Running short loads

The guy I work with out in the Carolinas charges me a flat rate based on time spent per load. We figure a half day per job, and he sets his rate on that. If it's going to be further out, we have kind of standardized on what for what. Works for both of us, and my customer.

 

Usually we stack one or two runs together on a day. Sometimes three. We still charge the same rate based on that. He also has some other local work through different folks. So if he were to charge me $500 for load one and another $500 for load two, he's set for the day. Or he'll do a load for me, and a load for someone else. Tomorrow he's picking up a job going out a couple hundred miles for me, and he's charging me basically his full day rate. It all just depends, really. He's got enough repeat business that he stays pretty squared away.

 

Stacking and running short loads takes a lot of work in planning and negotiating.

 

Are you in the Carolina’s ?

 

I'm not, but I have customers all across the country. One of my better ones is out of SC.

 

I’m in SC about 30 minutes south of Rock Hill

 

That's how I run. I get $400-$700 almost every day, for less than 250 miles from home.

Broker yesterday sent me an email about a local shipment 100 miles paying $400. I know the shipper and they were paying the broker $750. Broker trying to profit $350. I told the shipper about it.

 

I have been running local lately and has been working out decently. I have a few brokers that I work with regularly after establishing relationships and will try to fill in some runs via the load board. The tricky part is finding loads where everyone is on the ball and doesn't hold you up. There have been days where I have completed 3 loads in a day when all goes well. There are the rare times where I get screwed because a shipper will hold you up for 6 hours and this plan does not work out well. I typically am booking day of though and look for runs that are straight through deliveries.