Fleet & Future
Owner operator percentage-of-gross pay: how to read an offer
February 5, 2026 · 8 min read
Two carriers can advertise the same percentage and pay wildly different money. The percentage is only the first number; what it applies to and what comes out afterward decide your week.
Owner-operators at Maas Logistics keep 87–90% of gross, with typical weekly gross running $10,000–$14,000 before their own expenses.
Percentage of what, exactly?
Ask whether the percentage applies to the gross line-haul only, or to line-haul plus fuel surcharge and accessorials. A carrier paying 88% of everything is paying meaningfully more than one paying 88% of line-haul while keeping the fuel surcharge.
Then ask to see actual settlement sheets — not a sample, real ones from recent weeks with the numbers redacted where they must be.
The deductions that decide your take-home
- Trailer rental, if you are not pulling your own
- Plates, permits and IFTA — is there a program, and who fronts it?
- Insurance: occupational, physical damage, non-trucking liability
- ELD and technology fees
- Escrow and how quickly it is returned when you leave
The questions that reveal how a carrier really runs
Is dispatch forced? Are empty and out-of-route miles paid on company driver side? How fast does settlement hit the account? Is there a parking yard? Can you get a cash advance mid-week on fuel?
Carriers that answer these directly, with numbers, are the ones worth a phone call. At Maas Logistics the answers are: non-forced 24/7 dispatch, weekly direct deposit on 1099, fuel cards with cash advance, plates/permits/IFTA program, a parking yard, and dry van, reefer or power-only trailers available to rent.