West Coast Choice Program starting up

Yeah if you can call living on payroll advances for a month with zero settlements making it work. Some my fault, some just bad luck. Had a nice week lined up this week, they called me at 9:30 the morning of the pickup saying they cancelled. It was a 6k lb load that there had been 3 of in SLC. Waited three days watching it, got it at 830 in the morning, had no hours on recap to run that day so stayed over at the truck stop (It didn't start til noon thirty the next day).
Next morning at 930 phone call from CS saying it was cancelled. I was like, why? She said something about them not shipping anything out, that it was a problem in the shipping department.
Really? Loads that there were 3 of, all light, going to Big K in LA? Amazingly all that was left was heavy loads to choose from, I ended up at .80 cents a mile (hauling baled cardboard from a recycle center) to get back to LA to try and make my chip load up in Bakersfield... but by the time I ran to Logan and back, and fought traffic for lord knows how many miles from SLC to Ogden (5 lanes at 5 mph for a BYU/Friday Traffic), I didn't have the hours to make the run.
I really sort of question what happened to those loads.

I did have 3 weeks last month where I actually made money, not great, but it paid part of the bills.
Now I'm going to try a couple of Cali loops, and one back to Portland to see if I can make a decent week of that.

Thats the update folks, trucks running good, getting good economy...
Thanks Sadwar for updating folks, sorry I haven't been on here for a while my laptop was down for a while and I didn't feel like making posts on my tablet for that month or so till I got a new power pack.

 

Well... yes it would be nice to have 20k in the bank. But many people don't. What would be nice would be to have less that 1200$ a week coming out for truck payments, insurance and what not. The discounts at the J/Pilot on the west coast (and even in the other states) make it the only decent choice there, but if you don't get good fuel economy, your putting out as much in fuel as you make.
There is a big learning curve to how to run, I don't know what mistakes I keep making, but I think its because I think WEEKLY. I've seen posts on here before saying to look at it in the big picture. Another is to when I look to close for good paying loads (stretch out the radius a bit). Sadwar clued me in on this. Sometimes you gotta run to get the good loads, although the load board saying a deadhead is 186 miles and when it hits the Qualcomm its now 205 is kinda weird.... I've noticed this on the last few loads, they say one thing then when it comes through they are more miles.
My experience is I started driving in 1998 hauling 11 western for May, for about long enough to get my bonus and get out, as it was 18 cents a mile plus .03 for bonus, and we about starved. Then I hauld wood chips for many years mixed with trying out Boat Hauling, Flatbedding, and Fuel (around 911). I hauled live seafood for a Chinese company on the west coast for about 3 years, then went to Walsh Trucking in Portland hauling wood chips again for a few years.... then went to the fuel company which gave all the winter hours to someones buddy. So I decided to try this after reading the posts on this forum.
Still trying to make it work, keep thinking I have a handle on it, then the week fails miserably. But I still think I'm getting a handle on it. I didn't have to keep running last week, could have took my profits instead of buying fuel to keep running, and a draw to run on, but if this doesn't start working, I may turn it in. My family is having problems with a sick relative, and money is needed, as well as my presence. Trying to keep the dream alive, as I like working with Schneider (they've been great, really) and I like the job.
But I put in a lot of hours and miles, and need to make a living. (one of the previous weeks money went to 600$ worth of Fuel taxes, so thats the explanantion for that week lol).
All the best everyone.

 

Thanks for the advise everyone, I did better this week. i'm resetting and will be off to a start back to LA. I did midwest when I first came out here, hated most of it. I have a feeling this new plan will work.