner operator take-home the most
Holding everything else in the dry van EXAMPLE steady, each change below is worth this much a year:
| Change | Per year |
|---|---|
| Rate up 10 cents per loaded mile | +$8,300 |
| Empty miles cut from 17% to 12% | +$14,450 |
| Fuel economy 7.3 mpg instead of 6.8 | +$6,430 |
| Diesel up 50 cents a gallon | ($7,350) |
| Two weeks idle for a repair | about ($1,960) of truck payments and insurance, plus two weeks of lost net |
Empty miles are the quiet one: 5,000 more paid miles at $2.89 is worth more than most rate negotiations. Rate and deadhead are also what a booking desk works on. On your own authority, compare what better booking would add against a dispatcher's fee with the dispatch ROI calculator, and see our fees on the dispatch pricing page.
How to work out your own number
- Total your gross for the last 12 weeks from rate cons or settlements.
- Total every cost for the same weeks, including the truck payment and insurance.
- Divide both by every mile driven, empty ones included.
- The gap is your net per mile. Multiply by your yearly miles.
The take-home pay calculator does this for a week, own authority or leased on, and owner operator expenses lists every cost line. For what loads pay now by equipment, see owner-operator rates per mile, and for the paths themselves, what an owner operator is. If you run your own authority, dispatch for owner-operators covers how our desk books to your numbers.
Cite this page
How much do owner operators make, 2026. BuddyLoads owner-operator guides, updated October 2026. Survey data: OOIDA Foundation Owner-Operator Member Profile Surveys, 2020 and 2022. Estimate: DAT national averages August 2026; ATRI Operational Costs of Trucking, 2026 update; U.S. EIA weekly diesel price, week of Sep 28, 2026. You are welcome to use the tables and the CSV with a link back to this page.
Sources
- OOIDA Foundation, Owner-Operator Member Profile Survey, 2022 and 2020.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 pay data.
- DAT national averages, August 2026; ATRI operational costs, 2026 update; U.S. EIA diesel, week of Sep 28, 2026.
- IRS, Self-employment tax, accessed Oct 27, 2026.
Questions owners ask
Q01How much does an owner operator make a year?
The OOIDA Foundation's 2022 survey of its members found average gross income of $258,000 and expenses of $187,000, about $71,000 left before income and self-employment tax. Our 2026 EXAMPLE for a dry van on the spot market comes to about $63,400. Your own figure depends on miles, rates and costs.
Q02How much do owner operators make a week?
About $71,000 a year is roughly $1,365 a week before tax, using the OOIDA Foundation's 2022 average. Our 2026 dry van EXAMPLE works out to about $1,220 a week. Weeks swing widely: a repair or an idle week can wipe one out, and a strong lane can double one.
Q03How much do owner operators make per load?
It depends on the load's length and rate, and on the empty miles to reach it. In the EXAMPLE on this page, a 500-mile dry van load at $2.89 a mile grosses $1,445, costs about $1,062 including the share of empty miles, and leaves about $383 before tax.
Q04Do owner operators make good money?
Some do, and many don't. Survey averages hide a wide spread. The owners at the top tend to know their cost per mile, turn down loads below it, keep empty miles low and keep a repair fund. Those who count gross as income tend to struggle, especially when diesel spikes.
Q05How do owner operators get paid?
On their own authority, brokers or shippers pay the agreed rate for each load, usually by invoice, often in about 30 days unless the owner factors it. Leased on, the carrier pays a weekly settlement: a percentage of load revenue or a rate per mile, plus fuel surcharge if the lease passes it through, minus chargebacks.
By Daniel, Truck dispatcher
Daniel is a truck dispatcher with 8 years of experience in trucking. Daniel writes and checks the guides, calculators, factoring and compliance pages on BuddyLoads.
UPDATED OCTOBER 2026