New O/O Flatbed -- Need some advice please

[8978]

Sadly no I cant. As long as there are O/O's and drivers that think they have to stay loaded no matter what to make money. I cant tell you how many times I've deadheaded home of Laredo and left loads there that were going within 100 mile of my house.

1,250 mile dead head from TX to KY?????? Multiple times?????? All righty then. Is this the part where you tell me you got $100 per mile to go to Laredo?

 

[8978]

Keep in mind too that sitting around waiting for $.50 cents more per mile is going to wear thin pretty quick. Sitting for a day would cost me anywhere from $400 to $600 in lost revenue. For me I'll take those $1.50 load all day to get out to a better area. Dead heading 1,250 miles is going to cost you at least that much in operational costs. So, you can either cough up $1,250 to dead head out or make
$625.

I have friends from NH who take bailed trash from Mass to OH for $1.25 then come right back home for an overall price per mile of $2.00. They run it non stop and do very well.

I've seen too many people go under thinking they are the ultimate trucker and if someone wants quality service they are going to pay for it. Well, they sit, and sit, and sit, and sit. Sure, they may get that extra $.50 cents per mile but after a week of sitting they've lost well over $3,500 in revenue.

I can haul one load a week for 300 miles at $3.00 per mile but that ain't going to pay the bills.

 

[terrylamar]

Keep in mind too that sitting around waiting for $.50 cents more per mile is going to wear thin pretty quick. Sitting for a day would cost me anywhere from $400 to $600 in lost revenue. For me I'll take those $1.50 load all day to get out to a better area. Dead heading 1,250 miles is going to cost you at least that much in operational costs. So, you can either cough up $1,250 to dead head out or make
$625.

I have friends from NH who take bailed trash from Mass to OH for $1.25 then come right back home for an overall price per mile of $2.00. They run it non stop and do very well.

I've seen too many people go under thinking they are the ultimate trucker and if someone wants quality service they are going to pay for it. Well, they sit, and sit, and sit, and sit. Sure, they may get that extra $.50 cents per mile but after a week of sitting they've lost well over $3,500 in revenue.

I can haul one load a week for 300 miles at $3.00 per mile but that ain't going to pay the bills.

I can see the point of holding out for a higher rate and if enough of us would do it, rates would rise, in theory, anyways. But, I am like you, I would rather take a lower rate to get to a better rate!

 

[boone315]

Keep in mind too that sitting around waiting for $.50 cents more per mile is going to wear thin pretty quick. Sitting for a day would cost me anywhere from $400 to $600 in lost revenue. For me I'll take those $1.50 load all day to get out to a better area. Dead heading 1,250 miles is going to cost you at least that much in operational costs. So, you can either cough up $1,250 to dead head out or make
$625.

I have friends from NH who take bailed trash from Mass to OH for $1.25 then come right back home for an overall price per mile of $2.00. They run it non stop and do very well.

I've seen too many people go under thinking they are the ultimate trucker and if someone wants quality service they are going to pay for it. Well, they sit, and sit, and sit, and sit. Sure, they may get that extra $.50 cents per mile but after a week of sitting they've lost well over $3,500 in revenue.

I can haul one load a week for 300 miles at $3.00 per mile but that ain't going to pay the bills.

Need to work for somebody different then, All our loads pay over $3 a mile(except U.S. Steel loads, and that is why I rarely haul their crap)

 

[DubbleD]

Keep in mind too that sitting around waiting for $.50 cents more per mile is going to wear thin pretty quick. Sitting for a day would cost me anywhere from $400 to $600 in lost revenue. For me I'll take those $1.50 load all day to get out to a better area. Dead heading 1,250 miles is going to cost you at least that much in operational costs. So, you can either cough up $1,250 to dead head out or make
$625.

I have friends from NH who take bailed trash from Mass to OH for $1.25 then come right back home for an overall price per mile of $2.00. They run it non stop and do very well.

I've seen too many people go under thinking they are the ultimate trucker and if someone wants quality service they are going to pay for it. Well, they sit, and sit, and sit, and sit. Sure, they may get that extra $.50 cents per mile but after a week of sitting they've lost well over $3,500 in revenue.

I can haul one load a week for 300 miles at $3.00 per mile but that ain't going to pay the bills.

I'm happy to see there are still a few realists left.... Pretty hard to outsource transportation but given enough time I'm sure us lazy arsed americans will lose this too.

 

[Incognito]

So, um, how do you find these $3/mile loads? I've been playing around on 2 different load boards and have yet to see that rate...

Is there some sort of underground, members-only, invisible load board that I don't know about?

 

[Tim]

Keep in mind too that sitting around waiting for $.50 cents more per mile is going to wear thin pretty quick. Sitting for a day would cost me anywhere from $400 to $600 in lost revenue. For me I'll take those $1.50 load all day to get out to a better area. Dead heading 1,250 miles is going to cost you at least that much in operational costs. So, you can either cough up $1,250 to dead head out or make
$625.

I have friends from NH who take bailed trash from Mass to OH for $1.25 then come right back home for an overall price per mile of $2.00. They run it non stop and do very well.

