considering choice program - questions??

We are a husband/wife team with 6yrs otr experience. We handle artwork, mainframe, and other high value climatic freight as well as general freight. We are considering the choice program due to a drop in revenue in our current contract. We are used to 6000mi. weeks and we run under the motto - You pay your bills Mon thru Fri, but you make your money on the weekends. We have stayed out over 320 days for the past five years. Yes, we have no life at the moment. That's what happens when you play too long. We went with Landstar for 6mo's last year and it was mostly a positive experience. Schneider's choice program seems very similar. I've searched the forum and have had some questions answered but still have a few. First, are there many coast to coast loads? That was the deal breaker for Landstar. We rarely were able to pull anything to the west coast. We could do 1000mi over the weekend but not 2500. It was like a 20% revenue cut. Question 2. What is current fsc and is it preloaded into the load board rate? This was a negative at Landstar because the brokers gave different fsc rates which skewed the actual rate per mile. However, we did negotiate better rates which was a plus and I understand that there is no negotiating rates with Schneider. Question3. If a load has a considerable amount of tolls, is that factored into the load board rate? Do you just suck it up or not choose that load? Question 4. Are many loads live unload requiring lumper labor and is that included in the load board rate? Do you know beforehand if lumpers will be required? Last question. Can loads be delivered early and does the o/o do all the customer contact to set del times, etc? I have other questions but that is enough for now. Thanks in advance, dan...

 

Thanks to both of you. We are actively soliciting an a&e contract which will be a totally new experience for us but not too scary. More importantly, we have talked about getting our own authority but that is REALLY scary. I live by certain principles or philosophies and one is - there are business people and there are workerbees, and they think completely different. Sadly, we are workerbees learning to be business people. We are the kind you want to hire, someone who will typically give you $2 effort for $1 revenue. We are getting better but still, we suck. We leave money on the table accomplishing needed tasks and we don't say no enough to poor paying loads. I can at least say we've grown to where we are no longer employable for wages, (no offense meant to anyone.) Getting our own authority seems out of reach. We work hard and we work well, however, paperwork and fighting for $$$ are major weak points. I'm ok at confrontation if it has a point and will be resolved but I don't like to harass. These weaknesses seem critical for a TRUE o/o. I feel the business aspects of getting our authority to be overwhelming. I invite comments if I am under an illusion and making too much of nothing. dan...