Why oh why are you drivers taking this cheap freight????

I used to haul livestock. mostly hogs, and only 100-200 miles at a time. the rates to the truck were very good, but those trailers are not cheap ! And you also generally have to clean and disinfect them between every load, or have it done which is also not cheap, or fun ! I was going to mention that, and also hauling sand and gravel to concrete plants during busy times as common ways people make $4+ mile short mile pay.

other guys I know doing short mileage, high $$$/mile stuff is milk delivies. The milk company I am familiar with is very picky, but they have O/O's who are paid well per mile and per stop. hard gig to get, hard gig to keep ! also, I know a few guys that deliver steel siding with conestoga trailers. multi stop stuff, high $$$/mile plus $$/stop. There's also all kinds of seasonal stuff, in my area usually grain hauling is terrible, but sometimes in fall they pay pretty darn good rates to get all that grain moved around and make room in the elevator's for the beans and corn coming in, etc... or even some of the farmer's shell out pretty good dough for an extra truck or two to haul from the fields to the elevator's. Also, know a guy who has a custom built trailer. It's like a 20ft. trailer with a V-shape. He hauls big coils straight from a port to two or three factories withing a few blocks. I have no idea if he charges hourly or how he does it, but I'd bet his $$/mile is out of sight !! There's all kinds of trucking out there, while I can't do it all, I think it's a good idea to keep in touch with a variety of people doing different things. Just out of curiosity really, but also if opportunities become available, I want to know about it.

 

I'll sell you mine, I'm thinking I'll just go sleep on the beach and fish all day.

 

I was independent O/O for 5 years, running from Carolinas to Oregon/Washington and then back to East Coast. On those trips I made money. However when I end up in NJ/NY, or Florida I just wanted to go home after two weeks on the road. And from those locations is almost impossible to get any freight for more then 1$/mile. From FL couple of times I was hauling sugar for the coast of fuel. What else I could do? DH home?

I would not accept cheap freight going to NW, or coming back East (and on those traffic lanes some brokers offered freight for less then 1$/mile too), but I would take it on my way home. What else could I do? Sit in my trucks for several days just 10 hrs from my home, hoping, that I will find load paying 100 dollars more? It would cost me more to eat in truckstop and idle the engine. Taking any freight in those circumstances was the only way to go for me. Of course I still was looking for a best deal, but by the end of the day I was much "softer" and willing to accept anything which would bring me home.

However I understand your frustration. I was frustrated too. I couldn't understand how people could accept loads from coast to coast for 2500 - and I'm not talking about back-hauling reefers. I was O/O for 25 years. 20 years as a lease operator, for five - independent. I was making money, buying new truck every 4 years, except the last one, which I kept 6 years - but I am very happy now, working as a company driver. I may make little less money, but I sleep in my own bed, zero stress, 401K, health insurance, and I don't care about cheap freight, or cost of fuel. Two of my happiest days as a trucker were when I bought my first truck - K100 Aerodyne and when I sold my last one, a beautiful VN 780.

 

20 years and you never figured out how to price a rate into Florida? You say you never hauled cheap after saying you hauled a cheap load into Florida then accepted fuel money home cause "what was i gonna do just deadhead home???" Seriously??? Maybe that rate you got to FL was good for someone with connections out of there but for most it was cheap, you knew this and took it? If you're too bashful to ask for a round trip rate to a poor market and can't say no to a bad deal.... what more can be said..?? 20 years??

 

Excuse me, but when and where did I say I was taking cheap freight to Florida? Did I miss something?

The only times when I was accepting freight to FL was when I could get enough money to go even empty home. Anything above that was a bonus. Only in watermelon season I could accept little less, but in those weeks I could make profit going both ways.

 

I'm not an O/O but sometimes don't you have to accept cheap freight to get you where better freight is?

 

It's called the law of averages. So long as at the end of a time period you have your "running average per mile" all is good.

You can get a load that pays $5.70 a mile and goes 50 miles, doesn't mean much. That same load at 130 miles has a bit more meaning.


Helps you out when you have a load that pays $1.80/mile over 1300 miles.


It would let you take a cheaper load or else bounce a ways to get pick up a good load.

 

I agree with MNdriver, but I will not pull a load to just pay for fuel, if there is no profit in it then I go out empty to get to better paying freight.

 

Your words.. From Florida a couple of times you said you took fuel money loads home asking what else you were going to do? So you really didn't get enough rate to deadhead home right?? Working for fuel money is a bonus... something like that. Total waste of time is what it really is

 

Unless you do 3-4 a day....... But even short haul rates are in a freefall .

So when your " repositioning " when do you say no .80 cents, .70 cents ? You have to go anyway. And if you take a load for half the fuel cost your ahead of the game....... I think not.


But I have a bad attitude , or so some say ha ha!


PS. Rolex 24 start of the new racing season nice!!!