Any Owner Operators willing to let me pick their brain?

That sounds cheap to me. No wonder the broker is having trouble finding a truck. It wouldn’t surprise me to see that load actually MOVE for $3500

 

That would not surprise me either I suppose.

But it COULD move for 2000.00 with some patience. IMO.

 

I agree, if time isn’t a factor then it could be combined with something else I suppose. But finding enough space on a trailer not being used, on that type of trailer, going that direction could take time.

 

If the broker is contacting truckers to see if they will move the freight, how can they quote a price unless they actually have a trucker willing to accept the rate?

I can easily see a broker quoting $2000, taking a deposit, and then not finding a truck. The person needing a shipping ends up waiting weeks, and then having to start from scratch.

 

Yep. That is when us carrier/O/O's get the, "That is all I have in it", comment.

And then all we can say is, "Yea...sorry about that. Go get more".

 

You can shoot from the hip like I just did based on previous experience. I just happen to know that lane well. There is also some services out there that give average prices that freight has moved for in the last 30 days.

What you explained happens all the time. However I would never give a broker a deposit. Many brokers quote low to win the business and then try to work backwards to turn their lie into a truth. Sometimes they get it done, sometimes not. In your case they may eventually get it done but that may not be what your looking for. I deal in things that have to move now. Therefore prices reflect that.

Edit: In fact I paid 4K on a similar lane yesterday but it was time crucial and had to go no matter what. My trucks weren’t available and I lost $500 on the load through my brokerage. So, brokerages also don’t always make a ton of money like a guy would think. Servicing the customer is number one.

 

So you as a trucker are telling the broker that if he wants you to accept a $2000 load, then he has to find other pieces to add more to your truck to make that price worth it to you? Meaning, if the broker could put three backhoes on at $2000 each, you'd do it, but not one?

So if the rate was $3500, a trucker might be willing to take that load as a single, but at $2000, it would have to be part of a multi-piece move?

 

And I'm guessing too that if the price is high, the broker can expect that someone will snap up the load quickly, whereas a low priced load will have to wait for the right situation where the trucker can either put together a back haul, or put multiples together on the same route?

 

Sketchy. So what if a carrier takes that bait. Loads stop one. Then stop two cancels and it then stop 3 cancels or the canceled stop 2 makes you early for stop 3 and it is not ready.

No room for games out here.

 

I don't know about flats, but that's a $4000 lane for a full dry van loan