Help finding ltl loads

Discussion in 'Expediter and Hot Shot Trucking Forum' started by Kingxcesar, Nov 15, 2017.

  1. Kingxcesar

    Kingxcesar Bobtail Member

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    Nov 15, 2017
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    I have a 20ft flatbed gooseneck and been having trouble finding loads I get 1 or maybe 2 good ones a week from truckstop load board but mostly all the loads I call they don't even want to pay $1 a mile because it's a partial load. Does any body have any advice or a better load board or any connections with brokers it will be very helpful. I am in Houston Texas and only stay in tx. Thanks in advance
     
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  3. Ben Grinev

    Ben Grinev Light Load Member

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    They are paying that because 48ft flatbedders can haul that and make good money
     
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  4. macmov

    macmov Bobtail Member

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    Welcome to the wonderful world of Hotshotting, so much money to be made just don't know where to spend it all!
     
    Anj Thanks this.
  5. Anj

    Anj Light Load Member

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    Yeah, they are relying on a full size flat/step to pick it up as a partial /an added bonus to what they are already carrying. Hotshot is the bottom of the barrel, it sucks. It can be done, but it's not easy or consistent.
     
  6. tc3500

    tc3500 Bobtail Member

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    Hope you find some better loads
     
  7. flatbedcarrier

    flatbedcarrier Medium Load Member

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    Kingxcesar, The bottom line is, you need a longer trailer. I find partials paying a buck, and more per mile every day but to be profitable running partials you need to be able to, and willing to put two, or sometimes three of them together on the same trailer, going the same direction. That's kinda hard to do when you only have 20' of deck space to work with. And it can be even harder when you're trying to stay close to home.

    And when you have a longer trailer you can also grab lite weight full loads. There's plenty of them out there.
     
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  8. flatbedcarrier

    flatbedcarrier Medium Load Member

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    It's kinda funny but when I see people posting on these forums, or on Facebook saying posted LTL is cheap. I rarely see it the same way, I think the difference is in how each of us look a particular LTL/partial shipment. I think a lot of hotshot owner operators automatically think a partial should pay full truckload rate just because it's close to his equipments weight carrying capacity, or because they don't immediately see something to put with it going the same direction, or because they pull a short trailer.

    Just because it's a partial/LTL it doesn't mean it can command a high rate, or as most hotshot owner operators seem to expect, a full load rate. Everyone of us should be taking a good look at the product itself. For instance, Is it a expensive toy, like a Polaris razor, or is it a bundle of fence posts? There's a big difference in what kinda rate these hypothetical pieces of freight are going to pay.

    And for those that are saying it's slow out there. I disagree with you because our phones are ringing non stop here. And the Brokers calling us, they're asking us straight out, how much money do we need to move it.
     
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  9. Ben Grinev

    Ben Grinev Light Load Member

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    If I were to be doing hot shot I think the best way to look at profit is to count the amount of hours you're going to spend on the load. Usually partial shipments are very quick with unload/off load. So you don't spend much time with loading, and you can possibly do two loads in one day
     
  10. flatbedcarrier

    flatbedcarrier Medium Load Member

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    Yeah, If he could knock out a couple of locals a day and gross maybe $600.00/$700.00 that would be great. The problem with that is everybody and their brother in his area is after that same work. And traffic around the big city makes it difficult to get that second load. He'd need someone at home watching multiple load boards and snapping those loads up for him as soon as they popped up.
     
    Anj Thanks this.
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