Convoy Rates

I think that's where a break down of ideas come from. Some drivers are stuck in 60s, 70s, 80s mind frame. Striking no longer works. Capitalism has won majorly. Corporations have more power than the workers do now. It's too easy to replace the worker. Just like its token easy to find someone who will haul a load for cheap. I think that's why some companies are evolving into team operations. If loads arent paying much, then the only way for companies to make more money is team up drivers. That way each truck runs more miles. That's what has to happen when loads get cheap, I would think. Itd be nice to run 300 miles and get 1500 for it, but that takes an act of God these days. I like your other post explaining how you make it work for you, and you're simply saying reduce costs, and learn to do some maintenance on your own. Drivers can fuss about rates all day, but in reality, the only thing that will happen is either they will go ahead and run and make adjustments, or park and become a company guy. I've seen some numbers for your AVERAGE OO, and it seems like the company driver makes more money. Some owners do better than others, though. I cant imagine that every load will pay grade A money. I would think sometimes you have to run cheap to get to the better area, then it beats the hell out of excessive deadheads.

 

you forgot to grab your sack,along with the thumbs down

 

I will take my numbers from running about 7 months (total) last year all spot market, and put them against someone’s numbers that ran all year every day, every week. Brains lack in this business, and a lot of people working Harder not smarter. Not saying I won’t work hard, I’d like to be compensated for it though.

 

What load board app is that?

 

Uber

 

CONVOY SUCKS DONKEY BALLS !!! LOL

 

I use convoy more than any other broker. Since they give all information on loads,I can give more accurate bids. I NEVER take a load for asking price. They are crooks but are inexperienced crooks, so I have a small advantage over other other experienced brokers. CHR was my go to broker because I have a great agent that always helped me weed through the trash. His honest attempt to help was still less than what I can get with convoy.

 

Yes, Convoy sucks right now, but so does every other load board out there. We're all experiencing something that has never been seen before, the shut down of the world economy. The number of available loads has been cut by at least 50%, and somehow people are wondering why the rates have fallen. Many of the companies that produce the products we ship are shut down. The big ones that are still operating are shipping with the mega carriers that they are under contract with, and any leftovers are farmed out to brokers and apps like Convoy and Uber at greatly reduced rates. My brother in law drives for Heartland in just the western US, and he hasn't slowed down one bit, hauling food to DC's and paper products. Shippers who have products that aren't under contract are farming them out at the lowest rates possible just to see if they can get away with it, and in most cases they can because independent drivers are desperate right now. I saw a load on Uber this morning from NorCal to Texas for .62 cents per mile, and I have no doubt somebody took it.

Some of us can afford to sit for a few months with no income because we saved our money and prepared as best we could for a time like this. Many of us can't afford it and will go out of business. "If" things ever return to normal or something close to normal, there will be a lot fewer owner operators on the road and rates will increase. Until that happens, tighten your belts and get rid of any expenses that aren't absolutely necessary. If you make payments on a truck or trailer, contact your lender and see of they will renegotiate the terms of your loan so you can skip payments now, and add them on the back side by lengthening your term. Lenders don't want you to default and go bankrupt any more than you do, so chances are good they will work with you.

 

Everyone seemed to miss the point of my post. The post is about getting by and surviving until the other side, it’s not about being profitable in this environment. It’s about creating revenue and minimizing the damage.

I didn’t really think that needed to be explained, but obviously I was wrong.

Fixed costs don’t go away while you sit at home. You can go out and continue to generate revenue to put towards those fixed costs, or sit at home and eat through your savings. Anybody here have a crystal ball on when freight will resemble normalcy?

Are you prepared to sit for six months? Longer? Are there a glut of available jobs out there right now for you to transition to in order to cover your home bills?

Nobody wants to run for these rates, but I choose to generate revenue instead of eating through savings. In three months, I’ll still be $24k plus ahead of anyone sitting at home during that time because it’s revenue generated, not taken out of savings. To each their own.

 

Everyone has to make up their own mind. You still have the same risks for a reduced reward. I pull a reefer and it would suck to have a claim or have to repower a load.