Finally got my own truck

I pulled a load from carrier im leased to 1st time in 18months. My carrier has a contract from a shipper pays 3.75 mile after they make chop suey out of the rate i get 1.85 im 70%. My op cost run 1.32. Now brokers book loads from the same shipper for 2 mile so yea their cutting our throats. 1099s, lease purchase drivers driving down rates bigtime. I was a lease purchase yrs ago never realized how much damage i was doing till i bought my own rig. But atleast i bought my own and didnt sign up for another lease. Lease ops re up because they can't afford the buyouts. Rinse and repeat

 

Fuel discounts plus there paid on empty miles . Im leased to a carrier but they allow me to book my own loads free behind the 5th wheel. I get perks on fuel shop time tolls and tires. Im 70% pulling reefer i gotta have 2.75 . I bank $$$ under the mattress. I pulled my 1st load 2 days ago since January 1. Got bored sitting at house came back out. Ready go back home rates are terrible. When brokers brag about how low drivers are taking loads we got a problem. I have an agent in SD still paying 3.25 thats low for him. But good luck finding SD loads on reefer end. Dry loads i find alot of seed going up there but its to heavy im 42k in the box only.

 

Between the poor saps doing the lease purchase racket and said lease purchase folks (and megas)running dry vans everywhere (and running the rates down as a consequence)it’s no wonder the rates are horrendous. Next time you’re at a truck stop or on the road take a look at what the semis are pulling. I guarantee you that most of the trucks are pulling dry vans(say about 50%)with the rest of the trucks pulling reefers,heavy haul or other specialized loads.

 

Company drivers will be frozen out of this exercise. They are never told the rate of the load they are under. I advocated this before, it's time to include them so that they learn everything possible about this industry.

 

What does that add to the bottom feeder line, like an extra $0.10 per running mile?

As you realize now, these megas are banking BIG time on these guys willing to lease on and run loads at $1.30 a mile under their (megas) authority.

 

From what I have seen and heard discussed here by the more rational-seeming posters, rates get horrendous every year at times which generally coincide with produce farms ending their shipping seasons.

Reefers start hauling dry van loads, and that drives down dry van shipping rates.

Supply and demand.

 

Two known exceptions from first hand experience with reefer, and what exceptoms too. The First would be Reefers can sometimes assure a dry atmosphere around products like medicine that must not have any intrusions. And second would contain somewhere in it's operating situation. Second, If you were able to go back to covered wagon an 6 mph oxen days you will find thta you would ship so much freight. Just not the usual

 

Im leased on own my truck and insurance and registration. Im avg 3.58 loaded miles. 2.77 for all miles on the odometer since Aug 2018. My op cost 1.30 . I lower my operating cost month to month by paying my Insurance in full every year. Same with Registration, IRS . It allows me to get thru bad times much easier. I just left the house for the 1st time this yr 4days ago. I got truck payments on a 2016 Glider every month. I hoard cash to get me thru bad times im free behind the 5th wheel and i book and negotiate my own rates . During bad times in my opinion its a smart business move to leach onto a mega . They're not going out of business ride with it keep your head above water. When rates pick up cut ties . There is no loyalty in trucking so move on . Only person cares about you is YOU. People knock me down for running 70% . I book loads to our drop hook accounts keeps me moving. Or i pull a company load to get me in a market because that lane is dried up on DAT. I got options more flexibilty . I take it for 70% all day. I got friends who run under others authority at 70% they live like kings. 70% is a good deal in the right situation. You live within your business model prepare for hard times you do fine.
Would i like my own authority absolutly not. I dont plan on starting my own company. Yea the money maybe alittle better but not by much.

 

Same is true during produce season. Dry vans park . They pick up a reefer. When produce season ends trucks move North increasing competition lowering rates. During produce season truck move south opening up lanes less competition rates go up. Its why i bank everythinv during produce season trends tell me the cycle is gonna repeat so prepare for it. Last yr i worked 7 month . When a storm hit in my area i would do a hit and run be back at the house next day . Its hard to turn down a load locally that pays 1000.00 on 200mi . I take it go back home troll the load board for another deal . If nothing i stay home

 

Leave us company drivers out of it.
We don't care what the load pays.
We don't care what the price of fuel is either.
We get paid every week no matter what.

We know just as much as anybody else about
The industry, to know we want no part of owning
A truck.

Personally, I don't know one person who bought
A truck and made it.
I've seen many of them try.
Kudos to those who can make it work.

Whole lot easier to drop the truck off at the
Shop and go home.
Call me when it done.