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

Law of averages works fine IF you get a real good paying load on one leg...otherwise just hauling cheap.

 

I look things probably from a different perspective. Most of it comes from my background in manufacturing and Industrial Management. Cost vs Buy teaching etc.


As truckers, we provide a service. That service is the relocation of product in a safe and efficient manner that protects the product and gets to it's destination in a timely manner. We price those services accordingly. As the O/O, just like Rollin Coal and CrazyD, I want the most money and the fewest miles possible. Company guys on mileage simply want the most miles.



Now, this is where I differ I think than most.
As a consumer, seeing some of the #### that I see in logistics, it plain pisses me off. WTF is someone paying $4800 to move ONE PALLET of fudge bars from MN to SC for? The same day, $5200 to GA, $4700 to VA and another $5600 to FL for 3 pallets? THERE is a logistics person that deserves to be sent packing on a rail. They are NOT doing their job. Getting product moved at a reasonable cost to where it needs to go. 6 pallets the same day could have been on one truck and paid HALF of what they paid for 4 separate loads.


As an operations management background, Had I seen the above scenario, I'd have been coming down hard on the sales reps for making promises that don't make sense financially. Salesmen do it all the time. At the same time, I'd have been livid with the logistics guy for wasting money and resources (trucks). Transportation of goods is one of the biggest cost line items in a product. Reasonable costs to market have to be minimized, logistics isn't doing there job here.


So from 2 of the 3 views I am seeing it, product store costs are driven so far off the board, that it's pathetic to sit here and look at where my consumer dollars are going.




Is rollin coal wrong in what he's doing where 50% of his miles are empty, but he gets a dedicated truck rate out? It's still a $2.20-2.50 per mile average?

Is CrazyD wrong in taking cheap freight back and he's averaging $2.20-2.50 per mile average?

They are both driving similar total miles.

 

I don't care how many dead head miles I have as long as my all miles stay over $2/mi

 

This all breaks down on the false belief that the small carrier or broker drivers the rates. How do you expect to change market forces when you don't understand what the forces are?

 

What would be best? Dead heading 50% of the time , or 10% of the time. But you still average the same cpm. I would rather dead head less, that way its less wear and tear on equipment. Is there a diffrence?

 

Maybe I missed a post but I didn't see where CrazyD was getting $3.50 to run into GA or even $2.50.

 

Yes there is a difference you need to get dead head miles out your head and look at all miles. What you rather pull 44,000lbs or 4,000lbs?.......
why that 4,000lb load over the other?..........
than why not run empty without any weight for the same money

 

Because he didn't post it.


But CrazyD and I have spoken on the phone several times. I KNOW why he takes $1.30 freight.

 

A smart driver would have booked all 4 loads seperatly, and loaded them all up at the same time, hauled them in his 1 trailer and made the rounds. That is maximizing profit... just saying.

 

Had the driver KNOWN about all 4 loads, hell yeah I would.

Then head home with $1/mile freight the entire way and take the month off.