Why can't I find Flatbed drivers to haul my loads?

To the original poster ; Buy your own trucks and then you could cover all the loads offered at those rates.

For a while anyways.

Then you would really be broke(r).

 

In order to get to know the lumber or flat bed business, you need to put your self in the trucker shoes frist.
How much fuel will he use in a trip back and forth from your yard, insurance, reg, licences cost, time spent trapping and untarpping, tickets if over weight, cost of permits forover weight loads, cost of a flat tire if on occurs going to and from the yard, waiting time to be on and off loaded, meals, traffic delays, road closers and detour, truck payments and trailer payments, parts and maintenance and break downs and many other factors.

So yes there is lot of things that could go wrong but with many costs at stake.

If a trucker can not make a profit, then he will not be trucking very long.

 

I just fell out my chair laughing I get $1,000-$1,200 from pine Bluff,AR to Baton Rouge all the time and not 48,k tarp loads!!!!

 

Yeah, I routinely have to deal with lumber and flatbed. Everything said here is true, lumber is cheap. I don't know why, but apparently because it grows on (is) trees, they figure everything can be cheap. You know they're not selling it that cheap! And as for tarps, the trees got wet in the forest and they were fine! Plus they're dead now.

 

Honestly that is the oldest trick in the book. Those "covered" loads may well have never existed.

 

You don't set the rates per-se but you do bid on the customers load,,yes? If your bid wins then you did set the rate for that load and it is because you were willing to move it for x amount that you got it. Now, if all brokers had the O/O mentality, you would never bid at such a low rate. Every O/O's fixed/variable expenses are different and it is that reason that I personally will not haul 48,000lbs of anything for under $2 pm If it is easy (strap/chain and go) then $2 pm minimum.... add tarps and it's $2.25 minimum. Lumber just sucks because the broker wants it hauled for less then $2 pm most of the time and tarped. I have moved lumber for $2.07 pm and not tarped....but in general it is too heavy and too cheap and I just don't haul it unless I am in a bind, and it pays worth moving.

O/O's have a budget too,,, Shippers/Manufacturer's will not make money on their product if it is not moved so,, they may have a budget but believe me, if they don't move that product, they go out of business.

 

Not necessarily. A lot of loads shipped the broker and or carrier doesn't bid on. The shipper faxes a list of loads to several different brokers and carriers with a set price. First one to call with a truck for that price gets the load.

 

I've been hauling lumber for better than 5 years now for an oo that's been doing it for almost 30 years, and has built a very respectable business. We haul green lumber, which also means we don't tarp anything...EVER. Most of the guys in this area that haul kiln-dried use curtain sides. Some of the places I haul into, I drive to the other side of the yard andload my backhaul, others I may deadhead 10 to 20 miles for a backhaul. We work Mon. - Fri. and avg. 1750 miles/week. The truck makes $3800 to $4000/week, and I get 2?%. I'm being a little vague here to avoid the possibility of foul play cuz everybody would want my job. Short answer: Lumber doesn't suck, wood is good!

 

Running lumber and dry wall is all I know.. Probally will be that way for the rest of my trucking career.. There are guys out there that will pull it, but yeah.. It's a luxury to get loaded on the fly and boogie .. .

 

$3 on the short haul with having to tarp and grossing 80k is honestly not worth the time or effort. If people wanted to do that they would stay leased to the mega fleets as L/P.