Is it me? Chicagoland freight

What i meant was to depend on yourself,not someone else(loadboards).
Got 5 minutes to spare,get on the phone. Loaded and driving down the road,make calls.
Running a few company trucks all over without direct customers is an exercise in futility. Run where you have the customers.
Sorry if it came out wrong.

 

It did not come out wrong. I'm a grown man and can take harsh criticism when it's due. Maybe my tone sounded off - I thanked you and agreed. I understood you and it did not hurt my feelings.

I do not normally go into MI. I usually run egg-shaped laps between GA and TX running about 3-4 loads a lap on two trucks. Over half for the same three customers (two are small but bigger than me carriers that broker). Once in a while I'll cover an oddball for those customers if the money is right. My IRP miles for MI last year was just over 700, with most of that being a two-day gravy train I happened to be in the right place/time for, running dry freight back and forth for about $4/mi.

Last time started with a load into middle TN. It happened to be an off day for getting directly back to my lane, so I picked up a spot dry load paying north of $3/mi that finaled in the Detroit suburbs. What can I say? Greed got the better of me. I don't normally go in that market, but know enough about it to know my limitations and how to get out without the bad DH like the first time. The trip out was a short hop to OH for $2+ back toward my usual lane.

Another thing that's probably lost in the depths of the "no experience" thread I haven't posted in lately: is that I am normally not driving. I can and do, but only to move equipment for service when drivers are on break, or to complete local drops to keep someone's logbooks whole. Or even take one out as the cheapest driver on payroll if someone is on scheduled vacation. Ordinarily, my job is to keep the other two busy and earning a paycheck.

I can make the load boards work because I can focus on making good deals and keep them honest on miles/rates. But you're right. Load boards are a treadmill. The good news is that I use them less and less. Probably less than half of what I did on day 1. I am finally getting enough confidence and reputation to get even more picky about my customers. I have quit loading for several reliable but less profitable ones, and am developing/improving the good ones I like to work with. And I'll still say "no thanks" to my good customers when a load just won't work. Sometimes I think they test me with a bogus load once in a while just to see if I'm reading the rate sheets.

Hustling direct shippers is my next Big Step. It's even in my business plan for right about now, which has played out nearly exactly as predicted a year ago. As stupid as it sounds, I hate sales. I would rather get a root canal than cold call shippers. But I'll do it nonetheless. Following my plan will mean getting out and marketing to local shippers, followed by some specific markets to form efficient routes.

Sorry to hijack the thread with all this, but it's relevant. You can make a bad market work, just not on a single load.

 

assume = ### of you and me

 

Something i learned in the early 70's. Never be afraid to"fire"a customer that doesn't meet your expectations.

 

From 70 to harrisburg is 68.60. Two trucks a day across it. Where are you going in Avondale?

 

yeah.. chicago sucks.. We've been staying away. Just forget about Chi-town for right now and get loads going thru there when you're going on home time. It's been like this for almost a month right now.. makes me sad, but oh well, it will get better soon when the weather gets nicer

 

Ten days parked,dam.I would have taken something just to get out of there and head to where better paying freight is.A pay check is better then no check.

 

Either that or a load of post holes.

 

Sometimes you just have to say WTF and take what you can get.Companies do it all the time to get where it pays better and more freight period.