Picking my own freight baby! My journey to & of being on Schneider choice, the Adventure & Numbers!

There's a big difference between when a broker calls me and I call a broker.

I rarely call on posted loads but when I do I don't ask for huge amount as I know I'm not coming from a position of power.
There have been times I've told brokers what the 15 day average is on this lane according to DAT, what others loads on the lane are posted for and if they will meet me where this lane is at that I'll take the load.
Sometimes an average rate is fine especially if the appointments work great with your schedule.

Calling on loads is a last resort for me.
I make my money when a broker calls me.
When brokers call you they're either cheap freight pushers or are in serious need for service and will pay and do above and beyond to get you to do their load.
You have got to know your sheet at all times when you speak to brokers.
If there's 10 loads posted for each 1 truck posted I make sure the broker knows that when I speak to them.
Also I'm not hauling a load for less than what loads posted with a rate are going for on the same lane.
Example of this was when I was in Dallas and a broker offered me $1600 to go from Dallas to Atlanta.
I told the broker there's 8 loads posted on the same lane with a posted rate between $2700- $3000, with multiple posted for $3000.
Broker then looked it up and said I was right and asked if I'd do their load for $3000. I said if I would why wouldn't have I taken one of the $3000 loads already posted and at that rate those loads aren't even being covered.
Broker said that makes sense and they'll try to get more money out of the shipper for me.
Now is that wrong of me?
Am I trying to rip off the broker? no.
I am working within market conditions and if you call me on a load you better be paying better than what's posted.
Some people might think $2 a mile out of Texas anywhere is great and would have taken that $1600 if they didn't do their homework. That day there was barely any trucks posted and hundreds of loads posted with loads posted with a rate paying well over $3 a mile going in the same direction. Even at $3000 those loads kept getting reposted and not getting covered.
Normally Texas might suck but that day it didn't.
Speaking of bad markets I just left Florida, the worst market in the country and I got over $2 a mile going across the country. That normally might seem impossible but it's not when you're the ONLY available team reefer truck available within 200 miles of a certain area and brokers are calling you needing a team truck.
When they called me I told them when you did your search did you notice how I'm the only team truck posted for today and they said yes... bahhhhahahahahaha I got them now

The problem is many drivers don't want to go the extra mile to do their homework. In part that's a reason they lease onto carriers paying garbage or in broker world haul cheap freight because they don't know any better.

There's a big difference between "ripping a broker off" and getting paid what you're worth.
These brokers want to you haul their loads for as cheap as possible but they understand trucks usually want to earn as much as possible. That's business, not "ripping off" or "one sided" etc.
If there was 1 load left in an area for the day and 30 empty trucks in the area if that loads gets offered way below what it usually pays is that broker trying to rip off the trucks?
It's all business, supply and demand etc etc.

So no I don't always ask for a lot of money. If I'm in a market where nobody called my truck all day and I'm seeing $1 a mile loads fly off the board I know I'm in no position to ask for much.
It all always depends.

 

This one is for you guys not thinking the elog mandate will change anything.

A broker called me a few days ago on a 220 mile load and told me it's a team only load.
I just had to ask how is a 220 mile load a team load?
Answer: "This load must get there and be on time, the shipper does not want to risk any problems with hours of service.. what rate do you need to do this load?"