Refrigerated loads or dry van - which is more likely to need team drivers?

if you think you get screwed with a van with dead time wait to you get a reefer I switched to a van 6 years ago and it's a whole lot better. .. besides I try not to take loads with appoint ment times that's a sign of ######## ... fcfs gets priority .... some places have appointments and will take you anytime they just want to have an idea when you will be there. .. I don't play the wally world game or the groceries ... I will take an 8 or 9 am if it's a place I can park overnight. ... now when you see a 3 or 4 am appointment guess what that is .. groceries I like to leave that crap to the experts at Schneider. .... with a reefer you have a very good chance of getting delayed at the shipper and the reciever ...... reefer used to pay a lot better than flat or van it's a lower than flat now and not enough over van to pay the extra expenses and dead time

 

Yes. 4000 miles in a week is *POSSIBLE* in a truck governed at 65, if you bust ###, run 22 hour 'days', and get nearly perfect drop and hooks.

I just ran a 3700 mile week, and two of my driving 'days' were 250 mile half calendar days.

When I say 'days' with parenthesis, i mean the time from when I start my pre-trip, to when I start my next pre-trip.

For instance, I did a 3000 mile run from Washington State to Winter Haven, Florida in 4 calendar days in a 65 MPH truck, but it was actually 5 driving 'days.'

If you are running a team truck, 4000 miles per week should be a low minimum, not any sort of goal.

EDIT: To be clear. My weekly goal is 4000 miles, and I am a solo company driver hauling a reefer for Shaffer in a 65 MPH truck. My best week ever was 3900 miles.

 

company drivers need miles .... owner operators need brains ..... gross pay is meaningless it's all about the net pay "how much did I make " isn't it better to clear 3000 on a 4000 gross .. than gross 8000 and clear 2000 .... when you hear a owner operator say he has trouble getting enough miles he is either brand new or stupid the miles are always there it's the ones you make some money on that you need to find

 

Short game is where its at as an owner op. Less miles, higher rate per mile, less fuel, less wear and tear on your truck. Its all about the NET, not the gross. You have to change your thinking. Go run the midwest and north east. $3+ mile isn't hard to get. 300 miles paying over $1k. That load at 7mpg takes 43 gal of fuel and cost roughly $151. $850 in your pocket, one day. 5 days, $4250 in your pocket minus tolls, etc.

3000 miles a week and you're going to be in the $2 mile range. $6k gross, 430 gallons of fuel, $1500 fuel cost. $4500 net. twice as many miles, 6 days instead of 5, and a lot more wear and tear on your truck. Quicker PM's, oil changes, tires, etc.

Just my .02

 

lol you don't know how many owner ops haven't figured that out yet

 

anyways guy right now flat beds making the most per mile and they spend a lot more time with bs ( waiting for loading unloading strapping tarps chains ect. ) ( except for the prima dona heavy haul drop deck guys ) I switched over to reefer when the rates were higher and just way too much time unpaid fooling around and can be loading or unloading .gave it 6 yrs and switched back ... I have van now and I make enough money and very little fooling around its about the net pay ... when I plan my week I search all the Preloaded trailers paying 4.00 a mile or higher in a 500 mIle radius for the next 2 weeks and if there is a load I like I take it and work to it ( that works fine for me because I live in Ohio and getting a good paying load to anywhere in that 500 mIle radius is easy ) if nothing in that search looks good I will search all loads in a 500 mIle radius that has a destination 50 miles or less from my house that are paying over 3.50 a mile and I will work to that .... I have everything on the table I will haul anything (except illegal immigrants ) anywhere if the price is right ... now I don't go to new York city for an extra $ 200.00 ..... but just took one to long iland for 2899.00 from ohio with overnight parking ... anyways I work with quite a few agents and know there lanes and I try to stay booked a week or so in advance. .. I don't like unpaid fooling around time and just don't take many loads that have appointments on both ends .... on a one day load I don't mind a 8 am delivery appointment but I don't take an extra day on it unless they pay me and I am at home ... I don't sit at all ( which probably isn't good buisness ) 90%of the time I will have a load preplanned out if not I will find something probably have a layover about once a year. can't remember last load I pulled for less than 2.00 a mile ... I don't pull the cheap stuff out of Florida I will dead head out just make sure you get enough going down to cover it. I did a load out of northern maine that only paid 1.30 a mile with a stop in Plattsburgh and finishing up in college station pa my wife was with me and she wanted to go through the mountains in Vermont to see the leaves but I don't hardly count that one because that was more like a vacation lol we picked up a 4.00 a mile load in Indiana and delivered in del marva Virginia and stayed a night in virginia beach ( planned and in motel ) picked up a load going up to Maine for 4.50 a mile so even with the cheap load was a good week ... got a Preloaded trailer out of pa going to Michigan that payed 2.40 to finish up the week