Rates

They were doing good before mid july, then they dropped. Now they are expected to rise as the holidays are around the corner. Main issue for them dropping was the California drought.

 

Hi- I agree with Simranjit as to why the rates dipped in Refer world. You will get paid more in Refer, but there is also a lot more risk, as if the load goes out of temp range you might have just bought the load. So if you do decide to try refer, get a good trailer.

I have a question. I am just starting up in my brokerage business after a fun 4 years as a driver. I have been doing well with van loads and refer loads, and have moved a few flatbed loads. I have acquired a new customer and they quote everything in Loaded ton or in CWT. I have been converting this to a flat rate, based off of 46,000 (They say they load to 48000. As a driver would you rather be quoted a flat rate or a weight based rate?

 

You still a broker?

 

I'm an agent.

 

I'm a load finder for a reefer company and this whole year has been a struggle. They used the goal of $1000 or $2/mi last year as their goal on a daily basis. These drivers very willing and capable of doing over 600 mi/day. It wasn't that hard to accomplish last year. This year it's been the exception, not the rule. Pockets of consistent freight with $1.70+ pretty inconsistent, at least for the eastern half of US where we focus.

 

The drought killed our produce in CA. Even lettuce is a hard commodity these days. And expensive. All that said, it killed the outbound freight from CA, causing more drivers to be in the other states looking for freight, which unsurprisingly brought down the freight prices.

Disclaimer: I'm not an o/o, I just like to track load boards and keep on top of CA (my home) financial news.