mileage and price questions

You know that's right. It's how well you manage for the slow times like now. Times when you have 600, 1500 and 1200 mile weeks and how well you negotiate your rates especially when the miles are down. Cash reserve and cash flow can take a quick dive and then when it ramps up you don't have the cash to cover the increasing expenses.

 

Rollin Coal is a businessman, which is what everyone who owns a truck should be (or businesswomen). Unfortunately so many out here are not. I drove 350 miles this week, 72% deadhead, basically 100 loaded miles and I am very happy and would do this every week if I could. I seize opportunities, or try to make them when I see the possibility for one. I offer real customer service, and try to seek out customers that value service over price. You will always lose the pricing game to someone else, unless you're last name is Moyes, Hunt, Werner, Schneider, Fuller, etc.

 

Sometimes I feel as though I am posting in platitudes. It's really nothing of the sort even though it may seem. That just made my day to see that driver say what he said about making the leap to percentage. Granted, what happens is all on that driver's shoulder whether success or failure. Just don't come back on here telling me how it was the worst mistake ever. It's like the endless posts about "look at this cheap rate", "I called this broker and asked why so cheap" so why did you waste time on it? So frustrating to see that sort of stuff, newsflash it's never going to change.. Why does anyone keep doing the same thing over and over if it's not working for them? Why does someone want a dedicated run? Why does everyone want to preplan loads and why do they only want to be solar powered truckers doing easy pick one drop loads? Everybody wants the easy way so how come you expect those loads to be anything other than cheap? What is beer, lumber, and bricks what cities are those loads typically in and how often do you see them brokered by 10 different brokers on the same loadboard? Why would you even waste time calling on that? The broker does not care that you will "make a stand" and maybe "school him in the cost of operating a truck". If you don't realize a one off load of bricks going 600 miles that a broker in the hot seat is willing to pay $3 a mile to move is an anamoly and total waste of time there is no hope. If you are unwilling to do this or do that, or I don't go here, I don't like that city, I wont go there, then you will have to be content with cheap. Freight will always move for the lowest cost possible. Even high dollar freight is sensitive to price and there is a fine line.

 

Definitely. I have a couple customers that I name my own price with. They expect top of the spectrum rates, but they expect me to be reasonable as well.
They most definitely don't ship lumber, beer, sod, or mulch.