People must be desperate

how you make sure you stay at a good price and you don't go under it you just add up days time and fuel how would you do that

 

ghostrider-you must have read my last tread. what would you charge for this load from salem to Orlando. this trip I do 3 times month in season. reason I ask because I am in a strange arrangement with this family. I own rig and boats. and work for a weeks pay. other side owns prop, and building. reading what my brothers say about hauling and crap for pay I will sever the trucking side from the shipping and selling side. as I think of it 1200 bills a week is "do do" when I figure the three basics- fuel-wear and tare-my pay. I think I am getting "stiffed" what do you think?

 

if you need someone to tell you if you are getting stiffed or not, ya might wanna consider investing in a bit of an education. a single business administration class at your local community college would serve your long term interest much much better than anything someone says here.

 

Seems to me that there is always a guy in one place looking to get to another place to get a good paying load.

 

Exactly. I haul out of the northeast for $2/mi for reefer loads. I've taken a $2.05/mi load from NJ to Louisiana. I've gone $1.70/mi from MA to TX. I usually go $2 or better/mi from MA to western PA or OH. I hear drivers taking $800 from NJ to Chicago, and I'm like, WHY? I go from DE to Pittsburgh for $800. If you're going to run to Chicago for $800, run it short and deadhead the rest of the way. At least you get better fuel mileage. Less stress on the vehicle.

And, that's on top of getting $3-$3.50/mi from OH to MA regularly for a one-day load ($2000 average). If I can do $3k in two-and-a-half days for about 1200 miles. I see no reason accept cheap freight. There is no 'next great load'. If it's so great, deadhead there to pick it up. Otherwise, it's not that great if you haul cheap to get there.

 

wouldn't hauling cheap to get there be better then deadheading????

understanding the philosophy of better fuel mileage and wear and tear. something to pay for the fuel is better then fuel coming out of your own pocket.

goes with the philosophy of some of you would rather go home for free the take something cheap.

your not going home for free. your paying for the fuel. at least the cheap frieght would pay for your fuel.

the whole business idea is making money. whatever you can make. paying for the fuel to get somewhere is going opposite of making money to get somewhere.

 

No..... deadheading cheap is shortsighted and causes you to underprice yourself on EVERY load. You won't really see and comprehend that until you start demanding and commanding better rates on all freight. I routinely pass up on what brokers refer to as "connector" loads (read that "cheap"), choosing instead to deadhead, to get to better paying freight. But, the load I just finished up paid well enough to cover about 150-200 miles deadhead on the next one or I don't book it. When you fall into the trap of taking cheap loads to connect, well, you have already been underpricing yourself on your "good" loads. Sometimes, even though the load I just finished doesn't cover 300-400 miles of deadhead, I will deadhead that far to a good load anyways, because I have "banked" enough good paying freight, with a little less deadhead than normal, that I have paid for that extra deadhead already when looking at the BIG picture of a month's prior loads..


..if I didn't keep a ledger and keep very close track of exactly what I made on every single load, exactly how many loaded miles and deadhead miles I had in every one - I would not even realize I had "banked enough" to cover some "excessive" deadhead on an occasion when I needed to... ... I'd be looking for the first "fuel money" load at every chance - and I never do that, it will always be a last resort.. You can do better if you look farther out than 100 miles... I would rather deadhead 200 miles for a $400 load that went another 200 miles down the road than to take the first $400 load that was a mile up the street and delivered 399 miles away... Use that noggin for something besides a hat rack driver....


I'll put it to you this way. Driver A averages $2.25 a mile on 5,000 miles in April - 3500 of those load miles, the rest, 1,500 miles were deadhead. Driver B ran some fuel money loads and kept his deadhead low. He turned 4,200 miles loaded and only 800 deadhead. Both had an overall average that was the same but Driver B put more wear and tear on his equipment. He also ran cheaper freight than Driver A because he chose to run the easy way and sold himself short on some freight that he likely could have gotten better rates on.... Do not sell yourself short.....

 

answerd my guestion. that's all wanted to know thanks. things will chande this morning

 

spyder-truck in shop so I have time to get in trouble. As read above I ship my on product. I went to dock today to go out with one of my sons. My boy turns and says 'Dad here comes Ma. Now what. Gave me an a-- chewing. What did you start. Your 2 aunts and uncle want to know what more do you want? We need them as well as they need us.! I know trucking our own made this this company grow big.But they put long hours getting these accounts. Do you realize they pay for fuel ,maint. permits.tolls,eat expence! Your like a company driver that owns his rig. The truck in the shop will be ready thurs. Two front bearings, spring shackle, turbo and injectors, and they pay for it". Even your glider kit they did not say no. And don't forget the 25 cents per pound bonus we get every Jan 2 for every pound shipped south. You have become a 61 year old spoil brat". You time doing all the books for the boys, but the family does the book work for thrcking because if your not on the road your in the Crows Nest "WOW shes right. I was aroused. Spyder with that said I think I grew up again. We have a trucker move in two st. over and my wife talked the new wife. Says husband cant sleep trying to find weight to pull nothing worth hauling. worried about bill and putting food on table. So, I will come back to earth and shut my mouth. MikeZ
'

 

Also remember, Brokers and others look into us as much as we look into them. If you have been KNOWN to take a load cheap before, they know you will do it again. We keep records of them, they put us in a computer everytime. Remember that next time you try to raise your rate on a broker you hauled for CHEAP last time. It becomes a hole that is hard to get out of. Main reason why some have NEVER seen loads that pay over $3 and $4 p/m. Well, your reputation also comes in but thats another thread in itself. NEVER sell yourself cheap. And Rollin Coal...Amen brother on both of those posts. Be safe out there drivers.