Chicago area rates

I worked for Fore also as a company driver. I made good money because I have hazmat and most of the OO didn't. Only reason I left was because I got stuck spotting and I hated it. I asked numerous times to get off it but they wouldn't take me off, so I quit.

 

Whered u spot? Id love to spot with a semi. Didnt know fore offered that.

 

They lost the account. It was first in Itasca, then they moved to Carol Stream. The x-dock facility lost the account and now it's in Joliet, but Fore doesn't supply the spotters anymore.

Spotting with a semi was a serious pain in the but.

 

They still have the spot in Carol Stream, it's done with a yard dog not a semi...

And the position is locked up by a guy who lives in the area, no openings.

 

Spotting with semi aint too bad. Unless your moving 30plus trls

 

I was spotting in one of the Mack's and another guy was using a Volvo. We were consistently spotting 25-30 trailers a night. It got old real fast. Right after I quit, Jimmy finally bought 2 beat up old yard dogs. One was so bad it t had a folding chair for the seat.

 

Lol

 

Not a Chicago area rate but I saw a comment about comparing rates to other areas so I put mine up:



Port of Oakland
SSAT/OICT
Berth 58

$53.00 1 way
$63.00 bare chassis or dry run
$20.00 CA Clean Air Compliance
$30/hr after 2 hours detention

20' and 40' cans on contract's chassis.

Used to work out to 5 round trips a day in a 5 mile radius plus a delivery once in awhile which worked out to around $2,500 a week (which is base rent/mortgage in the Bay Area right now).

When Ports of America shut down and diverted to LA we were lucky to pull 1 load in 1-4 days. It is now appointment only so it is killing the motor carriers mainly single O/Os and small fleets. Be surprised if SSAT doesn't get shut down next and all those lines come up from LA on UPRR.

Everport and Trapac are small but quick and the ramps UP/BNSF are same rates. There is Matson too but I haven't lurked in their waters yet.

Direct Imports are cheaper than the transloads we do but on the rate sheet they look bigger. Heavy permits are grandfathered now and the corridor is restricted to the port/ramp and inspection facility routes. Local delivery detracted from good port running but I am seeing much better rates direct from brokers rather than dispatch companies. Sorry, I can't divulge those rates I can't have them undercut.

Slow season is a Chinese New Year, but the last couple of years it has become months due to "slow downs." Contracts tend not to let us know in advance of no freight so side jobs are hard to pull off to fill-in.

All dispatch/lease companies out here pay about the same plus or minus $10 here and there same for local delivery. My overhead biz cost works out to $200 a day and personal pay $300.

So far during the last few months I'm only getting $40-180 a day if appointments aren't booked out for days on end. The current contract is dissolving anyway so I'm going independent and targeting better lanes. I also do reefer and flatbed. Local isn't bad at all... just have to find the right groove and tend the right fields of freight.

By the mile I'm batting like the big Bambino with superpowers but realistically contracts are probably not the way to go out here. Only the big companies will survive the slow downs this time. So go company or double down and diversify on the dirty side capital corridor.

Getting rich? Nah, but I make it all work out.

 

I agree. I was a concrete labor for five years. Flatbed is easy. Still I'll slam doors all day if the pay is the same. Actually I'm making a lot more slamming doors than flatbed. Go figure. But if I went O/O I'd go flat for sure. I love hauling oversize.