Run empty, run cheap or sit the weekend.

Good to see you back around here. Hadn't heard from you in a while and was curious what you're up to. PM me your number again. My dumb behind lost it.

 

If I'm leaving the Midwest for a bad area (N. Dakota, Florida, Texas...) I make sure I get at least $4 mile going in. My business plan is to keep me running at $2 mile for ALL miles. So when I bounce back 1,500 miles empty, I've already planned it and know what I'm going to do. Now if a LTL pops up for a few bucks heading in the direction I'm going, I will grab it. But I will not do a truckload run for LTL rates.

Thats just me

 

How often do 4 bucks a mile loads come along though? Or does it go back to you just have to know where to get good freight from?

 

Depends on who you are, what you do, and how you do it.

 

Wrong, freight market prices are not dictated anything like oil prices. The ONLY reason that there is cheap freight areas is because people will haul it for "fuel money" to get to a better area. If someone cannot afford to wait for a good paying load or bounce they need to rethink what it is their doing. Cheap freight is not worth the financial risk.

 

You must know how much it pays in the destination then add the minus number on the going rate ex.going fl pay $2800 now coming back broker does not pay more than 1600 to 1800 to nj ny so round trip pays you $4400 is it enough for fl round trip hell no so you shoul be taking another $2800 to come back how much you r losing on the return load is $1200 add that on the load going to fl that should be your rate to go the florida 3800$ to 4000 to go to fl and here is the trick when ur down to fl for 3800 do not spend time there look at the board real quick you dont find something start moving alingside i 95 untill nc kenly look for loads in the area it s paying same rate as you loaded from florida 1600 1800$ get your load from that area your total milage will stays same ,your roun trip will get you same amount money with less headache does this tactic works? Most of the times yes because broker is alraedy telling the shipper that business is slow in fl therefore shipper hasto pay more the broker and turning around and trying the cover your truck for cheap rate thats why broker has two separate teams like sales and dispatch

 

Even if the load into the bad area is paying for the trip back, I will never turn down the extra money. Most will say the do. But when it comes down to it they will load and pickup the extra bucks. Get the very most you can out of every mile and smile all the way to the bank

 

Those towns' names spoke for themselves one is Boylston,the other Worcester in regards of weather and reload opportunities last 4th of July. Got stuck in there for 3-4 days, was ready to start a family

 

One example. I took a coil from Indiana to Nevada that paid $5300 left on a friday and delivered on monday 1900 miles. Reloaded at the same place going to Western Wyoming paid $2500 delivered Tuesday 731 miles. Drove up to northern Wyoming 220 miles and loaded bentonite out of a mine going to Granite City, Illinios 1295 miles paying only $1200. Delivered on Thursday and then deadheaded 221 miles back to the house and got home Friday. I know $1200 is nothing but it paid for all of my fuel for the week except like $350. So for a run of 7 days I grossed $9,000 and I brought home $7400. Not to bad for me. 4,340 miles and I net $1.70 per mile on all miles for the week.

Oh and I forgot to put in here that I am leased to a carrier and these figures were after they took their 24%. Now let me throw in that if I wouldn't have found the load paying for my fuel for the week then I would not have been afraid to deadhead from Wyoming all the way back to the house as I don't sit for no reason nor do I work for free. But considering my fuel was paid and I went home with $7400 for a week worth of work I wasn't to sad...

 

easy one to answer for me ! I dont sit weekends and I am not going make some else wealthy by hauling anything for fuel money so i just put it in the wind ! If I am going to go broke it be by sitting or hauling for nothing .