Finally got my own truck

There she stood in the doorway
I heard the mission bell
I was thinkin to myself
This could be Heaven or this could be Hell...

First time to CA in years. Maybe 12 years I think.

I posted my truck there on Monday afternoon and the phone didn't stop ringing until I took it down Thursday. I never updated the post so I knew they knew they were calling on a 50+ hour old posting.

Every broker I talked to I asked about a backhaul and nobody had ####. Landstar tried to con me into going to MI for $4000 but had a backhaul for $3500. Can't do $7500 on a round trip for a team on 4600 miles. Sorry.

Ended up being begged to go load in Vegas 197 miles away for a 9pm FedEx run to Memphis. Won't say how much I got, but it was significantly more than "I usually have a guy who runs this for $2900" lololol. We got that off the truck this morning.

It's funny how brokers are so eager to make relationships if you just help them out this one time. It's getting easier to being able to politely turn them down on that particular load because "perhaps the customer just wasn't willing to pay for team service this time around" and make them feel good about it because you have a legit reason. But welcome to call him back anytime. Instead being rude and arrogant about their joke of an offer when many times their hands are tied.

The secret is to know when their hands AREN'T tied. That's the secret. You gotta be able to tell quickly what their situation is and what flexibility they have. The commodity of the freight is a giveaway and the brokerage itself as well.

TQL called me like 8 times Friday trying to get me to go all the way into LA to take this load to Nashville. This agent was one of those Indians and I couldn't understand him all that well. But he kept asking if I was ready to book. No, I wasn't. He'd keep calling back. I wanted a backhaul but I knew the chances of a backhaul holding up and not being cancelled on me were slim to none. So I stuck my ground at $6k. They were at $5k. He called back and said he got more from the customer and could do $5400. I was on the cusp but decided against it. Turned out I made a good decision to not take it.

I heard desperation in a lot of brokers' voices in CA on Friday. Been a while since I've heard that. It's a good sound. No offense to any of them personally. But you got to understand that there's nothing coming back. Gotta get money coming out. And if they wanted your truck there bad enough, they could find you freight to get back there. I was willing to make a deal. Round trip back and forth. I don't have to charge so much coming out if you have a fair price on a load coming in. But nobody had anything, or they wanted to pay solo rates.


I'm so tired of some of these nasty truck stops. The conditions and standards just keep getting lower and lower every year. I watched a driver come out of the stall from taking a #### and not wash his hands and then walk directly over to Chester's Fried Chicken. So he can #### it out all over his hands again and go do it all over again I suppose.

Stopped at TA Amarillo yesterday evening for fuel, shower and switching out.

Lady at the fuel desk "I been workin' here for 21 years! I can swear at the customers if I want!"

Fuel at that TA was $3.28? I got my NASTC card in when I was home. My price was $2.855. Paid $2.955 Wednesday morning. Saved a lot of money with this new fuel club. I had to pass a credit check to get in. And pay the $300 fee. That will pay for itself.

Guy I know from a friend of mine, was on a 4 way conference call with people I used to work with, asked me about owner op-ing. Says he got qualified for a truck. Asked him what he's doing now and what he's making.

Mofo is pulling a food grade tanker and makes $1950 last week with benefits. And goes home on a reasonable basis. Told that guy he'd be nuts to quit that job and go buy a truck. And then I told him why. I don't have to explain that here. You all know.

But then again we are nuts for doing it and you have to have a couple screws loose to keep at it out here. Especially the way it is right now.

I #### near came close to selling my truck and trailer and going back to switching trailers. But then I'd lose all respect for myself.

I feel being able to go into CA opens up a lot of options. Whether team or solo. But especially team. I feel like I can do a lot better now but right now it's just so #### cheap going west.

I remember getting calls all the time "Do you ever go out to CA?" No sorry but thanks for the offer. And now that I will go there, nothing is shipping there. It's like the Universe playing a cruel trick on me. But I'm used to that.

But this tariff thing needs to get sorted out and people need to stop buying trucks as if they think they're gonna get rich at it.

Daylight savings time ended. This is about the time I want to go hibernate until mid April or so.

I hate winter. Even being a Michigander I hate it. Rob loves it though. He talks a about cross country skiing through the woods in the middle of the night so he can be a part of nature. About made me want to vomit up the poor excuse of a meal we just ate at the Iron Skillet here in W. Memphis.

Sorry for the lean update. I just don't want to talk about rates and stuff like that on here no more. Giving away too many secrets. And yeah being out here getting closer to 2 years now, I'm still a noob compared to many.

Hope freight picks up soon. Goodnight.