Am I crazy? Or is this going about it the wrong way?

I've never understood why anyone would want to keep a customer who is unwilling to pay you enough to operate profitably hauling their freight. Sorry, but if you expect me to operate at a loss, your freight can sit on your dock 'til you change your mind.

 

Hi Hillbilly, unfortunately, many smaller companies have taken a "wait and see" attitude. Rather than pull the plug, they stay with an account, hoping things will turn around. Sadly, I see an end to smaller companies, as things will never turn around, and it comes down to who can haul it the cheapest, regardless of how long someone gave them decent service.

 

Yeah it's crazy how some people feel married to a customer. Dry van is so competitive every shot I ever get at some contract direct it is always about price with those people and I'm never cheap enough. Local run was offered up. 3 loads a week 474 miles on the round. I offered bottom of the barrel (for me) $2.48 a mile including surcharge at current prices gross rate (that's before 11% came out of it for the company I'm leased at). The winning bid was $1.69 a mile. What they do is put a day cab tractor on it and pay the driver $14 an hour on a cheap rate like that...People with spot willingly pay most times whatever it takes when they need the trucks. It's like things are backwards from what everyone always says it should be. The randomness of spot sucks but I'm not willing to work for nothing.

 

The thing is the driver making 14 bucks an hour is happy
as a pig in mud that he he gets to go home every night.

 

Yeah and he's not paying for fuel, tires, parts, etc. He parks the truck in a droplot and goes home punch in, punch out. Home frequent is a big selling point just ask any container hauler and that's how they always justify working hard for nothing. The contractor ones anyways. I think the company driver container haulers do ok. Big companies can run for low rate like that. One truck or small fleet guys are kidding themselves.

 

all the above is true
but none of it proves your not crazy

 

Something I never understand is you can not tell then anything. When I started out I was leased on with someone who did the same thing ( they are no longer in business ). I got my own numbers, work with brokers who have good freight. I do not have any direct freight ( not sure if I want any as I can turn it off at anytime ) keep doing what you are doing learning when you are ready do your own thing.

 

I don't get it either.
I talked to JB, CH Robinson and Coyote, and they all want it done for less than it costs and act like they are handing out gravy by the bucketload!
If the truck or the fuel were free then I can see a profit, but it's insane.
Some expect it to be done for less than the fuel, or want it delivered 2 hours away but you have to wait 36 hours after you arrive to unload!
The only way I could have a truck make anything is to have it rack up HUGE MILES PER DAY, and once the truck expences are paid for then the profit begins.

I also hear (very reliable source) that hourly rates some of the larger companies pay for a driver is something I wish I could earn.

And it seems the better, or harder you work, the less they want to give you.

I have an operating authority but only for us to do local, small deliveries.
If I can't make a decent profit, how the hell do you hire on an Owner Operator and send them out?

However, when it's -18 degrees and nothing Diesel powered will start or run, then they are willing to hire us at a decent rate, but where do they think I'm going to get a truck from, NOTHING WILL START OR RUN AS IT'S TOO COLD!