I've seen too many people go under thinking they are the ultimate trucker and if someone wants quality service they are going to pay for it. Well, they sit, and sit, and sit, and sit. Sure, they may get that extra $.50 cents per mile but after a week of sitting they've lost well over $3,500 in revenue.

I can haul one load a week for 300 miles at $3.00 per mile but that ain't going to pay the bills.

If I ran here there and all points in between that would be one thing but I dont. The loads that I have taken to Laredo at the time paid me a little over $5.19 a mile. So you can think of it this way, I went down there for $3.19 a mile and deadheaded home for $2.00 a mile with far less wear and tear on the truck and trailer and a third less fuel. At that time I was running 2 loads a week down there so I didnt even bother to look vary hard for a load back.
Last year I ran just over 88000 miles and all most half of that was dead head miles and I still made $1.79 for every mile ran.

 

[terrylamar]

If I ran here there and all points in between that would be one thing but I dont. The loads that I have taken to Laredo at the time paid me a little over $5.19 a mile. So you can think of it this way, I went down there for $3.19 a mile and deadheaded home for $2.00 a mile with far less wear and tear on the truck and trailer and a third less fuel. At that time I was running 2 loads a week down there so I didnt even bother to look vary hard for a load back.
Last year I ran just over 88000 miles and all most half of that was dead head miles and I still made $1.79 for every mile ran.

But you still have stinking onion breath!

 

[Tim]

But you still have stinking onion breath!

Thats right and I'm gonna have more of it again this coming week.
View attachment 16731
View attachment 16731

 

[DubbleD]

So, um, how do you find these $3/mile loads? I've been playing around on 2 different load boards and have yet to see that rate...

Is there some sort of underground, members-only, invisible load board that I don't know about?

wait for a few of the more experienced boys to get here and it'll be 10 X that figure....

 

[terrylamar]

So, um, how do you find these $3/mile loads? I've been playing around on 2 different load boards and have yet to see that rate...

Is there some sort of underground, members-only, invisible load board that I don't know about?

Yes. It is doing a good job for brokers, they start noticing and will call to offer you loads before they post them on boards. Also, generally, flatbed and specialized loads pay more. You might be able to negociate rate directly with shippers, though the trend seems to be for most shippers to work with brokers or to give all their loads to one carrier,who may broker it out if they don't have the trucks to cover all the loads, not individual truckers.

 

[terrylamar]

wait for a few of the more experienced boys to get here and it'll be 10 X that figure....

My highest, so far, was $27.00 per mile. It wasn't very far though!

 

[8978]

This is what I mean. It goes from $2.00 to $3.00 to $5.00

 

[DubbleD]

My highest, so far, was $27.00 per mile. It wasn't very far though!

3 miles don't count... that's doing someone a favor.

 

[8978]

So, um, how do you find these $3/mile loads? I've been playing around on 2 different load boards and have yet to see that rate...

Is there some sort of underground, members-only, invisible load board that I don't know about?

They really don't exist. Sometimes, but very far and few between. If your looking to go OTR and all the states plan to stay out for 4 to 5 weeks. In the beginning you will make mistakes but you will learn. If you can survive on maybe $1.70 for all miles you will be fine. As you learn the ropes and the areas to go into and stay out of without being compensated for you should be around $2.00 per mile.

 

[terrylamar]

3 miles don't count... that's doing someone a favor.

It was $750.00 and it counted!

 

[Tim]

Yes. It is doing a good job for brokers, they start noticing and will call to offer you loads before they post them on boards. Also, generally, flatbed and specialized loads pay more. You might be able to negociate rate directly with shippers, though the trend seems to be for most shippers to work with brokers or to give all their loads to one carrier,who may broker it out if they don't have the trucks to cover all the loads, not individual truckers.

Terry if you dont know it but on ITS if you hauled a load for a broker and your looking at the load board and click on a load they know it and if they think your interested in that load your clicked on they will call you.

I use my carrier's load board while at home just looking at loads and the boss has called and asked if I was looking and said brokers were phoning them wanting to book the loads I was looking at.

 

[8978]

I run at least 3,000 miles per week and I stay out for 5 weeks then go home for a week. When I'm out my job is to drive. I don't sit around. You will hear all the cute little phrases like run smarter, not longer and so on. Get over it, straighten out that limp wrist and get it done and move on.

 

[8978]

Terry if you dont know it but on ITS if you hauled a load for a broker and your looking at the load board and click on a load they know it and if they think your interested in that load your clicked on they will call you.

I use my carrier's load board while at home just looking at loads and the boss has called and asked if I was looking and said brokers were phoning them wanting to book the loads I was looking at.

All you have to do is call ITS and that feature can be turned off like mine.

 

[Tim]

I run at least 3,000 miles per week and I stay out for 5 weeks then go home for a week. When I'm out my job is to drive. I don't sit around. You will hear all the cute little phrases like run smarter, not longer and so on. Get over it, straighten out that limp wrist and get it done and move on.

I much rather work a week and stay home for 5 weeks!



Wait!! Hell I all ready do that!