Sadly I didn't make the list, but it was truly an honor just to be nominated.
But seriously, I'd second that and possibly add a few.
Double Yellow's Company Driver to Independent Thread
Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by double yellow, Nov 5, 2014.
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I second Cowpie, and add Double Yellow. They're both helping me re-invent the wheel. My wheels is gonna be BAD AZ !!csmith1281, truckergalchi, double yellow and 2 others Thank this. -
IMO there's a lot more names that could be added to that list. As far as booking what you did I had nothing to do with that other than to make you think it was possible. Really that's all you need. Got a fleet email thank you from one of our guys last year when he booked a $3.60 a mile or so 800 or 900 loaded miles solo from somewhere Alabama to his home near Chicago area from Cheap and Heavy Robbingsome. Same story bro you did that on your own. You can either think that sort of thing is impossible or you can listen to what these jokers (brokers) are saying and you can make it happen. Or you can listen to various losers in here from the peanut gallery or guys who could never make it with a dry van that think cheap/van that's just how it is. The sky is the limit rates are what you make them to be.
csmith1281, blade, sebass5381 and 11 others Thank this. -
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Sure thing. Another thing with the 3 letter megas the more loads you do like that and do a good job the more you will get. Not every one they offer will be like that but they know you are worth it when they have to and when they ask "what do you need" they will many times unquestioningly give it to you. And obviously your MC will not be pegged as cheap and easy either. The thing is you don't really need every load to be like that either. If markets are hot they can be. And when you're asking for rates like that all the time you'll always know when the market supports them, otherwise you just think it was a lucky gold strike. But in an average market(s) just to get one good load like that and build a week around it with other more ordinary loads is how you put a decent week together. To string several loads like that into a week is what you press for and get otherwise. This is what I have found. Some people call that cheerleading. I call it good old fashioned capitalism and wouldn't waste my time attempting to help someone with a hard head and attitude like that.
csmith1281, sebass5381, spectacle13 and 6 others Thank this. -
In another thread, RedForeman wrote a good rebuttal to post 33 (my thoughts on factoring):
MagnumaMoose, csmith1281, spectacle13 and 3 others Thank this. -
Buzz Gunderson: You ever been in a chickie-run?
Jim Stark: Yeah, that's all I ever do.
[Buzz leaves]
Jim Stark: Plato, what's a chickie-run?
-- Rebel Without a Cause
My first $4+ /mile load
When planning to become an owner operator, I anticipated sitting at least a couple days a month, unable to book a load at a reasonable rate. Yet after 6 months, that hadn't happened once. This was partly due to ample freight from a strong market, and partly due to the lingering shackles of a company driver mentality (my thoughts upon completion of a load were not altogether different from that of a sighthound when presented with a ball: 'Let's go! Let's go! Let's GO! Throw the ball already!!!'). I'd happily take a mediocre load just to keep moving, preferring that to sitting at some truck stop...
But only a poor bridge player never overbids, so for the past month I've been trying to go set in the spot market. If a lane supposedly paid $1.80/mile, I'd ask for $1.98 (+10%). But I'd get it. So then I'd ask for $2.07 (+15%) -- and get it. Then $2.16 (20%) and, again, I'd get it. The problem was I just had no idea how much was possible. (Note that this may be skewed due to Holiday demand)
So when I found myself in a red-hot market (15+ loads/truck) on the day before Thanksgiving, I decided to ask for a crazy number: $4/mile with at least $1,000/day. I posted my truck on Landstarbroker, DAT, & ITS at 0600, putting my rate requirement in the comments, and by 0730 I was receiving so many calls that people were having to leave messages as I was talking to someone else.
Unfortunately, it seemed none had read those comments and I was being offered garbage like $500 for 100 miles delivering after the weekend -- in 5 days. After quoting $5,000 for that particular run, I was rewarded with a flurry of swear words and a click -- a first! Strangely, that encounter lifted my spirits & I resolved to stand absolutely firm until 1500, at which point I would lower my price to $3.50/mile & $1,000/day. I would go no lower, sitting through Thanksgiving if need be.
I heard "no" quite a bit that day. My phone log shows 45 calls that morning & I had at least 20 email rejections too (meaning a 1.5% "yes" rate). When quoted my rate, I'd estimate 1 in 5 brokers were rude, 3 in 5 politely declined, and 1 in 5 seemed unusually somber in their rejections. This later group gave me hope, and I would come to find their numbers calling again and again with incrementally better offers. Better, but still not where I wanted it to be.
That was until 1300, when one of those somber callers (with a 1300 pickup appointment) agreed to my $2,000 quote on 442 miles delivering in 2 days. I vividly remember their first call because, despite my rate being posted, they offered $650 "because it would get my driver out of the bad weather." They sounded so confident and chipper when making that pitch at 0730, yet when I explained I would need $2,000 to tie up my truck for 2 days, they suddenly became so very serious. They didn't immediately say no and I could all but hear them thinking "Oh ####, this load is going to be tough to move."
Later, when relaying my experience to RollinCoal, he offered this insight:
Last edited: Nov 29, 2014
spearwarrior, Cabover Mike, TallJoe and 24 others Thank this. -
Double, thanks for your hard work giving us this excellent, real-time information.
csmith1281 and double yellow Thank this. -
I bid two loads a few weeks ago for ~$7,000 each but the broker found someone else to do them for $4,500. No problem. But then his trucks got delayed in that Buffalo storm so she called back and gave me my price. I didn't jack up the rate. Probably could have but this is a long term deal this trucking thing and everyone has long memories.clausland, FoolsErrand, csmith1281 and 13 others Thank this.
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