team looking for O/O advice

If you are running team, you will most likely be running a lot of miles. I would definitely think of your revenue and expenses in per mile terms. I would recommend looking at it on an hourly basis when working short haul.

I am not certain I would suggest any type of open deck work for a team. When running team, you want the truck to be moving as close to 24/7 as possible. A couple of reasons this is unlikely with open deck. 1st--a lot of flatbed work is semi regional. There are long loads, but in many areas the long loads are cheap. When you are oversize you will often be limited to travel during daylight hours only. This time of year, there isn't enough daylight to keep a solo busy...much less a team. Also, I think you could be biting off more than you can chew to join an organization like Landstar, CRST, Mason Dixon, Greatwide, etc. In most of these companies, you will be required to book your own loads through the companies agents. Many large open deck o/op fleets function this way. This could prove challenging to someone new to open deck. Lastly, team loads might pay a great premium in open deck, but I believe they would be few and far between. Most open deck freight is not that time sensitive, and when it is it usually goes less than 500 miles. My opinion is that a team in open deck would often end up taking lower paying long loads in an effort to get the miles you are looking for. My opinion would be totally different if you are not trying to run like a true team. My company is primarily open deck so I believe in this type of work. I just don't think it is the best choice for a newer o/op without open deck experience.

I would suggest finding a company that specializes in team work, or a dedicated type run like you are now on. Get a little experience running your own truck, then start looking for that great job where you can make the big bucks. Take one step at a time, and limit your risk.

 

the point I was making but had to run ,cpm should be taken in to account but in the end it all boils down to the net at the end you can lose money on a $5.00 a mile haul if it takes 10 days to go 500 miles
As he was thinking about specialized stuff it all boils down to time as that is what you are always giving out of your life
ex 1000 mile at 2.25 doing 70 mph down the big flat road takes ya a day and a half to pull in 2225.00 as were driving thru the cow trails of Montana might take ya 2.5 days same cpm but at the end net per day is off
I worked the oil patch for years and a man can lose his butt real fast if he shoots bids on cpm