Brokers need to be taught a lesson

Thanks for all the comments. After reading it all, some blame the broker and some blame the trucker for hauling for cheap. I agree that there is a lot of truckers that do not have a clue of what it costs to do this and they are the ones hauling for cheap and ruining it for everyone. Flatbed freight used to be some of the best paying freight but now there are so many flatbeds out there that the rates have declined about to the level of dry vans. The brokers are taking advantage of the inexperienced truckers that don't have a clue to what it cost them to operate their rigs per mile. I am not suffering with my operation but I can see where this is going. I see trucks all the time while out on the road at shippers,receivers, & truck stops that are in very poor shape. These are the guys hauling for cheap. They don't care what their trucks look like or what kind of condition they are in, if they run they will drive them. I guess that it just bothers me knowing that there is no way you can stay in business hauling for less than $2 a mile and still make a profit after all the cost involved. Trucks do wear out and have to be replaced at some point in time. I'm not driving a truck just because it is something that I like to do I'm in it for the profit. I will keep doing my thing, not haul for cheap. I can sit out for a good while waiting to find a good paying load. I have a good refrigerator, a 1 burner stove, know how to cook and have the internet to waste plenty of time with.

 

Good advice

 

Always a good idea to keep specifics to yourself - exact pickup city and delivery - in fact if I were you I would use the edit feature to erase that info out. After all, we are your competition and do you realize how many eyeballs read what is posted here? Some people couldn't find a rate if it slapped them upside the head. The last thing you need is a bunch of dummies coming in your lanes hauling for half rates making it much harder for you to find decent freight with a profitable rate.

 

I still really don't get this $2/mi thing that worked ten years ago but it don't today.....

 

I liked being home on weekends and they knew,I believed they had me profiled.

 

Post #43 by MrBeast opened my eyes a lot! I thank you sir and thank the rest of you for an open and enlightening conversation. Ok, that sounded stupid,,,thanks for the edgamacation.....roger

 

Im a single truck operation and I'm quite profitable. There is so much high MPG tech available now days that many older drivers don't use. If you can lower your expense by lowering fuel cost, you can maintain the same profit with lower prices. Also things like bypass filtration will help lower maintenance cost and keep you overall cost lower.

 

So lets say your gonna deadhead 200 miles. to better freght. Why dont i pick up a short 200 mile local run to pay for my fuel and pick up the same load you do?

 

Your math is seriously flawed.

First, my truck gets at least 6 mpg loaded depending on weight and terrain. It rarely gets over 8.5 empty. The difference isn't nearly as much as you think. Bob tail i might get 10, but not with an empty trailer. You math starts to be wrong right there with your wild assumptions.
Now, why would i take a 800 mile load when i only need to go 500 miles? I'm gonna take a load thats on the way to where I want to deadhead. For a 500 miles run, I can pick up and drop of same day and thus be ready early in the morn, just like you.

Now less say i got a 400 mile load somewhere in between miami and atlanta. Pick up and drop offs cost me 50 out of the direct route of 500 miles.

So you drove 500 @ 0.00. For the bounce ill give ya 9 MPG which is a stretch, but ill give you the benefit of the dought. No ways a 5.35 loaded gets 10.5 empty. You bought 55.5 gallons and spent $210.9 for that bounce. You lost 210.90. (even at 10.5 you lost 180.95, although I dont think you truck gets that good mpg empty.)



I drove 400@ $1.20 and 150@ $0.00. Now using your low loaded number (i get higher mpg loaded) I drove 400 loaded (5.3 mpg) and 150 empty (9mpg). That's $286.79 loaded and 63.33 empty. I made $480- fuel cost of 350.12. I made a profit of 167.88. That means i came out 378.9 ahead of you for driving an extra 50 miles and hauling a load part way. Now even if you factor in additional maintenance, I'm not going to do 378 dollar worth in damage do the being loaded instead of empty. the next day we both wake up and both of us are ready for the next load. Obviously things like delivery after 5 are crucial. If i haul cheep freight i make sure time wise it works out so it doesn't hurt me. I also dont mind sleeping at a shipper or receiver to save my clock and male 378 extra dollars.




Also in your problem, I probably spent the night close to or at the receiver so i never wasted my 14 while getting unloaded. Like i said earlier, there is no reason to take an 800 mile load when i need to go 500 miles. We both get unloaded in miami at at the same time, I'll get to Atlanta 3 hours later (extra deadhead and load/unload) (still within dot) and with 378 more dollars in my pocket. I dotn know about you, but I'll always drive extra if it pays $126/hour lol. Even if i dont get unloaded until the next morning, I would not start my clock untill almost finished unloading and then bounce to shipper only an hour or 2 behind you.


O yeah, where are you getting that miami to Atlanta is only 500 miles? Its more like 660 accouring to google maps. Now if you want to use funny mpg numbers and funny miles to make yourself feel good about your poor business decisions, that's fine, but clearly everything you posted above is funny math.

 

I posted a reply also about fuel mileage but it disappeared. I have never saw that big a difference in MPG loaded versus mt as he stated so it makes me question all his figures.