How to find backhauls?

You think when a broker ask for your mc# it doesn't pull up your info.That he sees you're going back home.

 

Exactly. This is how you will make money running brokered loads.

Waiting until you drop to find your next load is time consuming. The early bird gets the worm.

Hurst

 

What I've seen booking out a couple days is brokers will say they have a few days to get a better(cheaper) rate.
So you either take less money or you wait and hope no one else is desperate to take the cheap price.

 

True to a degree. But I can understand where he's coming from. When I first started, I never booked any of my own loads. I let my carrier handle it all.

When slow times came and my gross started coming down, I got upset and asked for access to the boards. Not knowing the lanes, or the market or even how to handle broker tactics,.. it can seem daunting at first. You see all these loads,.. some with all the information you need,.. others with just A to B basics, forcing you to call to find out if its something you want to do or not.

You read posts here on the TTR about guys handling brokers and getting what they want all the time. Its just not that simple or cut and dry dealing with brokers. Some of these places have what sound like teenagers answering the phone,. or 3 pak a day Mary who just woke up with a hang over and cant even tell you if they can meet your rate or not. Brokers who say they will call you back,.. never do. You learn to keep calling and keep looking until you get what you want.

Over time you learn which brokers to not even bother calling on because all they have are double brokered 3rd class loads, then many like TQL post the same load calling it from 5 different cities often 100 miles apart making it look like multiple loads. Its a mess you have to learn to read between the lines and then when dealing with brokers and rates,.. you have to pick and choose your own battles. Sit and refuse to run cheap, based on pride and principle,.. or take the cheap load to get into a better lane and keep rolling.

These are things that will make or break you in this business. Not everyone is from or in an area where making direct freight contacts works. I've make cold calls,.. hand out business cards,. make offers,.. and often the shippers are as cheap and crooked as the brokers. So as much as I would love to have my own little secret direct freight,.. it just hasnt panned out for me yet.

The bottom line for me is knowing what I need to make in order to stay profitable and on top of things. I'm out here to make money. Not break even or barely net enough to say I make a little more than a company driver. You have to stick to your guns out here and make it work. Other wise you will not survive.

Hurst

 

Not sure I understand what your saying?

When I say I'm booking loads 2 - 3 days out,.. I mean I have confirmations signed with my own TONU signed back. There is no backing out from either of us with out it costing money.

Hurst

 

Not for me he doesnt. I'm from Florida. My carrier is based out of Chicago.

Hurst

 

My experience has been advanced booking has been for lower rates because they have time to shop it.
as an example load moving today or in the AM pays 500 dollars on average they try and move it for 400 dollars due to extra days to find a carrier.

 

Not trying to be a smart a55 here,.. but whether the load I took could have been gotten for more later,.. or for the same is irrelevant to me. I took it for a rate that was profitable for me. I agreed to the rate and thats that. I cant second guess and assume that I should have waited and risk losing the load that I WANTED because I felt letting the broker sit on it might make him raise the rate.

When I am sitting in a dead area,.. I have played that game and come out on both ends of the stick. You win some, you lose some. But when I am pre-booking,.. that means I saw the rate I wanted and I took it. Win win for me.

Also,.. I call on loads that are posted for pick up on any given day,.. not always days out ahead. LIke today being the 15th,.. I'll call and ask if the load can be picked up on Monday the 18th? Its a simple yes or no answer. You wont know unless you ask.

That and I have gotten to a point now that I have a few brokers calling me to find out where I am and because they have a load (Usually heavy equipment) that they need moved cheaper than what an RGN charges,.. but paying more than regular SDL rates. Win win for me when I am close enough to do it.

Hurst

 

You always seem to think someone wants to infer some thing other than facts. You can haul for free as far as I care. My whole point is from my personal experience and makes no judgement of how much your loads pay.
Is that when there is an available window for pick up the broker will make use of it to cut a bigger percentage off the rate. I'm only able to work two or three days a week now, where you can stay gone weeks on end.
I have to maximize the money I make into two or three days.

 

Everything I stated is factual.

Sorry you cant get the rates your want. Perhaps if you stepped up to a class 8 truck and trailer you might find better rates than trying to haul partials/HS loads.

You have to do what works for you or step out and give it up. Dont know what else to tell ya.

Everything I have read from you is pretty much one negative complaint after another. Sorry your business model isnt working out the way you want. Truth is,.. I dont care. I do what works for me. I work hard and this is what I do full time. This is my bread and butter. I will continue to adapt and learn how make it better for me. I dont make excuses for what doesnt work for me. I find a way to make myself better and get the job done.

Hurst