DISPATCHING YOURSELF VS USING A GOOD DISPATCHER

I laughed when I saw this because there are no good loads out of Miami and or Denver LMAO
I recently took a load from Los Angeles to Winter Haven in South Central Florida and found an ok load of watermelons going to the Walmart DC in Indiana out of Live Oak Florida which is all the way to the top.....about 200 miles of a dead head

 

It's just another hand in your pockets.

I suggest sticking to consistent lanes and working consistently with the same brokers building relationships. Chasing the rates may work for a week, a month, or a year if you're extremely lucky. But when the market dries up and you have no contacts and relationships built, you're a nobody.

 

I pay a dude $150 a week to fill out my carrier packets, sign Rate cons, keep an eye on the load board. He then calls me and tells me what looks good. I agree or disagree. He looks at the area the load is going tells me if it's a hot area or not. Then texts me the number and I call and negotiate the rate. Being a single truck owner op, I don't want to stare at the load board all day while I'm driving. Pull over on a load to do carrier packets and rate cons. It works for me. However I'd never pay some 10% it's just too much of my profit. I'd rather do it all myself. But to each their own

 

That is exactly what I did when I started out. The same amount of money, back in 2010. The guy eventually sold his service and is still in business today. As a matter of fact I ask him to fill out a carrier packet today as my wife was out of town today , it has been a couple of years since needed help and glad I still have relationship for assistance.

 

What is a carrier packet?

 

1st time or typically yearly a broker will have you fill out a packet it has their terms and how you want to get paid. You send that back with your w9, authority, and insurance. Then next time you work with that broker you're already setup with them so you just agree on a rate. They just send you that rate you sign it and send it back

 

If you hauling from the spot market and driving the truck - dispatch is a must!
Also agree about the 10% but declined a offer for 1.7%.
Pay for my dispatch 3% from gross and working with the board as soon as I have time.

 

A good dispatcher should be able to book you a load that you wouldn’t get because you would not be at the load board at that time when it popped . That’s an advantage there.

That being said, I’d rather go broke booking leftovers.