One year since I left 15 years of company driving. Promised myself I'd post the real numbers, because the YouTube version of this life left out some chapters. GROSS: $211,400 Fuel: $58,900 (fuel card saved ~$4k of that, get one) Truck payment: $31,200 (used 2021, 20% down) Insurance: $14,800 (first-year authority tax, this drops) Maintenance + tires: $17,300 (two surprises did $9k of that) Plates, permits, IFTA, parking, ELD, misc: $11,600 NET before my own taxes: ~$77,600 My best company year was $82k with zero risk. So year one I basically paid $5k for freedom and an education. Q4 was my first quarter that beat company money — the curve is real but it's slower than the influencers say. Staying in? Yes. Year two projection says $95-105k if rates just stay flat. But if you're jumping in expecting $150k year one — the math has questions for you.