mercer transportation

They can be called lousy rates, sorry rates, expensive truck or what have you.
I am staying profitable during the low freight months because I'm willing to tarp with 8' tarps, I'm willing to go anywhere, I'm willing to do what others can't or won't, and on this particular haul the only extra work I'm doing is hanging truck-end OD signs.
Am I not allowed to drive with 9' at night?
Am I gonna need an escort?
I guess not.
Some of us have really become spoiled, that "I don't haul more than 30k lbs", that "I don't go there" or bunch of other reasons why I stay 37 only are not in my book.
Stay competing in those 37, while I am one of the few working the board like it's my (and in reality it is) personal hoe.

I am 2nd generation driver, it runs in my blood. I know most companies out there won't pay over 1.40, and I know my lowest margin of operation was 1.71 before fuel went down by OVER A DOLLAR, now tell me how am I losing money mr. Rabbit...

 

I don't beleive your losing money. Even this time a year, there is good money to be made.
But for a guy new to being an owner operator, its so much easier with smaller truck payments.
I beleive most of us prefer not to tarp, and not to go certain places, ect. And the higher a guys truck payment, the more he has to be willing to do the work no one else wants to do.
But show me the guy that tarps a load, just to use his tarp or that takes a load going to New York city for the same rate as going to Louisville.

 

I've seen many new guys go all out on truck and equipment coming to Mercer and quit within no time because not making enough money. This is probably why Mercer no longer loans 100% on new equipment to new guys. Last I've heard, they now require 50% down.
Many guys here, do well with new trucks, I just wouldn't recommend it to a new O/O.

 

It's all about what you're happy with "that" gives you that bottom end you consider acceptable for you.
I personally don't go north east unless it pays more than $3 a mile, have you known the tolls went up Jan 1st?
I won't play that game, also tarping keeps me in shape, gives me pride going down the road and makes me more accessible to agents when they need to call some one out, I can picture them saying (this guy tarps)

It's about loving what you do, otherwise I'd be out there pulling a pneumatic for oakley.

 

I love what I do also, but I don't tarp for free or cheap. And not just to stay in shape.
To me $25 or $40 for 4' tarp is cheap. And $80 for 8' tarp is cheap. Not meaning they all pay that. I have even gotten $350 for tarping.
All depends on the agent and the load.
I'm not sure why we don't get as much as we did 2 years ago for tarping.

 

Kinda like doing the oversize. I have done alot of them. But every year they pay less. I can remember when we got $1 mile extra. Last year, I was seeing 5cents a mile over regular freight. Just not worth putting flags out for extra 5 cents.
Lucar, that last load you posted coming out of Calif. , how much per mile minus, tarp pay, and oversize pay?

 

nobody said you were losing money, but advising a guy just getting started to buy a new truck to start may not be the best advice. just remember a while back when the truck you had was causing problems.

the easiest way for a new guy to succeed is first by having lower costs and obligations.

running calif is not essential to profitability. in fact many times a new op to mercer will come in broke and immediately take his first load to California, because the revenue looks huge, he takes it sits a week often and then loads back for 1.40 to 1.50, in 3 weeks times he hasn't gotten anywhere, he could stayed in the Midwest and made twice the revenue.

one has to survive the initial learning curve, if to top heavy in expenses, they fail.

and in fact in many states you cant run 9 wide at night.

that's the beauty of this system, here we can carve out whatever niche we wish, run where we want. but one also to be careful in recommending things to new owner -ops.

the rates out and back from cali aren't anywhere near over 2.00 on avg. just look at the recent posts on this thread of guys moaning about loads out of California.

if someone wants to run there, that's fine. but its not essential to success.

 

I have enough to buy a cash truck and still have capitol for a bad day. My thing is the 08 or new trucks are obviously more expensive so I'd finance one, in that case I'd put down $40k to have low payments and still some Capitol. I did food service for 4 years and been doing flatbed for the last 6 months. So tarping wouldn't be a problem because I do it now with 8ft drops. I'd just hate to leave money on the table by not being able to run Cali. My biggest issue is 1, the overall cost of maintenance on the newer truck vs a older one. Naturally I don't want payments but if the rates make it worth it in the long run then I'd bite the bullet. I'm not a picky guy when it comes to work like I said, so being versatile would only help me. I live in Orlando,FL if that matters. I have friends all over the country so being out isn't a issue. Thanks for the input fellas. Only thing is when I crunch the numbers the bottom line looks way better without a truck payment.

 

that's why I seldom do an o/d anymore, the rate simply isn't worth it compared to regular freight. but getting out of calif with that load was like a goldmine

 

you wouldn't be leaving money on the table by not running California, its all what one prefers to do. like I say ask what the fleet avg is for 37 state vs 48 state. I just looked again at the load board for all loads ending up in calif next week. the avg rate going out is probably 1.85 that's rate to truck. coming back cheaper. you cant judge by a one load rate, you got to look at avg rate over several loads or a longer period of time, and loads paying 2.66 or 2.06 going out are not nearly the avg.

you got to remember, even a blind hog finds an acorn now and again.


wonder why the ones of us with older trucks and that higher cost of maintenance somehow survive?? you might be surprised at the age of many of the trucks at mercer.