Fueling strategies to lower fuel costs

Put only what you need per load. Fuel is way too expensive to be topping off every time you fuel you will not have much of a paycheck if any fueling like that. This has worked for me ever since fuel has went thru the roof.

 

The run harder strategy usually only works for an independent O/O who books his own loads and usually has the week lined out before we leave. Also we are not running what some consider OTR or coast to coast but more regional. Usually our folks want us to turn and burn and have made arrangements for people to be available to help load or unload.

 

Funny you mention that,(week planned out)cause in the 1 1/2 years I was and O/O I always had my first 2 loads booked before I even left home.Ideally I would run a 3-4 K mile tri-haul and go home.I can honestly say that my second load,which was usually booked 2-3 days in advance,cancelled 100% of the time and I would have to scramble to re-plan. Nobody could convince me that this was for no other reason than brokers re-booking for cheaper rates.

 

I thought you said you wasn't a professional driver.

 

I'd be interested to know this as well. My guess is virtually no difference.

 

(SIGH)

Bear with me, I find this frustrating. I know you're frustrated because of the money situation, but hear me out:

Read 'olhand's post once more. The less time you spend on a load, the better it pays. When they offer loads, they will have the pick up date and the delivery date, shipper location, receiver location, and the weight of the load and the line haul. All of these factors weigh in your load selection. All of them. Run into a hole shipper or a hole receiver, mark them in your notes to never return there unless they are paying stupid money.

Waitaminute, lemme guess...he's on a mileage contract with a sliding pay scale.

The frustrating thing about all of this is because your husband jumped into fleece truck without knowing the ropes, they can take advantage of him at will. This is why we recommend that a driver start off as a company driver to learn the ropes on their dime. You need to know where the freight lane is. You need to know the good shippers, good receivers, and the gravy runs are. If they have you on a sliding pay scale, you avoid those long runs at all cost. Are they paying fuel surcharge for all miles or just the loaded miles? If they're not paying for deadhead miles, you stay out of the dead zones. DONT DO ANY FAVORS. Hopefully, he doesn't go bust before he learns their system.

Why didn't you two ask for advice BEFORE going into a lease? "Everyone would have told us not to do it." So easy a caveman can do it. Driving, sure...making money is a different story altogether.

 

If he walks away, they're going to raid his accounts. You know, all the little nickel and dime stuff. See your husband is paying a mileage rate on a sliding pay scale (BS, I know). But they also do a maintenance fund, a tyre fund, Qualcomm, this fund that fund, secretary's new bewbies fund...normally adds up to like twenty something cents per mile. That adds up to be quite a bit of change.

You can make money on a lease, but you have to be a hardcore hustler with the load selection. Sounds to me that someone in the office is screening his loads. So many slow receivers? One couldn't get so lucky.