Finally got my own truck

I made good money this week. Well, good according to me. My best week yet. But I worked my living *** off for it.

Monday went from Sioux City to Milwaukee. CHR called on my truck and gave me a quick load 450 for $900 just handed it to me on a silver platter. I figured maybe something was wrong with the load, because I was in NW Iowa close to SD. But nope. The only thing wrong with it was the area it went to.

Milwaukee Tuesday was a bit*** to get out of. Not one phone call. Ended up with 900 miles to ATL for $1600 and I think I was lucky to get even that. Crap was going south from there and Chicago for $1.30/mi.

I ran my rear off and unloaded the next day at 5pm. They almost didn't take it because my appointment was the next morning. Broker at JBH got on the phone and got me in. Thank you to her.

Then the nightmare shipper from hell happened.

I posted my truck in Atlanta at 6pm. Was a load picking up in Newnan at Niagara Water. NEVER GO THERE! JUST DON'T. I booked the load 250 miles to north AL for $900 8pm appointment time. I get the rate con and there are 3 stops. Ugh. I looked it all up and took it anyway but made them add money. So $1000. They wouldn't do more. Whatever. I show up to this place and my stomach dropped. There are literally trucks EVERYWHERE. Long story short I got there at 7:15pm for 8pm appointment. I got called into the dock at 245am. Loaded by 415am. First deliver at 7am at a small grocery store. I slept 2 hours. I will never go there again. And now I'm having a hard time trying to get detention pay. Monday I'll call their corporate office and talk with someone about it. I have all my in and out times and I know the shipper pays detention because they told me they do. Lol. Right. Someone's gonna pay me.

I get that load done early about 1030am. Post truck and phone calls trickled in sporadically. Nothing special. Ended up with a load 430 miles to SC for $950. Eh. Heavy load.

Unloaded this morning in Orangeburg and phone calls came in. The big blue screw called me with a 1150 mi load to Iowa. "I have this load picking up asap going to Iowa for 1150 miles delivery Monday and the most I can pay is $1800." I almost laughed at her but I'm just not one to be rude. How stupid though to call me in a good market and offer me absolute crap. I quoted her $3000 just because of the "Werner Trainer craps himself" thread on here, if you haven't read it, please do.

JB called me with a paper load to eastern OK. 1000 miles $1600. Lol. I said look, I'll take this but I need more. I can do $2250 min. He said he'll call customer. He called back 5 mins later and said the customer said they'll just move it next week. Whatever. Let that crap sit.

It's been hot down here. But they don't wanna pay! You can find $3/mi on a 500+mile load if you wait late and it's going up I-95. Loads up to new england were getting close to that point. It should be at that point all the time, even in the morning. Why people take loads for $2/mi up that way is just beyond me. Completely stupid.

And you know, I wouldn't run up there anyway even for $3/mi just because I don't like going up there but if carriers DID demand that rate, then that would push rates up to other areas. Some trucks might would start going there instead of Midwest and that would take some capacity out of the pool of people wanting to go Midwest and rates would go up, and it would reduce the capacity there as well. But whatever. It's a game.

Direct shipper called on my truck today. Settled on $2000 on 950 loaded to MI and I get to go home for my 34. The load is high and heavy and the driveway was tight and if you're not careful watching your rear axle you could end up in the ditch. Took 3 hours and needed straps and bars which I had. I probably won't go there again despite them being a direct shipper. They don't wanna pay much better at all, really. Going through the gorge I think I may have pulled muscles in my hands gripping my steering wheel so tightly.

$6450 on 3300 all miles. Plus if that water load from Hades pays my detention. Good week but I'm really starting to feel like I'm working too hard for it. I've slept 21 hours total in 4 nights. I need to find a better way. Truck is getting close to 50,000 miles already. I fear that soon she is gonna start hinting that I'm working her a little bit too hard. My body is telling me this too.

Time to start taking my game up to the next level. Now that I'm getting a good grasp of the basic fundamentals of load board, brokers, rates, etc. I think it's time I start learning to work it all to my advantage and try to work smarter instead of harder. I don't wanna be one of them guys that end up running 3500 miles every week of the year for $5500 gross. That's just stupid and I'm better than that and I'm worth more than that. I just wish that other people would have the same mentality and help push the market into a real good favorable position for us all.

If you're reading this and you're a carrier, quit paying your guys mileage pay. Pay them percentage or just straight up salary. That way you can stop feeling so danged pressured to get your drivers "miles" for hardly any profit to you just so the driver don't start complaining about his miles and / or quit on you. You're being stupid. I'd never pay a driver by mileage. It's stupid and you're driving down rates on longer trips. Start dabbling into the shorter trip market and quote high. $1000/min per day.

Anyways I'm done ranting. I'm going to shower for the first time in 6.5 days. Pretty sick. I washed my hair and face a couple of times behind my truck with a bottle of water. How pathetic. But not as pathetic as what I seen today at a peelot. I watched some guy park in line behind a truck at the first fuel pump, got out with his backpack and went in and took a shower, the whole time with his truck running and blocking access to the pump. Oh and there must have been 50 parking spots. This ain't Mexico. We don't do that crap in the USA. Shape up or ship out. But at least he took a shower whereas I haven't. I'm gonna go in TA and take one right now for $12.