Ask three carriers what you will earn and you will get three big numbers — none of which is what you actually keep. Take-home is what is left after the carrier's cut and the fees most of them do not put on the flyer. Here is how to do the real math.
Start with the all-in percentage
A "82%" that becomes 79% after an insurance line, then 76% after a dispatch upcharge, is really a 76% carrier. Always ask: what do I keep after every recurring deduction? With ARI it is a flat 18% — dispatch, compliance, and billing included.
Subtract the fees the flyer skips
- Quick-pay fees: 3-5% to get paid in days instead of weeks. ARI charges nothing and pays same day.
- Scaling insurance: some carriers charge a percentage of gross, so your best weeks cost the most. ARI's liability and cargo is a flat weekly cost.
- Escrow: $2,500-$5,000 held back. ARI holds zero.
Then your real operating costs
These are yours no matter who you run with: fuel, maintenance, tires, your truck payment. A fuel discount matters here — ARI drivers save up to $0.45/gallon, and a fuel advance is available at pickup so you are not floating fuel out of pocket.
A simple worksheet
Take-home ≈ (Gross × your real all-in %) − flat weekly costs − fuel − maintenance − truck payment. Run the same load through two carriers using their real percentages and fees, not the headline, and the gap is usually bigger than it looks.
The point
Do not shop the headline — shop the take-home. A flat 18%, zero escrow, fee-free same-day pay, and fuel savings is built to put more of every load in your pocket. See ARI's full cost breakdown.