MY EXPERIENCE AS A Mercer FLATBED DRIVER

heck, 3/4 of trucking is mis quoted...

 

LOL Now, I'm not going to argue THAT point!

 

1.76 all miles is not going to cut it... sooner or later you will have to pay your truck.You are not coming out much better than a company driver but you have all the costs of maintenance. Mercer may have OK loads but we were not offered them too much. Seniority, favoritism.. I don't know? We stayed midwest. Got crap offers..chicago, Memphis, little rock, Alabama, Youngstown, OH. If Mercer can't keep us hauling profitable in those areas than we have to move on. Mercer is making a profit when you haul at 1.76 all miles.. you are not. Covering costs and then making 700 $ a week is not profitable. A company man can do that. You are an Owner Operator. I would haul for Mercer as an Independent but do NOT lease on. 1.76 all miles is BACK HAUL rates... do the math. When short miles are offered at 2.30 all miles but you realize the job will take a full 2 days with loading/unloading .. no detention.. you lose. You decline the load. you sit... every day you sit.. you lose. But Mercer does not ever lose when you lease. 24% for giving you backhaul rates... .good luck!

 

So your saying at 1.76 you can't make money ? You operation costs must be through the roof or .. You are not getting very many loads etc in a week. In a percent game it's more about the total rev rather than miles . What was your gross the weeks you were at 1.76 that would be the tale of the tape ?

 

Maybe you did not read about how much I DH?.. How many of those miles are empty mile by my choice. If i lived closer to loads and did not go home so much or did not take loads to ND, SD, NE the all miles rate would be over 2.00 a mile. When a person quotes all miles that can be miss leading that is why I asked you were you are running that you stated you were making a buck fifty something per mile when all was said and done. Also when you say you are being offered loads do you not watch the load board? I am hardly ever being "offered loads" I see a good load pop up I am hitting the will commit button on the screen then I am picking up the phone and if my coordinator puts me on hold I will call the agent. I am not waiting for my phone to ring so that load will be offered to me. Because no matter how good Mercer is I have tested that system and watch very good paying loads that I was matched too that I did not want pass me on by with no phone call and no offer. Here is the thing and i am not bashing Mercer they are a company that is out to make money and I may be blowing some smoke here but if a person waits to be offered loads or does not take advantage of the load board or yes some guys do this, let the coordinator pick the loads for them then you will be hauling the loads that Mercer wants you too haul not the loads that you want to haul. They are going to push those loads that either it is a new shipper and they are trying to make an impression or a shipper that they may be getting ready to lose for one reason or another. I have met 2 drivers with Mercer that had no computer and let the coordinator pick all there loads and guess what both were not happy at all and ready to leave. Why? because of the loads they were hauling. Always Heavy and always Cheap. Mercer's system is a good system. Is there some favoritism and seniority? Probably. But you will be hard pressed not to find that anywhere. It is like any other system unless YOU take FULL advantage of the system then the system will take full advantage of you. As far as Mercer making a profit off my 1.76 a mile. Good I would sure the hell hope so I wouldn't pull for a company that can not make money. But when you say I am not making a profit off it well do you know my bottom line? Is the Truck, Trailer and all Equipment paid for? and again when it comes to all miles what is my DH percentage? Might be a big difference between yours and mine.... Just saying

 

The one thing I find amusing is brodgers still hasn't answered the question. What type of trailer were you pulling?

 

If you aren't making money at 1.76 on all miles when you are leased to a carrier you are doing something wrong, or running a very low number of miles. Most contractors I know would be making a healthy profit at that rate per mile.

 

in another thread she said it was a step deck, only calling the member a she because it says they're a truckers wife in the little caption thing under their avatar.

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/discuss-your-favorite-trucking-company-here/188129-crst-malone-or-mercer.html#post2828876

just went and read a few (or better yet all) of the posts they've made and they have nothing good to say about anything.. every post has a negative turn to it..

 

And it also looks like their avg per mile changes depending on the thread.

 

One can either have payments on newer equipment or he needs to sock it away for repairs and maintenance. We were on the boards constantly.... We just expected more support for a 24% cut. What are you paying 24% for? Fuel is .73 ( varies)$ 1.77 a mile. , eguipment/overhead .34, maintenance, tires, oil .33, Driver pay .37. EQUALS .1.77 a mile. where's your profit? Deadheaded is part of the cost. Yes, I want Mercer to make money.. not by watching me lose money. Keep track of the hard working people in your orientation... When they see their money slowly trickle away they will hear all the BS everyone else does.( Your just not a match..well, how much money do you need to make? The next load will pay better,.. the next load will pay better).. When you average your year and realize how poorly you did, you have already run your truck some serious miles. Me, I expect to make more than 800 a week living out of a truck..