How to make it as an owner operator

Yes there was heated discussion, but "bickering" is in the eye of the beholder, in my opinion.

There was a lot of serious and rude thread hijacking going on as well.

Yes, 20 posts were deleted, but I disagree that they ALL needed to be removed. Things happened real fast when someone called out someone else as a broker. Funny but I had a similar experience last year when a recruiter was called out.

I want to know why calling out people who are here abusing this forum is considered childish? Calling board members childish is kind of a put down itself inst it? How about calling us " acting inappropriate. Seems a bit hypocritical to me. Of course just my opinion.

I also disagree that all removed posts were "useless". Again, calling someones post "usless" seems a bit harsh and un necessary doesnt it? How ahout just saying there were some "inappropriate" or "inflamatory" posts that were better removed.

That seems like a harsh way to put some of the posts that were removed.

What ever happened to the first amendment any way? I have been doing this since thise things were called BBS's ! Anybody remember those days when the MODS and ADMINS stayed away until there were clearly actual RULES being broken and actual personal insults were made?

I want to understand better what bickering really is on here anymore. Seems to be a pretty grey area that needs some clarification. In my opinion of course.

 

After getting used and abused by brokers I would think most of us tend to give up on trying to be the guy in the white hat.

I prefer to call it "stretching the truth" though. I also don't correct people when them make assumptions that work in my favor. I just let them think what they want to think. For example, if they think I am a dispatcher vs a driver, and they treat me with some respect, then so be it.

I have noticed that a lot of companies don't have a "transportation" or "traffic" department like they used to years ago. 20 plus years ago I worked at a manufacturing company and drivers would routinely walk into the shipping and receiving office and ask about out bound freight. I dont think that really happens much any more with the development of the brokerage industry and the on-line load boards. Things have really evolved and these days things are much more impersonal. Unless you cold call actual shippers and receivers, you really get to know people anymore except over the phone.

I have had limited success trying to call on customers directly, but every time I see someone like you bring it up I tell myself I need to keep working at it.

 

Actually going to be doing that this weekend! Been off for a while and I need to play catch up.

Much less stressful on the weekends in most places. Makes venturing into uncharted territory a lot less stressful and safer to boot.

I have picked up loads on Fridays going back home and asked for extra money to hold the load for a Monday or Even Tuesday delivery, and I got more than I expected. It is a huge mistake to do something like that for free in my opinion. Doesn't happen every time, but I love it when it works out that way. That's why you need to be creative when looking for loads. Its not always just about the rate$, but the ancillary things you can charge for.

The new O/O need to realize you can actually make some serious extra $$ on a Friday when the shipper AND the broker are desperate to get something into the system and off the dock. Got to take the extra $$ whenever you can get it.

 

Ok, for those of you that want details, here they are.

When I stopped running the 1000+ mile runs and longer, I basically turned myself into a regional carrier. I try to focus now on runs less than 450 miles so I can get out from under them fast, usually within 10-12 hours worst case. Yes, I do make more stops and spend more time at the docks, but I use almost 100% of this time to book my next load so it really isn't wasted time in my system at all.

To keep things moving smoothly I ALWAYS do the following on EVERY run. Get lazy and crap happens.

Always Call for directions - And try to find out if you can overnight at the receiver.

Always try to gather info on the status of the load and feel them out (the customers) to see just how HOT your load may really be.

Always confirm appointment times and numbers. Failure to do this will PI SS you off and it will be your own fault. If you have to bail on a load, better to catch it BEFORE you even load than to learn later the broker was an idiot throwing out bad information and "phantom" appointments when there were none.

Always check ACTUAL shipping and receiving hours - Go back to #1 above and try to do all this when calling for directions. If you forget, call back.

Customers usually appreciate a driver trying to get info and making personal contact. Always do your recon. NEVER TRUST THE BROKER on ANY details. NEVER!!! ON NOTHING!!! DID I SAY NEVERRRR!

I know there are more so feel free to add to this list. What I have found is that a lot of O/O get used to having their dispatchers do this and once they try to run off the boards, the get screwed because they don't develop the habits themselves to avoid problems. They are spoiled from having their old dispatchers cover their butts. Believe it or not, your dispatchers really did a lot you never gave them credit for. You appreciate this when you have to do it yourself.


I live in Pensacola and primarily run out of there to 4 or 5 different areas:

Atlanta - No brainer - Pays good now going up and I usually get a dollar per mile or MORE cumming back.

SC - Spartanburg Area - Landed there once by accident and got slammed as soon as I posted my truck. Want to see what I mean, then post your truck there and see what happens tomorrow. Slammed with calls within 60 seconds on some days. That is what I call hot. That should tell you something when you click the mouse and brokers start calling within 60 seconds. Good rates to on a lot of lanes out of there and sometimes right back to the house. Not as reliable as Atlanta to come home but darn good.

NC- Charlotte Area- Not as crazy as SC but always a good bet. Lots of freight and decent rates. Usually takes me back to North AL Nashville Area.

Nashville - Bigger town but still not as crazy as Spartanburg area for some reason. Brokers don't get as spastic up there. Good rates back home and lots of fright. Out of Nashville and North Alabama I can bounce back over to Atlanta on a short run sometimes paying as high as $3.50 or more per loaded mile lately. PU in Atlanta and $3 per mile or a bit more back home. In comparison, usually only get right around $2.00 going up to Atlanta, so I try to go to a higher paying area then my goal is always to find my back to Atlanta to come home with a delivery I can even sit on over a weekend and deliver first thing Monday. I usually get a good premium to offer this up to a desperate broker by the way.

Right now these are my targets of opportunity as soon as I scan the boards. Been to these places a lot and familiar with these "lanes" or areas. If you really want to know my "lane" I would say it is straight up through Alabama and back down. Really focused right now in an area that would consist of just doubling the rectangle that is Alabama.

I will bounce between any of these points like a pinball and I always seem to end up coming back down the chute to the South Alabama Mobile Pensacola and Panama City Beach areas. I refuse to go farther east than Tallahassee and why should I ? The rates suck in Fl and I am doing fine running within my pinball table which is basically TN MS AL GA and the FL panhandle west of Tallahassee with some NC SC and LA occasionally.

I know everybody develops their own little system and once you do you stay in it long enough to really learn the areas and the rates. Of course the rates change, but it is much easier to follow rates in a smaller area than it is over the whole country. I cant imagine trying to keep rates for a much larger area in my head. Maybe you can, but that is all I can handle.

KISS-- Keep It Simple Stupid. Right?

When you KNOW you know the rates, you are less likely to cave in and more confident to stand your ground and hold for your rate when dealing with brokers, even the pushy ones.

So to answer some folks who thought I was going to keep secrets here, guess what, I'm not that secretive.

Right now I am buying plates for next year and I am dropping half the states I carried this last year. That should tell you something right there. I basically evolved into a VERY regional carrier and it works for me. "Go with what you know" is a saying I heard long ago and I apply it to how I make my living. I spent the time to get to know these areas and lanes and now I just go with them. I know there are other places that are similar, but for now this is working for me and I will continue to "go with what I know". If I have to , I will shift expand or relocate my pinball table to where I need to go, but I am always going to be limited by where I actually live and run out of.