Freight lanes: what's hot and what's not?

You really want the truth....

This is a cut throat business it will chew you up and spit you out and not think twice about it... and if you are lucky and make it past two years everybody and their brother will have their hand out. Just a simple service these days are 300.00... I used to do all that #### myself but you will have no life. You'l be married to that truck. I was running 4 -5k miles a week, left Sunday night's got home Friday afternoon grabbed a shower went out with the wife for a couple hours hung with the boy at the yard while I wrenched most of the day to go home grab a bite to eat grab a shower and on Sunday left by 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
And did it all over again. Take it for what it' worth. This business is ruthless anymore nothing what is was like even 20 years ago... do what you want. But I would I have at least a bare minimum of 10 to 15 grand in the bank at all times.

 

He is right. It is nothing like it was 20 years ago. Today most customers expect you to run legal and actually get more than 4 hours of sleep between miami and Seattle.

However the profit margin isn't what it was 20 years ago. Still very good money to be made, just not as easy to find the good paying freight today.

Edit to add: the reason you shouldn't buy a truck is because you arent ready for it. But you did say a couple years down the road. Use that time to be ready.

 

BobK is spot on-

I finally Slowed my pace down recently- The Wrenching doesn't change too much- I Don't work anywhere Near a 70 anymore- More like 45-50 Hours per week- (plus 6 hours of maintenance a week at most)

But Bobk knows whats going on

Guys near me don't want the Road Because of Losing a life-Don't Blame them.....Slow n Steady instead of Long and Hard-

And Spyder right too- The Monery is Out there- And When you Find that Niche- Its Really Hard to slow your Pace Down- Your Body will tell you when to ease up a bit and Smell the Roses once in a while-

Good Info Guys- Keep it going.

 

I got no reason to lie to a new guy wanting to get into this "game" and that's just what it is anymore.. #### rag heads running around with 3 Drivers in a truck just stopping to grab fuel... they are crapping and pissing through a hole they cut through the floor... those trucks never stop and running freight for dirt.
I' making the same #### money today that I made 30 years ago.. difference is back then I made money. Fuel was cheap rubber was cheap insurance was cheaper... hell man fuel was .79 a gallon
Running a GMC Astro with a 8v92 winded up tighter then a top, got 3.2 miles to the gallon but back then we didn' give a s.h.i.t..... I couldn't make it past the T5 leaving PA..lol then top her off again in Chicago.. miss those days
Ran swinging back then... that company out of Denver (Moffert) those boys ran swinging they were hammer down..
I digress ...lol
Miss the old days when everybody helped one another, it was a brotherhood. Not like today.
Tried giving a young man a suggestion the other day.. he was having one hell of a time trying to back er in a hole... young man told me to mind my own business.
So for now on I'm minding my own business... with that being said I wish ya the best of luck....

Truck On

 

Yea o/o is not that easy nowadays but still better than company driver. Choosing right truck is most important.

 

See those dates on the pallets in the pic below? This time critical freight. Newspaper insert season is here. Don't be a cheap **** selling yourself short for $2 a mile on this kind of freight. Advertisers and merchants have deep pockets and this junk must get into your mailbox ASAP. This stuff will move cheap too. Lots of dummies leave money on the table hauling this freight but I can promise you it doesn't go into my truck for cheap.

 

Hey paper routes, good money for those who want to move.

I've got a driver who is doing that outbound from Wisconsin, he is just going in literally circles and making $3.50 a mile. He lives up there and will do this until January, as he has for the past three years.

 

For sure. OP's wondering what to look for. This is just one of many things throughout the year. Holiday season and newspaper inserts mean money. These are the kind of nuggets he can file away for whenever he finds himself in a situation to take advantage of a similar opportunity. I had only answered 1 previous incoming call out of probably 50 people trying to reach out yesterday on my available truck postings and this was the second and only other call I took. Booked one on that first one too but that ended up cancelling. This was shipper direct and I knew I had to answer it based on caller ID

 

Lil late on this conversation. Rolln coal and the others are absolutely correct. I was 22yr company shmuck lol, always wanted to have my own. Spent 3-4 yrs duing my due diligence. It paid off. Leased on for a year to get bye learning curve, old employer called me back up to haul for them. The endless opportunity had shown its face, i grabbed it. We stay loaded 5 days a week. We have more control over our lives. It is very stressful and thick skin is a neccesity. Educate yourself as much as possible. As experience is earned your business gets better. Remember this!!! Its not how much money you make, its how much you keep. And 50 thousand other anecdotes.