Texas Mercer drivers

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by texasmorrell, Aug 28, 2016.

  1. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

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    Mar 31, 2013
    sarasota, fl
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    Simply put. I put in the time and effort to learn how to use every trick and nuance of our system to my advantage.

    I won't draw a road map here on the internet for how to do this, then everyone would be doing things this way and I'd only be left with heavy and cheap loads. It's bad enough i gotta miss out on loads that skate and cj snag up on me. But everything i do is legit. No secret society cool kids club tricks. Time and effort and a great deal of trial and error.

    Also keep in mind we are talking about mass and ct, not great markets but not the middle of colorado either. In Colorado, there isn't two good loads a year. I dh the thousand miles to st louis. Sounds extreme but i only go there with a high enough rate that i could. If it doesn't pay good enough to drop 300 in fuel and a day spent running back east then i don't go.
     
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  3. zinita17601

    zinita17601 Road Train Member

    1,273
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    Aug 19, 2010
    lancaster pa
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    I respect ur intelect,in my five months with mercer i grossed over 90k and iwas home weekly.what you do is no secret to me,keep ur eyes on the load board and match urself to loads in areas like ct and ma ahead of time,also make sure the rate going in justifies a 300mile or more deadhead,however i dont find that doable for a guy who lives in a bad spot and got to be home every weekend and average what you guys claim to average.
     
  4. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

    15,442
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    Mar 31, 2013
    sarasota, fl
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    Well i do it in Florida. Other than the middle of Montana it doesn't get any worse. However I'm also flexible, if the good freight dries up here I will load or to a good spot and work or for a couple weeks. I love being home, but i like eating, so if that means missing a weekend, im gonna stay gone 2 weeks.

    If a guy HAS to be home EVERY weekend, then he really shouldn't be trying to run with an irregular route otr carrier. That isn't specific to mercer, that's with any otr carrier. Landstar, admiral, mercer, any of them.
     
    zinita17601 Thanks this.
  5. Gentlemanfarmer

    Gentlemanfarmer Medium Load Member

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    Feb 26, 2010
    Greenville, FL
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    One of the problems you are encountering is timing. We are in a holiday weekend, with most businesses closing early on Friday and not opening again until Tuesday. My coordinator sent me west and away from the east coast because loads were few and far between. I am taking the Labor Day weekend in Fargo, ND, but hope that freight picks up on Tuesday. Have seen several loads going to Texas last Thursday and Friday, but they were taken quickly.
     
  6. Alan Brechbiel

    Alan Brechbiel Bobtail Member

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    Jul 22, 2015
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    ########!. Make sure you get paid well into Texas. Take whatever you can get leaving. Never go to Texas without tarps or pipe-stakes. And, have flex -pipe ore carpeting to pad your pipe stakes. The last time I went to Houston I got loaded 6 miles from The Flying-J. A load of galvanized Cat-walks. Full tarps required. Going to A Texas Border town Near the OK line. Then I caught a east bound from OK-City to TN.
     
  7. spyder7723

    spyder7723 Road Train Member

    15,442
    24,743
    Mar 31, 2013
    sarasota, fl
    0
    It's not that bad. Just don't be so picky you end up sitting. And for gods sake don't wait till you are empty and fighting 50 trucks for the left over scraps.
    And always have a plan b. When i go to Texas i usually get out for decent money. Not great money, but decent. I get great money going in so decent coming out makes for a good average on the round trip. But sometimes i roll snake eyes so i go straight to plan b. I don't sit there and hope a good load will post tomorrow.
    Having your back up plan and being able to quickly make the decision to cut your losses and go to that plan b means when things don't work out you end up with a so so week vs a total loss of a week. It's a marathon folks not a sprint. And turning that bad into "well this isn't great but it will do" adds up to tens of thousands of net dollars.
     
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