Are your rates going up also?

You just answered your own question....

Just like Lundberg Survey, Inc monitors pump prices....you can bet there are surveys that monitor freight charges by carriers....

 

I know that when rates were up a little (a year and a half ago) I was pulling flats out of the PA region.
Anything we brought to the New England area we would charge 3.00+ for, hauling legal. Just in case we could not get anything out.
Normally if we got anything out of Maine or Vermont it was brokered from CH Robinson, or on a rare occasion from Landstar or Dysarts.
Most loads out of that area were lumber or mulch. They normally paid around 2.00.
Would not go to TX, we had ALLOT of freight going that way but we brokered it all out because rates back were so low. Plenty of Texas boys were very happy to get our loads back to Houston, and called us every week for a normal backhaul.
They had the contracts for the decent freight out, we had ok rates on stuff going back.
Not sure how they are doing now. Have not been with that company since June. They normally will not touch anything under 2.00 though. Even in the downturn they stayed up there.

 

When your just oversize and not overweight then the permits are $25-$30 / per state so the $3500 is not too bad.

 

I run flatbed in So. Ca. and usually use the same broker and they usually bid on big jobs. Anyways, I've done certain loads that thought were paying descent, then after I got curious after a pulled a couple and realize there was more then just trucking and more time involved, I ask for the rate and was surprise (not enough). But they insisted it was worth it cause it was slow. I didn't buy it, I told them if they wanted me on that job I NEEDED TO MAKE THIS MUCH OR GET SOMEONE ELSE, to my surprise they GAVE ME WHAT I WANTED. If you don't speak up you will never get anywhere in this business. Remember, you are in business for yourself. KNOW YOUR COST TO RUN IT.

 

Explains why i know people who haul produce for 1.30 per mile. I know Sunco Carriers was giving an old friend 1.75 per mile for loads to Jersey in 07.

KH

 

Tarped lumber loads for $.80/m.....and somebody will haul for that rate....

There were steel coils leaving from Fontana a couple months back going for less than that.......


Now it looks like a carrier's market...but I'll bet the NAFTA trucks will still run loads for under a buck to "corner the market"......

 

.80 a mile like i said morons when im ofered a cheap rate like that i ask them where do i send them a check. its cheaper to give them a little money than to haul the load. just kidding!

 

Well said.

 

Another thing to consider is that so called safety advocacy groups like Public Citizen are putting pressure on DOT to make ALL driving hourly pay instead of the per mile pay we have now....
How would that affect O/O's?
We get paid by the load and then calculate the Gross Pay against what it costs us to run the freight....

I suppose we could use the dump truck rate formula and run most loads for $90-100 per hour......

That might be to our benefit if DOT ever adopts the European HOS model....8 hours total from what I have heard from the people I have talked to from Europe...

I'm not sure the customers would be happy paying an O/O an $800 a day average to move freight.....

That could be why the Obama administration is looking to get the NAFTA deal through.....and then those "highly qualified" NAFTA drivers would run for $100 a day..... And be thrilled about that big paycheck.....

 

.......X2
Excellent post Dave