Driving to Alaska

What about a van or reefer? This guy didn't even say what he was pulling in the OP.

 

It's not so much the challenge or the hurdles of going up there. They can be overcome with some foresight and planning, even on the fly.

The issue is the rate but there are heroes on social media asking what the problem is with $4 a mile on a 4,000 mile winter time trip up to Alaska?....

The problem is it's nowhere near enough to cover the EXTRA EXPENSES involved nor the large block of productive TIME CONSUMED that would likely be more profitable this time of year under less hazardous conditions without ever venturing into Canada and Alaska.

It's akin to saying $4 a mile on a 100 mile load is awesome because well, it's $4 a mile isn't it!? I agree $4 a mile sounds great on 4,000 miles but it really ain't going to be jack squat after losing all the time, covering expenses, risks etc.

These "rate per mile masters (disasters most of them)" falling for the oldest wiley coyote broker tricks in the book "$4 per mile awesome let's do it!!!"...

 

Perhaps so, but the mindset was different back then too I think. Don't know if it was more respect for each other or what. This would have been around 1974, race riots were common in the Gary, IN area then and other cities in the earlier years.

 

I just assume that's the next move since it's the closest major US market. I don't know why the rates are bad coming out of there. There's lots of freight that comes out of the Puget Sound region compared to Florida. I guess more trucks bring stuff up there than there is coming out. Only explanation.

 

That would get into the iffey area in my book. In winter, as I understand it, a round trip from OKC to Prudhoe Bay you are looking at a month, even as a team (and who's sleeping well in the sleeper berth over those roads?).

In summer the roads may be good, but backhauls are the issue. I need to think about this. I would like to take a run or two to Alaska, but it needs to be a smart decision, when my truck is ready and I have money set aside for expenses.

 

I will add that I look to average $20K to the truck revenue for a month. A single load with a team takes two drivers to average way less than that. The rate should be in the neighborhood of $35K to even begin thinking about it as a smart business decision.

 

Not sure what you are basing your numbers on. This is based on running from WA to AK.
On average it takes me 10 days for a round and that includes wasting most of the first day with getting loaded, another day spent on delivering and reloading and a 36hr reset in Alaska. Day one is right around 300mls, day two is 700+ and day three is about 800 to 850mls and on the fourth day it's a comfortable 500 to 600mls.

My fuel cost are under $3,000.00 per trip and that is with getting less than 5mpg right now. I loose about a mile per gallon in the winter. The road is not built for fuel economy 90+% are two lane highways that are chip seal and have lots of corners and grades. There is no steady driving and you are constantly on the throttle and off the throttle. Depending which route you pick you will see up to 12% grades. The rates don't change in the winter either since that is the best time to drive up there. No bugs and tourists to deal with.

 

He was looking at Oklahoma City to Prudhoe Bay for $25,000. Okay maybe 3 weeks if everything went great.

 

With a reefer, i always got seafood out of Seattle. Didn't pay the best, but certainly wasnt the worse. But it took quite a while to get the contacts for those loads. For vans. Forget it. I cut holes for vents in mine for a crap load of trees going to the northeast for a whopping 1.65 ish a mile. Sucked but it was that or paper rolls for a buck thirty. Keep in mind this was a long time ago.(almost two decades) I was a lot younger and didn't know Jack about how to get a good rate.

Edit to add: today, if i was to run up to ak, and didn't have something coming back, id make a couple phone calls for a tractor or backhoe off the port. And a phone call for something out of Yakima or silverdale, and if those options came up duds in headed to Minnesota.

 

25K too cheap to Prudhoe Bay?

4100 miles one way, 5 miles to gallon 6 dollars per gallon comes out to 820 gallons burnt and about 5000 dollars worth at 6.00 a gallon. Round trip is 10,000 dollars in fuel. Leaving 15,000 call it .80 payroll to the truck gross pay to two drivers at .40 cents each comes out to right around 6600 dollars leaving you with $8400 net minus AK Tags and permits etc.

That is leaving straight to PB from OK loaded one way and getting out of there empty regardless of a backhaul until somewhere in the Lower 48.

Is 8400 profit on one truck with a 4 week time period consumed enough? You will probably see that team cross Antigun Pass north of Fairbanks which is a monster.

Would you commit one truck and a team to PB from OK city for 35,000 dollars? Im just curious. What will create a nice profit incentive to get to AK?

Early in this thread I thought 10K to AK was good, but upon further thought 25K might be a little cheap based on how much in expenses that it will take in both time and fuel etc.