mercer transportation

I would agree with what Bayou is saying. I often say that you can be good at trucking. As soon as you add a second truck you have to be good at management, which is a whole nother can of worms. There are days when life would be easier if I didn't have employees, and I have very good ones. Although I wouldn't be in trucking if I didn't have employees. Sometimes the bottom 5% take a lot a babysitting.

As far as SHC's question about showering...we will reimburse for a shower as long as it is not abused. On the other hand, it is my truck and my fuel. The driver has the points because of the money I am spending on fuel. He better utilize those points for showers whenever possible. And if he thinks he is running 50 miles out of the way for lunch or a shower...he better start looking for his own Star Car because he won't be driving my truck very long.

My contractors generally do the same things we want our company drivers to do. This shows me that when someone is paying the bill they make certain choices. When I am footing the bill they only think about themselves.

 

I agree with both of you. I never use "points" for food, but I do use my shower credits. I will go 10 miles OOR for a free shower, but 50-150 is just plin stupid. Especially out here in the midwest, where truckstops are every 15-25 miles along the interstate.

Cpape, have you looked into getting APU's on your trucks at all??? Just wondering if it would actually save money in the long run or just be an added cost without any real return???

 

I would have to find the numbers, but I don't think APU's have the same ROI as the bunk heaters. In the past, that has been the old man's domain and you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip. I probably need to reevaluate to see if there is value.

 

I did buy two after 4,800 hours they started having problems what was bad is you really dont have a shop close that can work on it closest shop for me is 300 miles and they charge the same as a big truck shop. I really think they burn just as much fuel as the truck does $8,000 can buy alot of fuel ya $8,k can buy time on a inframe must be why alot of companies dont run APUs there not going to keep running the trucks like we do!

 

Anyone else here at Mercer notice the RGN loads and rates taking off. Most RGN loads never go on the board because they just call the closest RGN guy first since so few RGN guys here.
But now I'm seeing RGN loads regular on the board. Mostly Milatary but that's some of the best.
Rates running $3-4 mile.
Makes me want an RGN trailer.

 

Just go buy them a big sleeper truck with a shower and then never need to go out of route for a shower.
I literly took a shower at the rest area yesterday.

 

That may be ok for a legal RGN load, but ain't good , in my book, for os/od.

 

You run out of IA not south tx. bunk heat does us no good down here. There is very few nights a year i would heat the t#### down here.

mercer pays for all permits and escorts so they dont feel they need to pay more for oversize. Imo. I saw very few os loads worth hauling at mercer. After a while of looking i basicly told them to stop calling me with them

 

That may be true, but the time and money involved, plus the work to tarp a 12' tall, 12' wide load is worth more than $3 mile to me. Now the drive on military stuff might be worth $3 mile, but even that is cheap for a RGN truck. I know how much you Mercer guys love that roll-on freight. I called my agent in Oshkosh last week and she said that Mercer gobbled up all the trucks except the hazmat/tanker loads for under $1.75 mile. I'm guessing that it must have been due to MATS in lousiville. Hopefully those guys got loads up to WI, because the Dh from KY to WI on top of $1.75 mile is just plain stupid.

 

auto you have to remember, that what he quoted is bottom line to the truck, all escorts, permits, tolls, fax costs to get the permits etc are covered by mercer, the driver only has to give the od dept a route he would prefer, he doesnt have to order anything. all he got to do is provide a fax number and put on the flags banners and lights. they even make all the arrangement s for the escorts and pay em also. it puts that $3 to $4 in an entirely different light.

thats what throws a lot of folks about os/od here at mercer, they here all these huge rates being thrown around and dont know the actual bottom line.